2010 A4DE … A Foundation 4-Day!

The Australian 4-Day Enduro (A4DE) has been a coveted annual fixture on the national off-road calendar since its 1978 birth in the dirt-bike-mad Hunter Valley township of Cessnock. And there have been several memorable instalments of the iconic event in the 40 years since. But it has to be said that the 2010 A4DE, held at Portland in NSW, was widely regarded as one of the best; as an event that set new standards and laid the foundations for the following decade.

So, seeing as we’re all in a reminiscing kind of mood this week as the 40^th-anniversary 4-Day is underway at Cessnock, we thought we’d revisit the DVD that Transmoto produced about that landmark 2010 event. It makes for fascinating viewing for a few reasons. Here are just a few:

A 21-year-old Toby Price won his first 4-Day at the Portland event, after a torrid battle with Stefan Merriman, who he’d pipped for the AORC’s Outright title late the previous year.
It was Matt Phillips’ first ever 4-Day. In fact, it was one of his first off-road races ever, and he ran a very credible seventh Outright aboard a near-stock (and pretty beaten-up) Honda 250F. The 2010 4-Day marked the start of a journey that would see this Tasmanian kid go on to become a four-time World Enduro Champion.
Portland marked Jess Gardiner’s first A4DE win in the Women’s Class, and the start of a career-long rivalry with Jemma Wilson.
Portland heralded the arrival of Daniel Milner on the national off-road scene. Riding a Suzuki, Milner ran fourth Outright and third in the E2 class, and showed that he’d be a force to be reckoned with in the sport. This week at Cessnock, Milner leads the field after two days and is poised to win his fifth A4DE title.
Portland was also memorable for the Brad Williscroft-managed KTM Off-Road team. Aside from Toby Price winning Outright, the team won the E1 (Jarrod Bewley), E2 (Toby Price), E3 (Ben Grabham) and Vets (Brad Williscroft) class.