Who even needs the Enduro World Championship?

By Anthony Sutton on 24th May 18

Enduro

First of all Id like to apologise to the hard working members of the Richmond Motor Club and the slackers too, I suppose for the mix up with the report from the Gerald Simpson trial which we basically fecked right up as event observer Becky Robinson eloquently pointed out by email.

After a bit of investigation work we figured out the problem and can only apologise for what is probably best described as our reporter Barry Robinson (no relation) having a technical issue. Thats not Barry himself by the way and Id best point out as hes just fine and as feisty as ever.

Just after wed packed up and gone home last week we heard the news that the round of the EnduroGP series scheduled for Hawkstone Park in September had been cancelled.

The event itself is alive and well but promoter Paul Eddy cant make the numbers work with 50 or 60 world championship riders and has decided to create something that isnt confined to the guidelines set out by Alain Blanchard and his band of merry men.

So while it sucks that we wont get to see Steve Holcombe, Jamie McCanney, Danny McCanney, Brad Freeman, Dan Mundell and our other Brits abroad in world championship competition on this side of the English Channel what we might end up with is all those guys and more competing for pride and big cash prizes instead! That cant be a bad thing surely?

Its also worth noting that September 23/24 is a World Enduro Super Series-free weekend so we might just see some of that series top talent heading to Hawkstone, too. Chuck in a few hundred awesome amateurs and we got ourselves a doozie. Who even needs the Enduro World Championship?

While its still the #1 timecard enduro series in the world, the question seems to be how relevant will it remain in its current state?

Many enduro enthusiasts are already stating that the European Enduro Championship is a much better proposition than the worlds and that just shouldnt be the case. Theres obviously the want for riders to compete in a high quality and officially recognised series and you would hope that the world championship would be the ultimate test.

However, it would seem that the FIM and EnduroGP series promoter has fractured the sport and as things stand the team behind the WESS look ready to pick up the pieces. But it seems unlikely that theyll want to glue it all back together as the WESS is very much a championship based on the spectacle of the sport and the global reach it generates.

Currently the emphasis is on Hard Enduro events and, although it does include some traditional timecard races, its unlikely theyd swing away from whats currently hitting the spot.

And, ultimately, since all professional motorcycle sport is something of a marketing exercise with the aim being to sell motorcycles, clothing and parts then even the manufacturers that are topping the EGP series have to be thinking am I making the most of my investment?. I mean, what is a world title actually worth?

On the flipside, was Colton Haakers social media posts pleading for people to stop sharing footage of the crash that could have so easily killed him had spectators not pulled his bike off him as he struggled for air as his head was trapped under water.

It was strange for a rider who has utilised social media to his advantage for so long to ask for discretion but understandable. What it does do however is add a question mark to the true value of the actual reach that the WESS series gets. More is maybe not always better after all...

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