Roman Wins Minus 400 Desert Extreme
T
he opening round of the
eight-round 2022 FIM Hard
Enduro World Championship got
underway in Israel, April 5-7, with
the Minus 400 Desert Extreme
race.
The three-day race was
decided on the final day with a
46-mile main event held in 100-
plus degree temperatures. The
first day of racing was the Leon-
ardo Urban Race and Leonardo
Urban SuperEnduro, which were
qualifier races. They would ulti-
mately decide the top 30 riders
who would move on to day two's
Yochananof Desert Prologue, a
three-hour race to determine the
starting order for the deciding
main event, the Minus 400, on
day three.
Husqvarna's Billy Bolt was the
top qualifier on Wednesday, and
Sherco's Wade Young topped
Thursday's Prologue ahead of
teammate Mario Roman and Bolt.
Husqvarna's Graham Jarvis and
GasGas rider Dominik Olszowy
completed the top five.
It was anyone's race right up
to the technical boulder garden
near the end of day three, that's
when Roman decided to make
his move and pull away from his
rivals, despite the furnace-like
heat which didn't seem to faze
the Spaniard. It was a decisive
win. The Sherco pilot crossed
the finish line seven minutes
clear of runner-up Bolt, the
recently crowned FIM SuperEn-
duro World Champion.
"Ah man, it's amazing to get
this win," Roman said. "What
a start to the season! I feel like
it's a long time coming since my
last big victory. Overall, the race
has been very good for its first
edition. The entire three days
were tough with the terrain and
the heat. Today was a battle. I
IN
THE
WIND
P32
Sherco's Mario Roman fired
the first shot in the 2022 FIM
Hard Enduro Championship
by winning the opening round
at the Minus 400 Desert
Extreme race in Israel.
PHOTOS: FUTURE7MEDIA
