Erzberg Rodeo Video!!

Here is the Erzberg Rodeo – Red Bull Hare Scramble 2011 Video!!

Friday

The Erzberg Rodeo is GO!! and it’s complete motorcycling madness.

This evening the local mayor of Eisenerz allowed all the riders taking part in the Erzberg Rodeo (plus many more who had access to a motorcycle) to ride through his town and create havoc. Afterwards he bought everyone a beer….not normal.

Here are a few photos from the street parade and tomorrow they’ll all be blasting up the quarry and trying to make it into the fastest 500 and into Sunday’s main event.

This place is motorcycling mad and I’m in the thick of it!

Saturday

Fastest 500 riders in the Erzberg prologue will make it through to Sunday’s main event. Many of the riders entered will not make it, some of them would never want too as Sunday’s Hare Scramble is not for the faint-hearted, it is a grueling test of man and his machine that only around 40 or so will even make it to the finish, it’s punishing from the word “go.”

The fastest 50 from the 2-heat prologue will make it onto the front row, where if you are going to stand a chance of getting up many of the sheer hills, you need to be starting from, after that you are going to be surrounded by crashing machines and lots of carnage.

Speaking to many riders from all over the world who have come to take part in this unique event, reaching the main is something far from their own expectations or desires, just blasting up the iron mountain, pushing their own limits and having an absolute blast is more than worth the trip to Austria.

From my own point of view the only disappointment has been the weather, it’s constantly cold and rains hard from time to time making it a tough event to stand and document, the higher up the mountain you go, the more Baltic it is. Oh, and it’s quite a surprise be around people who smoke cigarettes indoors, something which is forbidden in most counties, the press room is a toxic cloud of nicotine plumes, as is the food tent and local eateries.

But apart from that, Erzberg is brilliant, motorcycles, motorcyclists and motors everywhere. Passionate fans, dedicated staff and loads of non-stop entertainment.

Sunday!! – Red Bull Hare Scramble!!

Oh my god, you have never seen anything like it. 2 days of constant rain made the 2011 Hare Scramble into complete madness!

Never before have I seen so many motorbikes crashing, men screaming in frustration, even crying and spectators getting heavily involved in trying to get 500 MX bikes up the almost impossible sheer hills, made extra difficult because of the slippery conditions.

Row’s of 50 riders set off, 1 minute apart, the first few rows seemed to make most of the initial hills out of the bottom of the mine/quarry, after that it was madness where you saw riders failing to make the hill top, stopping and then a chain reaction of more and more riders struggling to make the top.

The hills, the mad track layout, rock sections, woods, multiple sheer hill sides and wet surface placed havoc from start to finish, a virtually impossible race where 1900 riders entered, 500 made it into the final and only 9 finished!!!

Englishman Graham Jarvis was the first over the line, beating 4 time winner Taddy Blazusiak from Poland, but after a long wait was stripped of the win as he’d failed to stop and get scanned at one of the check points! Gutted as he was a long way in front also.

Gritty Yorkshireman Dougie Lampkin crossed the line in 3rd, then elevated to 2nd and said to me after the race “It was the toughest race I’ve ever done, it’s put me off doing it again!”.

One crazy event – Has to be seen to be believed – No pussies – Hardcore biking all the way – Fun!