Danish Extreme Enduro Championship 2015

Denmark got it’s 2015 season off to a flying starting with it’s one-day extreme enduro championship at Juelsminde, Jotland…

By Soren Brahe, sorenbrahe@gmail.com

Very steep hills, tight brush, snow, gravel, water, clay, frost and international competition. The first national championships off road in Denmark is extreme as it should be.

The race is inspired by the big international hard enduro races from across Europe and fit into what the Danish landscape can offer of resistance and challenges to the best enduro riders in Scandinavia. So for the fourth time since 2012 the green flag went down to start the grueling selection of the best in the pack.

© Søren Brahe

The folks behind Enduro Denmark West had managed to set a track using only natural obstacles, so that concrete pipes, truck tires and logs were not necessary to help find the true champions. Since the winter had not really bitten hard enough studded tires were not allowed, as they are in some years. “The climbs are really steep this year” one official said “ but on the contrary the run-ups are tight”

It was a small elite pack of racers walking up the hill to line up for the le-mans type start: 10 Danes, 6 Norwegians, 4 Swedes and 1 Icelandic. A lot more had vowed to show up – but it was lots of talk, little action – probably out of respect for the types of track that race organizers Dan Uno and Johnny Pedersen are known to come up with – and in early February.

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A downhill le-mans start got the action started. But winning the hole shot by young Kevin Burud of Norway was not rewarded as he was first to hit solid ice around the first blind corner and crashed – quickly getting back again.

Another Norwegian took over the lead after local rider Emil Uno made a small mistake still in the rush of the start and was first to break the ice of a 120 feet long water obstacle. Christian Illidi (NOR) built a fine lead of more than a minute to Dane Thomas Kongshoj 45 minutes into the race. He also set the days fastest lap time on the 3-mile very technical course.

But on one of the many “walls” which had gotten very rough Christian Illidi made a mistake and came sliding back down again. And that was all that Thomas Kongshoj needed to catch up and they were soon rubbing tires. The challenge fuelled Thomas Kongshoj’s riding to make a pass a few minutes later.

© Søren Brahe

Now Kongshoj was himself the objective. Unknown to him that Christian Illidi had to abandon due to a cracked cooler, the multiple Danish champion now accelerated the pace to his limit to build a 3-4 minute lead to another two chasing Norwegians – just 16 and 18 years old. He just experienced that a one minute lead was no where enough to ensure first place.

Kevin Burud (NOR) did the unexpected of a young enduro rider. They often charge like a missile but tend to lose momentum as arms and everything else takes a beating. Not Kevin Burud – who got more and more in the rhythm – while other gave up all together or took very long pit stops.

He carved off Kongshoj’s lead so well that they were less than two minutes apart going out on the last lap. But last year’s overall Danish champion managed to keep his act together and cross the finish line with a wheelie. He was genuinely happy and shouting loud as he took first with 1 minute 39 seconds to Kevin.

© Søren Brahe

Last year’s intruding and winning Norwegian, Sindre Hansen, took bronze. Two Swedes got fourth and fifth. A third of all riders DNF’ed.

Now with the most extreme racing completed the Danish enduro riders can “relax” and focus on the upcoming six regular races. These can offer among other things a 3-4 hour almost pure sand race in a huge military training area, the “WILD WEST” race end of May. Elements of hard enduro are sneaking in everywhere – as well as foreign riders who are not just riding as tourists. 

© Søren Brahe