It’s been four years since the Australian Four Day Enduro was last run, but anticipation is high as the prestigious off-road event is back for 2022 and ready to roar into action this week in Erica, Victoria.
Media Information: 2 May 2022Cessnock, New South Wales in 2018 was the place and time for the last A4DE before the event run into issues and covid but its back in a big way for 2022. With prime riding terrain and 250 riders ready to do battle over a range of special tests that will challenge skill levels of all riders, Yamaha will be there in numbers trying to secure as many class wins as possible.
The event is old style enduro that will see riders move from special test to special test over the opening three days, ensure they stay on time and then charge their way through each and every test. Day four is an open track motocross style race to finish things off and throughout the whole event, only the riders can work on their machines. It is physically tough as it is mentally.
ShopYamaha Off Road Racing
The ShopYamaha team are looking to continue their great start to the 2022 season that sees Kyron Bacon and Josh Green lead their respect classes in the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC). In Bacon’s case, he is also showing how to get it done Outright, winning three of the four rounds contested so far, a feat rarely achieved on the 250cc machine.
This will also mark the first A4DE for Bacon. The Tasmanian rider has slingshot to prominence in the last few years and hasn’t experienced the challenges faced at a four-day event. But his fitness and speed in 2022 has been exhilarating and he is eagerly anticipating the event which has long been the jewel in the crown of off-road racing.
Fellow team member and E1 (250cc) competitor, Blake Hollis, will also embark on his first four day. Hollis was still competing in junior motocross the last time the A4DE was run but like Bacon, has heard great things about the event and looks forward to what the event throws up.
At the other end of the scale is veteran Josh Green. Competing in the E2 (450cc) division in 2022, Green has racked up a dozen A4DE starts and has finished on the podium at most of them. Four days of gruelling riding on sandy based terrain is right up Green’s alley and the event has been a motivating factor for him coming into the 2022 season.
“I think we are looking good and ready to go,” explains ShopYamaha Team Manager, AJ Roberts. “Josh has done what seems like one hundred of these and knows exactly what to expect, while we have had to guide and explain several things to Kyron and Blake on how the event runs. I’m sure the riding for them will be easy, but they must work on their own bikes and sometimes use some race craft to look after their bikes when the course gets tough.
“All three are excited to do it has its almost new for all of them. It’s different to what we do at AORC rounds and I hope that 2022 relaunches the A4DE and the event can return to the calendar for a long time to come.”
Yamaha JGR Ballards Off Road
The A4DE is a senior rider event only as the course can often take in public rads and require a nationally recognised bike license, the team will be without 14-year-old, Danielle Macdonald. The duo of Jess Gardiner and Jeremy Carpentier will fly the team flag at the event, Gardiner looking to win another A4DE crown in the Women’s class, while Carpentier out to shake things up in the E1 division.
Carpentier has moved from the E2 to the E1 class for 2022 and the change of capacity has been good for the French rider. He has been able to snare some podiums at the opening rounds of the AORC and despite an injury sustained at the Mackay round, is on track to be fit and ready to go for this week.
Gardiner enters the event in great form are dominating things at the AORC rounds in 2022. She has been in a class of her own and the A4DE is the kind of event Gardiner relishes as it suits her gritty, never given up riding style and mental determination.
“This event has a lot of similarities to the events I raced when I was based in Europe a few years ago. Multiple days over challenging terrain and some nasty special tests is what off road racing is all about and this event is just like that.
“The Yamaha WR250F is the perfect bike as it is fast enough to get the job done, but easy to ride so it doesn’t fatigue you over the four days of competition. I’m glad its back on the calendar and can’t wait to get going latter in the week,” Gardiner said.
Action gets underway this Wednesday and runs through until Saturday where the final moto is held. With riders spending up to six hours on the bike each day and a wide range of weather and track conditions, this A4DE promises to be an epic one.