News 16 Nov 2015

Sanders wins Wildwood Rock Extreme Enduro

KTM factory racer too strong in Victorian event.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Image: Russell Colvin.

Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders took out the sixth running of the Wildwood Rock Extreme Enduro on Sunday, which now sees him name go alongside Mitch Harper, Matt Phillips and the king of extreme enduro, Graham Jarvis.

The 21-year-old KTM Off-Road Racing Team pilot not only took out the three-hour extreme enduro, but he also snared the victory in the Prologue, which saw him skip away from the event $6500 richer.

Sanders guided his KTM 300 EXC to victory in the Proluge with a time of 2m10.550s, 2.048s faster than the ‘wildcard’ entry of Matt Phillips, while Lachlan Stanford (Husqvarna Australia/Moto GC) finished in third place.

The top two overall in the extreme enduro was a replica finish as the Prologue, with Sanders leading Phillips home by a comfy 4m47.185s victory.

“It was a challenging day out there,” Sanders told MotoOnline.com.au. “I knew I was going to have my work cut out for me as there were so many talented riders here. The track was a lot more challenging than last year with the new section in the Rock Garden which sure did sort the men out from the boys.

“After finishing third last year, it’s nice to be able to walk away with the win and cap off 2015 on a high,” added the Victorian rider who finished fourth overall on a countback in this year’s AORC.

Phillips, the 2013 Enduro Junior and 2014 E3 World Champion, openly admitted that he couldn’t get comfortable early on in the race and simply got worn out trying to hunt down Sanders.

“Look, I’m really happy that I came over at the last minute to compete here,” said Phillips who really didn’t even prepare for the event. “Myself and my father just decided on Friday night to come over and race the event, which I think cost me even the possibilities to challenge today. Daniel was riding flawlessly today, so hats off to him.”

Taking third place was Husqvarna Australia/Moto GC’s Harper, who in fact had the flu, finishing with a total of 3h13m30.058s. Just like the other years gone by, Harper had a tough Prologue which saw him going over the bars finishing in eleventh place and starting the main event on the third row.

Harper explained that starting from that position is a bit of an advantage as you can “sneak up behind the faster riders”. On the seventh and final lap Harper came up behind Britain’s Ben Hemingway (Beta Factory Team) which was good enough for third place, dropping the Pom to fourth place.

“I wasn’t quite sure if I was behind Ben or lapping him,” said Harper. “You get a bit lost while you’re out there. I’m stoked to have come away with third place, as my last race was the Enduro-X at Calder Park in March.”

Completing the top five was Jacob Stapleton aboard his KTM 300, who was also the victor or the Expert class. Rounding out the top ten was Broc Grabham (Husqvarna Australia/Moto GC), Wade Ibrahim, Jesse Kistler, Robert Nowak and Chris Perry.

Taking out the Women’s class was Emma Broadbent, 7m27.487s ahead of Kellie Catanese with Melissa Bruce in third place. 22-year-old Jess Gardiner (Balllard’s Motorex Off-Road Team Sherco) unfortunately was forced to retire due to her tyre and mousse ended coming off, six times in total.

2015 Wildwood Rock Extreme Enduro results:
1. Daniel Sanders 3h06m32.941s
2. Matt Phillips +4m47.185
3. Mitch Harper +6m57.117
4. Ben Hemingway +9m03.077
5. Jacob Stapleton +18m03.495
6. Broc Grabham +19m40.190s
7. Wade Ibrahim +23m48.760s
8. Jesse Kistler +25m03.729s
9. Robert Nowak +25m21.059s
10. Chris Perry +32m10.074s

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