The five-round four-state 2022 Australian Hard Enduro Championship gets underway in Victoria this weekend (April 2-3), with a brace of Sherco riders set to begin their campaigns on a typically challenging course featuring the usual extreme mix of natural and organiser-made obstacles.
The event, called the ‘Kosciuszko Killer’, will feature the likes of Chris Perry, new Sherco rider Tom Woodhouse, Callum Ceglinski, Anthony Solar, Sam Preece and Sam Rogers in the top-tier Gold class, which begins with a prologue on Saturday before the riders are let loose on the course proper on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Ina Coleman will represent the French brand in the women's class, while her husband and fellow Pirelli Motul Sherco Racing Team rider Tim Coleman will be in attendance in a roving ambassadorial and media role conducting interviews and helping to create some exceptional on-track videos.
Tim, who suffered severe heat stroke in last year's opening hard enduro round, "is taking it easy for now" but hasn't ruled out a return to national-level racing in the future. He recently finished second behind Perry in the opening round of the Victoria title, so that national return might not be too far away….
Meanwhile, Perry finished third in the corresponding Kosciuszko Killer round in 2021, while Solar signed off in fifth position.
Both will undoubtedly be in the mix again, while 18-year-old Woodhouse is a star on the rise. He finished with 13-8 results in the two mainland hard enduro rounds in 2021, and the Kosciuszko Killer could just be the breakout event to declare his 2022 championship aspirations. He'll ride a Sherco 250 SE Factory – a two-stroke, which is the staple of hard enduro competition.
SHERCO ENDURO RANGEThe four-hour Kosciuszko Killer will also feature Silver and Bronze classes, as well as dedicated women's and junior events.
The event will be held at Toowong Upper, 16km from Corryong and 20km from Khancoban which is just over the border in NSW.
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2022 Hard Enduro Championship calendarRd1: April 2-3, Kosciuszko Killer, Towong Upper, Vic
Rd2: June 25-26, Ironstone Extreme, Mount Morgan, Qld
Rd3: July 23-24, Goldfield Extreme, Wattle Flat, NSW
Rd4: August 13-14, Hill Storm Challenge, Hillston, NSW
Rd5: September 24-25, Insane Ride, Poatina, Tas