2022 ERZBERGRODEO: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

The Iron Giant is back! Yep, it’s all systems go this week as the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship heads to Austria’s iconic Red Bull Erzbergrodeo for Round 3.

Put on hold during the Covid pandemic, the idyllic Austrian town of Eisenerz will once again come alive to the excitement of Hard Enduro, as thousands of competitors and race fans ready themselves for the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo. The ultimate tests of man and machine versus the mountain, the four-day festival is one everyone has been waiting for in 2022.

Why does this year’s Red Bull Erzbergrodeo promise to be extra special? Because the Iron Giant has lay dormant since 2019, but now it’s finally ready to roar into life again. Excitement is already running high. While Sunday’s epic Red Bull Erzbergrodeo is naturally the showstopper of the event, everything about this legendary four-day festival is all things Hard Enduro – thousands of riders and fans all having a good time on dirt bikes.

Sunday’s Red Bull Erzbergrodeo is what everyone has been waiting for. No matter if you’re one of the 500 competitors nervously waiting for the start down on the quarry floor, a spectator lining the many vantage points along the course, or watching it live on Red Bull TV from the comfort of your living room, this is the biggest stage for Hard Enduro and is not to be missed.

At the strike of 2.30pm, riders are set loose on the iconic Red Bull Erzbergrodeo course. Waved away in groups of 50, it’s riders against the mountain. Only an elite few will cross the finish line within the four-hour allowed race time, with the majority scrambling to get as far as they can. From the early climbs of Wasserleitung and Three Kings, the course increases in difficulty with punishing sections like Machine, Carl’s Dinner, Cuckoo’s Nest, Dynamite, and Lazy Noon coming thick and fast. Expect a few new sections to be added into the mix too.

Currently jointly leading the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, Graham Jarvis has won the previous two editions of Red Bull Erzbergrodeo – in 2019 and 2018. Already on the podium twice during the 2022 season, the Jarvis Racing Team rider has high hopes of making it a hat-trick.

However, Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt and KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler are arguably his biggest challenge for victory come Sunday. Neither Bolt nor Lettenbichler have yet to stand on the top step of the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo podium, so will Sunday see that change for one of them?

Round 3 of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship takes place at Austria’s Red Bull Erzbergrodeo from June 16-19. Watch Sunday’s race live on Red Bull TV from 2.00pm CET.