ooking for the something really different in racing? Want to see the rock-jumping, stream-crossing action of off-road racing from the comfort of an arena seat? Then check out EnduroCross, which could be described as Supercross with obstacles, or an all-indoor enduro, or observed trials where dabs don’t matter but speed is of the essence. It’s hard to describe, but certainly worth the price of admission. Even through the Friday afternoon qualifiers the fans were on their feet. In fact, most of the fans stayed in their seats during intermission just to watch the track crew and bulldozers add obstacles to the already amazing course.
     Every November for the last two years the Maxxis EnduroCross Championship has lured the best riders on the planet to the Las Vegas Orleans arena for a chance at the title and the $10,000 prize. The list of racers read like a “Who’s Who” of the knobby world and included World Enduro Champions, ISDE Champions, WORCS Champions, GNCC Champions, Hare Scrambles Champions, National Enduro Champions, Hare & Hound Champs, and Motocross and Supercross heroes. The brainchild of promoters Tim Clark and Eric Peronnard, EnduroCross came from European roots with an American twist.
     “The initial idea came out of Spain where the Indoor Enduro has been taking place for the past several years,” said the promoting duo. “We knew right away that it would be a success in the states. We then coined the name EnduroCross and put the plan into action to make it happen. An event of this style takes time to put together…the Orleans Arena has turned out to be a great venue.”
The racing action is stunning, as the course has major obstacles absolutely everywhere. “No question the track is one of the stars of the show,” said Clark. “We put a lot of time and thought into the track layout. We first develop a large-scale diagram and create it on paper. These ideas look good but the real fine-tuning happens right there at the arena. We are limited on some obstacles but the ones we bring in have proven to be a big success.”

Race winner David Knight (center) is joined on the podium by second place finisher John Dowd (left) and third place finisher Ricky Dietrich.

     Many fans came early just to see the course, as did the riders. As John Dowd walked the track for the first time he looked like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” said a wide-eyed Dowd. “I’ve certainly never ridden anything like this. We’re supposed to race this? I’m not even sure I can make it around one lap without going down.” Dowd did just fine, setting the third fastest qualifying time and finishing second in the 10-lap main event.
     One of the biggest heroes of the night was defending EnduroCross Champion Ryan Hughes who had just signed with Manager Mike Webb’s Team Suzuki Off-Road and plans to become a full-time WORCS racer in 2006. Hughes did not disappoint the crowd who cheered him to the fastest qualifying lap of the night. Unfortunately for “Ryno” his luck would not hold to the main, where he briefly led, but several bobbles on the tough obstacles dropped him back to ninth at the finish. “I blew it tonight,” said Hughes after the race. “I made a mistake and lost the lead, then tried to make up time which just caused more mistakes. I really should’ve have slowed down to go faster. Isn’t that what they say?”
     The course was in fact the toughest competitor of the night. Any of the great riders could easily slip from 1st to 10th just by getting a wheel stuck in a hole in the rock-pile or slipping off one of the giant logs. In front of a sellout crowd, World Enduro Champion David Knight, of the Isle of Man, rode a smart and methodical 10-lap main event to take the win and the $10,000 first-place prize money. After crashing in his heat race and injuring his arm, Knight recovered from a bad start and slowly worked his way through the pack, taking the lead around the halfway point and going on to win the race. Knight had a good 2005 season for KTM, collecting The Maxxis EnduroCross title, the ISDE overall, the Erzburg Rally, the World Enduro Championship, and the Red Bull Last Man Standing competition.

(top): Ryan Hughes contemplates the track.
(bottom): Moose-sponsored Hughes was the winner of last year's inaugural EnduroCross. He had a tougher time here, leading briefly in the main before several bobbles dropped him back to ninth at the finish.

     Team Green Kawasaki’s Ricky Dietrich got out front early and led much of the race. Dietrich was not one of the “elite” invited champions, and had earned his way into the Saturday night program by racing in the qualifiers on Friday. He held the lead in the main for a long time but a bobble in the rock pile allowed Knight to get close and he soon gave way to the World Champ. Dietrich held down second until the last lap when Suzuki-mounted John Dowd caught up. After taking the white flag, the two riders battled back and forth and had the crowd on its feet. With two turns to go, Dietrich and Dowd slammed into each other, and Dietrich ended up going down, handing Dowd second place for the night. Dietrich got up in time to take third. “That was the most intense battle of my life,” Dietrich said on the podium.
     Fourth place ended up going to Montclair Yamaha/Zip-Ty Racing’s Ty Davis, followed by Spanish rider and E1 World Enduro Champion Ivan Cervantes aboard a KTM. Kawasaki rider Ryan Dudek finished sixth, followed by KTM’s Kurt Caselli, National Enduro Champion Mike Lafferty, Hughes and Spain’s Xavier Galindo. “It’s great to race in front of a crowd again,” said Davis later. “It’s been a while since I could hear fans cheering so loud. I thought it might be distracting, but it really pumps you up to push harder.” Davis, we should all remember, won a 125cc Supercross West Championship before switching to full-time Off-Road racing.
     EnduroCross is so new that there is no formula for winning as of yet. Several riders built courses on their land and felled trees to try to train for the event; others went to local quarries and rode on the rock piles. Many raced with super soft trials tires, hoping for an edge. In the end Knight won by virtue of his skill, speed and mostly lack of mistakes on the course.
     According to Clark and Peronnard, EnduroCross will return in 2006. “Our plan,” they said, “is to return to the Orleans Arena. Yes, we believe we could put more people in the stands at a bigger venue, but what makes EnduroCross work so well is the intimate setting. The fans are right there with the riders…you are as close to the race action as you can get. Too big of a venue will take away from the great action the fans get to experience.”

(top left): Dowd was extremely happy with his second place finish!
(top right): Montclair Yamaha/Zip-Ty RacingÕs Ty Davis claimed the fourth place finish.
(bottom left): Dowd (center) with Racer XÕs Davey Coombs (left) and Jimmy Button.

     EnduroCross would make a great series and a fine addition to American Off-Road racing where fans can actually see their woods and desert heroes put their skills to work up close. “Without question EnduroCross would make a great series,” said Clark. “To make it a series is a bit more difficult then most people realize though. There are a lot of variables, for instance, it needs to take place in the right arena in the right state and you need to out-source the necessary track obstacles and the dates of the events are very important not to conflict with other off-road series. There are a lot of variables that come into play…but we are working on those now.”
     For the time being most of us will have to be content to see EnduroCross once a year at the event in Las Vegas. It is definitely a great show, all the riders who didn’t qualify for the main stayed to watch, just to see the action. So if you’re in Vegas in early November in 2006, go to the EnduroCross at the Orleans Arena, possibly the best motorcycle racing you’ll ever see indoors.
For more about EnduroCross, log onto www.endurocrossusa.com.