The KTM Factory Top-Guns: Blazusiak, Despres & Coma (from left to right)

Even though the FIM is holding a round of the 2009 WEC at the same weekend, four international Factory Teams have taken up the challenge called Erzbergrodeo this year:

KTM and Taddy Blazusiak: True Favourites

The KTM Factory Team could once again be the dominant force at Erzberg. Taddy Blazusiak (POL) has won the 2007 and 2008 Red Bull Hare Scramble with such breathtaking dominance, it’s plain to see that the orange factory rider is regarded as the true favourite for this year’s Hare Scramble. Blazusiak will have to face fierce competition out of his own team though. 2-times Erzbergrodeo winner and Dakar Champion Cyril Despres (AND) will give Taddy a hard run for his money, and so will Extreme-Enduro Pro Chris Birch (NZL) and multi-time Roof-of-Africa winner Darryl Curtis (RSA). The „choice of weapon“ for all four KTM factory riders: Two-Strokes! Blazusiak will ride a KTM 250 EXC, Despres, Birch and Curtis all choose 300 EXCs for their race against the Erzberg.

KTM will also bring one of their fastest factory guys to compete in the Iron Road Prologue: 2009 Dakar Champion Marc Coma (ESP) will pilot a KTM 690 to the Erzberg’s peak on Friday and Saturday.

Forster & Lettenbichler ride blue-white steel horses / Canadian champion Shane Cuthbertson on his Husaberg FE 570

BMW takes up the challenge
BMW Factory supported Andreas Lettenbichler (D) already displayed his potential in 2008 when he conquered the Red Bull Hare Scramble podium and rode his BMW G 450 X to a solid second place. The sympathic former Trials rider will be back for BMW in 2009 and could be once again a major threat for Taddy Blazusiak. Fellow Bavarian Gerhard Forster (D) will be backing up BMW efforts. The extremely experienced Enduro rider has Top-10 finishes at all European Extreme Enduros in his bag and will be riding a G 450 X as well.
Further riders under the blue-white flag include Austrian Enduro Champion Rudi Pöschl and multi-time South African Enduro Jade Gutzeit and Gray Dick. While Pöschl dominated the Austrian Cross-Country-Championships during the past years, Gutzeit and Dick have both won the notorious Roof-of-Africa Hardenduro-Rallye before.

HUSABERG – the blue-yellow axes are stronger than ever
Husaberg will challenge the Erzbergrodeo with their all new, innovative FE-models and with an international team featuring top-riders from 3 nations and 2 continents. Shane Cuthbertson (CAN) and Jared Thomas (CAN) belong to Canada’s own Enduro elite, while Thomas „Fuxi“ Günther (GER) ranks amongst the most successful Enduro riders of Germany. Ex-Snowboard Worldcup Champion Dieter Happ (AUT) and 12-times Austrian Trials Champion Erich Brandauer (AUT) both have tons of experience with even the most crucial offroad tracks under their belts. Except Jared Thomas (FE 450), the complete Husaberg team will attack the „Iron Giant“ on board of the FE 570 four stroke machines. „The Husaberg FE 570 offers massive power for the high-speed gravel tracks of the Iron Road Prologue, and it also has enough punch to cover the endless Hare Scramble uphills right after the start. Still the Husaberg is lighweight and easy to handle, which will work perfectly in the tight and technical Trial sections.“, Erich Brandauer describes the benefits of his „working tool“ at Erzberg.

APRILIA & Antoine Letellier: Prologue Champions of 2008
It was probably the biggest surprise of last year’s Erzbergrodeo. Antoine Letellier (F) managed to win the Iron Road Prologue 2008 at an eyebrow raising speed on board of his twin-cylinder Aprilia RXV 550. It was Letellier’s first ever appearance at Erzberg, until then the 27-year old Frenchman was rather known for his Motocross riding skills. Unfortunately Antoine couldn’t show his potential at the Red Bull Hare Scramble because he had to attend a GCC-race at the same day, but in 2009 he wants to show his team that he definitely is capeable to do well even at the world’s toughest Single-Day race event.

English hearts, fuel-powered: Doug Lampkin & Paul Bolton

The Challengers: Doug Lampkin, Paul Bolton & Co.

In 2009, the factory riders will have to face tough competition from an armada of top-level riders from all over the world. 12-times (!) Trials World Champion Doug Lampkin (UK) and 3rd place Hare Scramble finisher Paul Bolton (UK) will spearhead a true „invasion“ of English riders at the Erzbergrodeo – an amazing 85 top-level riders from the UK have entered fort he 2009 event!

Lampkin is well known as the world’s most successful Trials rider, but the 33 year old from middle England has also competed very successful at events like Hell’ Gate Enduro and Tough One Enduro in the past 12 months. Lampkin will debut at the Erzbergrodeo on board of a Beta 450 four stroke Enduro.

For Paul Bolton, the sympathic truck mechanic from near Liverpool, the Erzbergrodeo 2009 marks his third appearance at the „Iron Giant“. Bolton finished 7th place in 2007 and made the podium in 2008. This year Bolton will for sure fight for the Hare Scramble crown once more. Paul will ride a two-stroke KTM 250 EXC for the new EUROTEK KTM-Team – and will face some real competition from his own „boss“. Team-owner Mark Jackson rocketed his KTM from second row (!) to an outstanding 10th place finish in 2008, so the 44-years old is a sure bet for a Top-10 finish at the Red Bull Hare Scramble 2009. The third rider in the team will be fellow Englishman Martin Craven from Doncaster, who also managed to finish the Hare Scramble on his first attempt in 2008 – coming out of third row!

The list of prominent challengers fort he podium doesn’t stop here: Youngsters like Cory Graffunder (CAN, KTM) and Kyle Redmond (USA, Yamaha) can’t wait to rub their shoulders with experienced Erzberg veterans like Graham Jarvis (UK, Sherco), Ralf Scheidhauer (GER, KTM), Stefan Müller (GER), Rene Dietrich (GER, KTM), Goncalo Reis (POR, KTM) and Miha Spindler (SLO, Husaberg). All of them have crossed the finish line of the Red Bull Hare Scramble before.

Austrias Enduro Top-Guns: Men of the house?
It’s definitely no advantage to live near the „Iron Giant“, especially not in terms of the notorious Red Bull Hare Scramble. The giant iron mine is closed to the 2-wheel community on 355 days of the year anyway. It won’t hurt though if one brings a little experience with battling the huge and rocky terrain, but as mining is still in full progress the mountain changes his face from year to year. The past has also proofed that full-blown novices have a good chance to master the sheer unbelieveable challenge and some riders even came out of nowhere – and won the race!

So even though the Austrian riders come without any advantage, they surely do not have to hide under the carpet if compared to the international Superstars. Homegrown riders like Roland Sailer (KTM), Rudi Pöschl (BMW) and Erich Brandauer (Husaberg) have placed amongst the world’s elite more than once at the Erzbergrodeo. Not to forget the next generation of High-class Enduro riders coming from Austria: Youngsters like Hansi Leitner (Gas Gas), Peter Rieder (Husaberg),  Bernd Jagersberger (Gas Gas) and Dieter Rudolf (Gas Gas) are names to be remebered if it comes to real determination, ambition and enthusiasm at Erzberg.

1.500 riders from 33 nations and 4 continents will participate at the Erzbergrodeo XV, and each and every one of them will do his part to convert Erzberg into the epicentre of the international motorcycle offroad community in June 2009...!

Martin Kettner
ERZBERGRODEO Press/Media Service

Photographs by Jonty Edmunds, BMW Motorsport, Herwig Peuker, Rutger Pauw