Paul Seyr (middle) was happy about the day's victory. © www.redbullmediahouse.com

Spectacular steep slope action at the start of the Erzbergrodeo

On the first day of the event, thousands of enthusiastic fans experienced top-class motorcycle off-road sport on the mountain made of iron. The selective, steep slope course of the MITAS Rocket Ride ensured exciting decisions from the qualifying sessions right through to the spectacular super finale.

June 09, 2023

From: pm

As a first highlight, Red Bull Erzbergrodeo mastermind Karl Katoch presented the top riders of the world's unique World Xtreme Enduro event to the world press present at the opening press conference. Also taking part are Red Bull KTM Factory Racing top riders Manuel Lettenbichler (Germany) and Trystan Hart (Canada), Husqvarna Factory Racing superstar and 4-time FIM world champion Billy Bolt (Great Britain), as well as GASGAS Factory Racing factory professional and 5-time Red Bull Erzbergrodeo Winner Taddy Blazusiak (POland). Five-time winner Graham Jarvis (Great Britain, Husqvarna), the most successful Red Bull Erzbergrodeo participant alongside Taddy Blazusiak, also answered the questions of press spokesman Martin Kettner, who, together with Husqvarna and Motorex, led brand ambassador and off-road globetrotter Lyndon Poskitt (Great Britain) through the program .

Other top drivers such as the 3-time Red Bull Erzbergrodeo winner Jonny Walker (Great Britain, Beta), the 2-time Red Bull Erzbergrodeo winner Alfredo Gomez (Spain, Rieju), the Sherco factory drivers Mario Roman (Spain), Wade Young (South Africa) and Cody Webb (USA), Husqvarna Factory Rider Colton Haaker (USA), the reigning Enduro World Champion Andrea Verona (Italy, GASGAS), the two young Hard Enduro stars Matthew Green (South Africa, KTM) and Teodor Kabakchiev (Bulgaria, KTM) as well Austria's Extreme Enduro top rider Michael Walkner (GASGAS) completed the star line-up that will face the toughest challenge in the Xtreme Enduro scene next Sunday at the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo Highlight. The press also paid particular attention to ski superstar Marcel Hirscher (AUT, Husqvarna), who spoke about his personal expectations at the press conference.

A home win to start

On Friday, 300 participants took part in the MITAS Rocket Ride steep slope race at the foot of the Erzberg on the first Red Bull Erzbergrodeo racing day. The tough track, consisting of 4 steep slopes, offered the usual spectacular full-throttle action for the thousands of visitors, who already created a great atmosphere during qualifying from midday. With the active support of Red Bul Erzbergrodeo route construction partner Wacker Neuson, the extremely selective route, including a right bend, was able to be implemented perfectly.

There was already plenty of spectacle on offer on the first day of the race. © www.redbullmediahouse.com

After the spectacular qualifying, the fastest 48 drivers went into the super final in the evening, led by the most successful MITAS Rocket Ride participant to date, Ossi Reisinger (5-time winner). With strong competition from 17 nations and 3 continents, the Austrian only made it to the quarter-finals and had to admit defeat to the “young wild ones”. For the Spaniard Pol Tarres with his Yamaha Tenere 700, the race had already ended in the preliminary heats. On the other hand, the 5-time Enduro World Champion Antoine Meo (France) had a spectacular performance, showing a sensational performance right up to the very last final run on the powerful Ducati Desert X two-cylinder enduro. Meo ultimately narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth. The 24-year-old Austrian Paul Seyr could not be beaten in the strong final run and won his first rock trophy.

The atmosphere along the race track was also unbeatable. The thousands of fans loudly cheered the drivers through each run and were then treated to a special highlight. Freestyle MX professional Tobi Merz (Austria, GASGAS) caused massive enthusiasm with a huge freestyle show on the MITAS Rocket Ride route. As the highlight of his show, the 27-year-old from Lower Austria performed a backflip on the second steep slope of the track and made the fans go wild.

Final result MITAS ROCKET RIDE 2023:

1. Paul Seyr (AUT, KTM)
2. Thomas Reichhold (AUT, KTM)
3. Oskar Kaczmarczyk (POL, GASGAS)
4. Antoine Meo (WOMAN, Ducati)
5. Chris Gundermann (DE, KTM)
6. Antoine Criq (FRA, Beta)