Australian enduro is really booming right now, with talent high and the form of our local talent pretty much as good as anywhere else around the world. It’s a credit to the team’s and supporters of what is a somewhat small discipline of motorcycle sport on local soil.

The International Six Day Enduro kicked off overnight in Germany, with Australia already doing us proud in what is a very tough environment for the world’s best enduro stars.

Australia’s World Trophy team of Glenn Kearney, Daniel Milner, Chris Hollis, Matt Phillips, Josh Strang and Toby Price sit second behind France after day one, which is a sterling result that will come as a huge confidence boost for the Aussies.

As expected, Price was particularly strong in the E3 ranks, fresh from dominating the AORC series aboard his trusty KTM 500 EXC. He was second in class individually, only four seconds behind Frenchman Christophe Nambotin.

The 2012 running of the ISDE kicked off in Germany on Monday.

An interesting all-Australian battle to keep an eye on will be that between US-based former GNCC champion Josh Strang and AORC standout Matthew Phillips.

Strang was fifth on day one while Phillips was two spots behind in seventh, and it gives us a pretty good indication of how Strang stacks up against the Aussies.

Daniel Milner has been another standout all year long as the new E1 class champion in the AORC and he was sixth in class after day one.
This event could be an important one for him as he strives to have his name recognised on the world stage – just like Phillips managed one year ago.

The Women’s Trophy team of Jess Gardiner, Tanya Hearn and Tayla Jones were also impressive on day one, finishing second behind the French and making their rivals stand up and take notice early on.

Gardiner has had experience throughout the year in Europe during 2012, and she was top performing Aussie in second for the Women.

And let’s not forget the Junior Australian team of Ben Burrell, Luka Bussa, Mitcham Harper and Lachlan Stanford, who themselves are some of our country’s top AORC talent in their own right. They sit third after day one, but under three minutes off the lead.

The Aussies have been doing a great job of keeping us up to date so far direct from Germany via social networking, so we’ll be keeping an eye on it all very closely and wish all the best of luck throughout the event’s duration in 2012.

Both Price and Phillips were victims of heavy crashes on day one, with Price ruining his front wheel after making contact with a stump and spitting him off.

Phillips went down, high-siding while passing slower riders, but hopefully they can regroup for the following five days to come. By the way, check out the film above of Phillips as he was preparing for the ISDE on his 2012 Yamaha WR450F.

It’s a massive event on the international racing calendar, the biggest enduro event on the planet, and one that we as Aussies have plenty to be proud about in 2012. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!