Sherco Australia’s ‘hard enduro’ stocks have been given a massive shot in the arm with Victorian powerhouse, Anthony Solar, switching allegiances to the flourishing French brand.
The 26-year-old carpenter – the only Australian to finish the Gold class in the torture test that is the Red Bull Romaniacs extreme enduro in Romania – will ride under the Sherco Australia and Motorcycle Land Ballarat umbrella in the rapidly expanding Australian Hard Enduro Championship – and it all began with a baptism of fire at last weekend’s (April 17-18) round two of the series near Corryong (Vic).
“I’ve been looking for a change for a while, and I’ve always been impressed with how invested Sherco is in the enduro and hard enduro scene,” said Solar.
“I’d like to support a company which supports the sport, and Sherco is a perfect fit.
“I’ve already received tremendous support from the team at Motorcycle Land Ballarat. I can’t wait for the next round in Tasmania in June, and I’ll be spending plenty of time in the saddle between now and then.”
After only collecting his 300 SE Factory two-stroke on April 15, Solar made a beeline to Corryong for the aggressively monikered ‘Kosciusko Killer’ hard enduro round and focussed on basic setup before the prologue on Saturday.
Unbeknownst to Anthony, the prologue was shorter than what he expected, but despite a short familiarisation with the 300 SE Factory he still came out all guns blazing on Sunday and was on track for a fourth place finish before he snapped a chain 20 minutes from home.
He eventually finished in sixth, with fellow Sherco stars Chris Perry and Ben Grabham completing the torrid event in third and fourth.
“The short prologue wasn’t ideal, but I knew I’d pick my through the pack on Sunday in such a long event – I’m more of a marathon man than a sprinter,” said Solar.
“I went into this round very aware that the decision to ride a completely new bike, with zero training, was one that wasn't going to produce the best result.
“But I am than happy with my result and relieved to retain all my old strengths – in fact finding many more aboard the Sherco. I am looking forward to seeing where this new relationship can take me.”
KOSCIUSKO ROUND TWO WRAP AND RESULTSThe principal of Motorcycle Land Ballarat, Matt Brown, is delighted to add another hard enduro rider to his stocks, with Solar’s good mate Sam Preece also a part of the dealership’s support ranks.
“Sam (Preece) actually introduced us to Anthony, and I was impressed with him the first time we met,” said Matt.
“Anthony’s after more stable support and back-up, and in conjunction with Alpinestars we can provide that. We see our support of hard enduro as a big part of our business.”
Round three of the 2021 Australian Hard Enduro Championship will be held in Poatina (Tas) on June 5-6. For more details, including rider and spectator information, click
here.