Knighter Triumphs in Australian Four-Day Enduro
Press Release | July 9, 2007
David (Knighter) Knight, Enduro world champion and current points leader in the US GNCC, came, rode and conquered the Australian Four Day Enduro at Coffs Harbour in New South Wales.
Knighter, using the mid season break in the American competition to compete in the Aussie event, added his first ever “Down Under” title to his already impressive collection. Brushing aside effects of the long haul flight, lost luggage and only 30 minutes to set up the bike, he held his own through the seven special tests on day one and kept Aussie rival Stefan Merriman in his sights.
Day two was a typical Knighter day when he stormed to a 19 seconds lead over Merriman and took control of the overall results. He added another 31 second advantage on Merriman on day three, despite increasingly tough special tests and a frosty morning at the start of the day.
Expecting to coast in on the trail ride on the final day, which was to finish back at the Coffs Harbour motorcycle track, David and the other competitors were caught on the hop when the weather turned against them and the surface was much more slippery and more difficult than they had expected. Knighter pulled out all of the professional stops, stayed composed as conditions deteriorated and went on to claim victory in front of Chris Hollis and Stefan Merriman.
David said at the conclusion of the race that he knew he had been cast as one of the favorites, especially as Juha Salminen (fellow KTM Enduro factory rider) had won the event in 2006.
“I guess the last day worked out well for me being wet although it was hard because my bike was set up for dry conditions,” Knight said. “The motocross track was hard work because it was extremely slippery. I knew I couldn’t afford any mistakes and luckily I didn’t really make any. There were riders falling everywhere but I managed to keep upright, which got me the win.”
Results – 2007 Australian Four Day Enduro (Overall)
1. David Knight (KTM)
2. Charlie Hollis (Yamaha)
3. Stefan Merriman (Aprilia)
4. AJ Roberts (Honda)
5. Glenn Kearney (Suzuki)
6. Kirk Hutton (Yamaha)
