For immediate release: 26 March 2009
Record number of locals to gun for A4DE victory
More riders than ever from the host town and those surrounding will line three weeks from today to contest the annual Hog’s Breath Cafe Australian 4-Day Enduro (A4DE).
A4DE Organisers, Phil Sargent (of Dirt Bike Promotions) and Lyndon Heffernan (of Detour Events) said, since they started running the event in 2005, they had never seen so many local riders entered to compete.
“It’s fantastic to see so many dirt bike riders from the Central West get behind the A4DE, I guess it goes to show how popular the sport is in this area,” Sargent said.
“I grew up here [in Orange], my family has been based here for over 30 years.
“We’re really happy we could bring an event of this magnitude home to Orange and we’re working hard to make sure it’s a hit for local riders and spectators and those visiting from across Australasia.
“It will be great for spectators and I encourage everyone to come out, meet the riders and witness all the action – spectator info is available from the official event website: http://www.a4de.com.”
Sargent said the A4DE was one of the most prestigious and biggest races of its kind on the planet.
“The A4DE attracts some of the world’s fastest riders and contributes more than $1.5 million to the Australian economy,” Sargent said.
“That’s why we were so happy we could bring it home, to let everyone from the Central West experience such a big event.”
Sargent said spectators would be in for a real treat this year, with four-time World Enduro Champion Stefan Merriman set to go head-to-head with reigning A4DE Outright champion, Chris Hollis (from Port Macquarie).
Sargent said Orange would also have riders aiming for Australian titles with several Orange competitors entered so far to race (entries close April 1, to enter go to http://www.a4de.com).
Staurt Bennett (Orange) will be looking to defend his Australian Veteran’s title and said he was looking forward to “what should be a good event”.
“It will be a good thing for me being in the local area,” Bennett said. “The main fuel control is about five-minutes down the road from my house, I could walk there.
“I ride all the time right near where the course will go, so it should be good.
“I want to win the Championship again this year, the competition will be tough – when you expect there’s no one there’s always someone.”
Bathurst could be set for Class, even Outright glory with the Grabham brothers, Ben and Damien, ready to compete.
Ben Grabham is one of Australia’s top racers and is tipped as one to watch for this year’s Outright crown.
Dubbo and Young also have several riders eagerly awaiting the drop of the A4DE flag on April 16th.
The A4DE consists of four days of grueling trail and six special test phases a day, equaling a total of about 30 hours and more than 1000kms on the machine. Riders must also complete a final motocross on day four.
The event boasts classes for any senior rider male or female from clubman to pro.
‘Parc Ferme’ (the staging area for riders and crews) will be located at Orange’s Warratah Sport’s Oval.
The Jayco Final Motocross for the event will be held on Sunday, April 19th, at the Australian National Field Day Site – Borenore.
For more information visit the official A4DE website: http://www.a4de.com
