AJ Roberts To Take On Austrian Mountains On CRF450X at Erzberg
Posted on May 28, 2008
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Honda Australia’s Anthony “AJ” Roberts will be joining 1500 fearless bikers from 32 nations in Europe this weekend for the kick off of what is considered to be the biggest, toughest and most prestigious off road event of its kind on the international calendar. The three time Australian Off Road Champion will take his factory backed CRF450X through its paces in the iconic Austrian Erzbergrodeo race, which is now in its 14th year of existence.
Sophisticated timekeeping with transponders, a second paddock as well as a bigger Erzberg-Arena have been added this year to accommodate for the huge number of contestants.
Over five days, riders will compete in various elimination events including the “Iron Road Prologue” that now features a tabletop jump 180m after the start, as well as an acceleration measurement in order to crown the “Holeshot King” in front of 30,000 spectators.
The Iron Road Prologue is, as it sounds, a tough fight to the summit on a gravel road up to 30 metres wide and includes vehicles as diverse as side cars, scooters, cruisers and even sportsbikes, as well as the traditional off road machines.
Those who qualify move on to the Red Bull Hare Scramble, with only a handful of riders typically making it to the last checkpoint after four hours of harsh competition.
In the Rodeo-X Endurocross, an event featuring a combination of motocross, enduro and trial circuits, 300 riders fight for top honours over four days, with the final evening heat being conducted under lights.
Roberts will be up against such esteemed international riders as Cyril Despres, Taddy Blazusiak and Juha Salminen, and expects to use this first year of participation as a “learning curve.”
“It should be a real eye opener and I’m really looking forward to it. Some of these guys have been doing this event for a while so they will be hard to beat, but I’ll try to give them a run for their money!”
“Traditionally, there have not been many factory backed Hondas that compete at Erzberg, so it will be great to get out there and make a mark on the CRF450X,” Roberts said.
Event information: www.erzbergrodeo.at.
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