Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/422367
IN THE WIND P24 10 YEARS OF ENDUROCROSS T he 2014 AMA EnduroCross marked the 10-year anniversary of the very first AMA EnduroCross. One decade ago, a handful of industry, fans and racers came out to the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas over Thanksgiving weekend in 2004 to witness the newfangled sport. It was a one-off invitational, and no one knew quite what to anticipate. Riders of all walks, and from around the world, agreed to try their hand at this unknown concept, going only at the word of promoters Eric Peronnard and Tim Clark that it would be a great event. No one quite knew how to prepare for a race like this, and it was anyone's guess what type of rider would have the advantage— a trials rider, an off-roader, a motocrosser? The advantage on that particular weekend went to Ryan Hughes who took the first-ever AMA En- duroCross National number-one plate. It was that night the American off-road crowd also met a rider named David Knight—the Manxman who thoroughly enjoyed "bashing around" with Hughes en route to a second-place finish. Third place went to the late Mika Ahola—the "Flying Finn" who brought his own unique style on and off the track. All three riders went on to compete in more AMA EnduroCross races, and eventually saw the one-off event give birth to a series. Ten years later, Endu- roCross has grown to a nationwide series and has been showcased at X Games, and gone around the world to places like Germany and Brazil. It has now grown to become a 10-round series and is consid- ered one of the premier off-road championships in North America. The level of competition has risen to heights capable of reducing Supercross racers (who will remain nameless) to mere amateurs. While the spectator turnout was painfully limited that day, the racers, industry and media who were present knew they had all become a part of some- thing extraordinary—a new style of racing that was beaming with potential, especially at the capable hands of Peronnard. With a stellar crew at the helm and a tight-knit family of EnduroCross athletes, spon- sors and media, the series looks toward a bright fu- ture, and even more growth in the next decade. Jean Turner LJUNGGREN WINS NOVEMBERKÅSAN B el Ray Husqvarna's Joakim Ljunggren rode to another dominant win in Vimmerby, Swe- den, at the 2014 Novemberkåsan extreme enduro. The Swede rode to a dominant win in the 14- hour race, pushing hard in the fi- nal lap to take the overall win by over 11 minutes. "It's an incredible feeling to have won my sixth Novem- berkåsan. This is such an impor- tant race in Sweden and now I've been able to equal the all-time win list," Ljunggren said. Joakim led the race from start to finish, and really flexed his ex- treme enduro skills during the treacherous eight-hour night sec- tion. KTM-mounted Henrik Lind- holm finished second with Husqvarna rider Johan Edlund rounding out the podium. With the conclusion of the 2014 series at Ontario, EnduroCross celebrated its 10 th year of existence in the U.S. PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER Swedish-native Joakim Ljunggren mastered the Nordic night to ride to a dominant win in the 14-hour extreme enduro. PHOTOGRAPHY BY FUTURE 7 MEDIA/ HUSQVARNA MOTORCYCLES