If a motorsport event in the heart of Austria has to offer 1500 starting places and these places are sold out within 2 weeks this can easily be called a success on its very own right! If this event is an off road motorcycle race, this can truly be called a sensation – internationally.

More than 2000 ambitous enduro freaks from 35 nations have registered for the 16th edition of the Erzbergrodeo and so the small town of Eisenerz once again becomes the epicenter of the motocross, enduro and trial scene. Off road enthusiasts from all over Europe, from Australia, Africa, South America and the USA and Canada will turn the Styrian Erzberg to giant multicultural party zone for the whole 4 days of the event.

Important notice: the impressing number of participating nations does not exclusively result from the international factory teams. It is the hundreds and hundreds of privateers that are willing to travel thousands of kilometers and spend considerable amounts of money to be able to take up the challenge of the „Iron Mountain“. They come from Scandinavia as well as Portugal and  South Italy, from Eastern Europe, from Mexico, Australia, Canada, South Africa, California or even Hawaii – and they are one of the reasons why the Erzbergrodeo is such a unique event, world-wide.

In 2010, more motorcycles than ever will raid the town of Eisenerz

Waiting List Online
Since last Monday, the Erzbergrodeo organisation offers an online waiting list. If a registered rider drops out for some reason, this starting place will be given to a rider on the waiting list. Same rules like in the regular registration process: first come – first served!

Tougher than iron: RED BULL HARE SCRAMBLE

More professional riders than ever
In 2010, there will be no FIM Enduro championship on the same date as the Erzbergrodeo. This time, the Erzbergrodeo is perfectly embedded between the WEC races in Italy and Poland. Insiders are already anticipating a new record-breaking number of professional riders at the „Iron Giant“.
Aside from British enduro star David Knight, off road greats like trial superstar Adam Raga (ESP), the American off road legend Destry Abbot as well as a number of other top level riders from the trial and enduro scene have signalled to be interested in challenging the Erzberg. For all enduro factory teams next year’s the Erzbergrodeo is ideally placed between the other race events, so prominent rookies such as Christophe Nambotin (F, GasGas), Antoine Meo (F, Husqvarna) oder Rodrig Thain (F, TM) might show up as well.

But even without speculating too much: there will be enough high-class pilots, who will be mixing with the hungry and ambitious hobby riders.

KTM superstar Taddy Blazusiak (POL) will be trying to secure his 4th consecutive Red Bull Hare Scramble win and his “colleagues“ from the extreme enduro scene will do their best to prevent him from doing so: Chris Birch (KTM) from New Zealand is in top shape, as is Red Bull Romaniacs 2009 winner Andreas Lettenbichler (BMW) from Germany and Brit Graham Jarvis (Sherco). Dougie Lampkin (UK), 12-time trial world champion still has a bill to settle with the Iron Mountain and will be at the Erzberg in 2010 again as well as his cousins Ben and Dan Hemingway (placing 4th and 7th in 2009!). Paul Bolton and – most probably – Paul Edmondson with an offroad racing team, which is still in the making, are two more professional riders who round up the British phalanx at the Erzberg
Not to forget the „Young Guns“ of the scene: Cory Graffunder (CAN), Tom Sagar (UK), Kyle Redmond (USA), Mark Portbury (AUS), Richard Ellwood (UK) und Goncalo Reis (POR), all of them already well experienced Erzberg-riders, have also announced to pay their visit to Erzbergrodeo XVI.

Martin Kettner
Erzbergrodeo Press/Media Service

MR/HL