Mitch Harper on his way to third at the 2013 Wildwood Rock. Image: Russell Colvin.

Valley Force Husaberg’s Mitch Harper shined in the 2013 edition of the Wildwood Rock Extreme Enduro, finishing as top Australian in third overall despite the event marking his comeback from a serious back injury.

In April Harper sustained vertebrae damage while training in Sweden, undergoing surgery before beginning a length rehabilitation process.

With Wildwood his first major event since the injuries, 2010 winner Harper completed a Husaberg trifecta in the prestigious event, bouncing back from a crunching crash in the Prologue that forced him to start from 54th in the final.

With suspected rib injuries Harper worked his way up to 13th by the close of lap two and then seventh by lap three, before finally surging to third by lap six of eight.

“My day started off a bit rough, I went to hop an obstacle in the first 300 metres of the Prologue but I clipped the back tyre and got shot over the ‘bars,” Harper said. “I broke my helmet and took a handlebar square in the ribs.

“I had some pain killers for the race but started about six waves back so I had to pass dozens of riders and never got to see Jarvis and Gomez.

“A lot of the track was single-line so to move through fast I was constantly pushing the bike around lines that weren’t really lines and I used up a fair bit of energy. This is the first time I’ve done a three-hour since I hurt my back and I feel pretty good fitness-wise – all the cycling, gym and fitness work must be paying off.

“I was really enjoying the TE300e and it makes it so easy to ride on these sort of tracks on a bike this good. In the hardest conditions I’ve ridden here, that was the easiest it’s ever been!”

Click here for the complete Wildwood Rock race report.