Cycle News Staff | April 8, 2022
The opening round of the eight-race 2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship got underway in Israel, April 6-8, with the Minus 400 Desert Extreme race.
The three-day race was decided on the final day with a 46-mile main event held in 100-plus degree temperatures. The first day of racing was the Leonardo Urban Race and the Leonardo Urban SuperEnduro, which were qualifier races. They would ultimately decide the top 30 riders who would move on to day two’s Yochananof Desert Prologue, a three-hour race to determine the starting order for the deciding main event, the Minus 400, on day three.
Husqvarna’s Billy Bolt was the top qualifier on Wednesday, and Sherco’s Wade Young topped Thursday’s Prologue ahead of teammate Mario Roman and Bolt. Husqvarna’s Graham Jarvis and GasGas rider Dominik Olszowy completed the top five.
It was anyone’s race right up to the technical boulder garden near the end of day three, that’s when Roman decided to make his move and pull away from his rivals, despite the furnace-like heat which didn’t seem to faze the Spaniard. It was a decisive win, too. The Sherco pilot crossed the finish line seven minutes clear of runner-up Bolt, the recently crowned FIM SuperEnduro World Champion.
“Ah man, it’s amazing to get this win,” Roman said. “What a start to the season! I feel like it’s a long time coming since my last big victory. Overall, the race has been very good for its first edition. The entire three days were tough with the terrain and the heat. Today was a battle. I started fourth and focused on my own pace. In the technical terrain I caught up to them and after service, I pushed on again. In the final key sections, I made my move and took the win.”
Bolt, who was managing a wrist injury, rode well enough to claim second ahead of Jarvis.
“It’s been a physical start to the season for sure,” Bolt said. “After a full SuperEnduro season, I was a little underprepared coming here. Considering how little time I’ve spent on the two-stroke prior to Israel I’m happy with second. At the service point, I could see Mario and Wade’s tires were in better condition, so I knew I just needed to hang on to the finish to secure a podium result.”
Jarvis got off to a slow start but finish strong, nabbing the last spot on the podium. “It feels brilliant to be back racing and even better to finish on the podium,” said Jarvis who has been recovering from a knee injury for many months. “It’s been a long road to recovery to get to this point. The initial part of today’s race was fast, and I wasn’t comfortable to go with the top guys straight away—I’m still thinking about my knee. But after the service point, I settled in and started to make progress. The rock section at the end was the decider, and I made places there for third.”
Gomez was fourth approximately five minutes behind Jarvis, and Young rounded out the top five.
Young was in contention for a podium late in the but a navigational error cost him a couple of positions.
2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship
Minus 400 Desert Extreme
Israel
RESULTS (April 6-8, 2022)
MAIN (Top 10)
1. |
Mario Roman |
(She) |
3:48.24 |
2. |
Billy Bolt |
(Hus) |
3:55.37’3 |
3. |
Graham Jarvis |
(Hus) |
3:58.00 |
4. |
Alfredo Gomez |
(GG) |
4:03:08 |
5. |
Wade Young |
(She) |
4:06:48 |
6. |
Teodor Kabakchiev |
(Hus) |
3:11:33 |
7. |
Dominik Olszowy |
(GG) |
3:11:58 |
8. |
Michael Walkner |
(GG) |
3:15:42 |
9. |
David Cyprian |
(KTM) |
3:24:52 |
10. |
Francesc Moret |
(Rie) |
3:26:19 |