EnduroGp: Phillips On Fire

You know when people say, “I hate to say I told you so”? Yeah, well, they’re lying. They’re always lying. The simple fact is, it’s human nature to want to predict a future event’s outcome. And when we get it right, we like to spruik it at the top of our lungs.
We’re happy to admit that we love to say we told you so! How so? Last week, we drew attention to the fact that Matt Phillips was about race Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2017 EnduroGP in Spain – the country that laid the foundations for the young Aussie’s first Enduro World title win back in 2013 – and we predicted that Phillips would use the notoriously tough conditions in Spain to launch his tilt at a fifth title. (Don’t believe us? Can’t recall reading that stroke of predictive genius? Here’s proof.
Well, that’s exactly what the 24-year-old, Sherco-mounted Phillips did at Puerto Lumbreras in the southeast of Spain over the weekend. In typically rocky and dusty Spanish conditions, Phillips stamped his authority on both day’s racing, winning the premier EnduroGP class aboard his beloved 300SEF-R and rocketing to the top of the championship’s points standings. “Man, that was a tough day,” Phillips said afterwards. “I don’t think I’ve ever ridden a track as rutted and beat up as that. The tests were difficult because the ground was so soft and dusty, but I think the time controls were even harder. It’s been an awesome weekend for me and the Sherco guys. I can’t remember the last time it was that close between three guys for the win. And I can’t ask for more than two wins.”
Phillips now holds an eight-point lead in the EnduroGP standings over Beta-mounted Brit, Steve Holcombe, and is 14 points clear of Husqvarna’s Annti Hellsten, who went 1-1 in the tricky snow-covered tracks of the EnduroGP World Championship’s opening two rounds in his homeland of Finland. Admittedly, Phillips’ metronomic consistency makes it much easier to chest-beat over these “I told you so” moments. And his dominance at the Spanish round prompted us to reflect on the Editorial we ran in the September-October Issue (#58) of Transmoto’s digital flipmag late last year, which reflected on Matt Phillips’ meteoric rise from Tasmanian obscurity to a bloke who, at just 24, is arguably Australia’s most successful dirt bike export ever!

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Leaning back in his chair, Fabrizio Azzalin orders another bottle of wine from the passing waitress and resumes his story. Like most Italians, the CH Husqvarna team owner has a dramatic streak. He speaks with a strong accent and flamboyant hands, and he has us buckled over with laughter. It’s the Sunday night of the 2013 Enduro World Championship in Portugal – Rounds 7 and 8 of the 14-round series – and the newest addition to Azzalin’s race team, Australia’s Matt Phillips, has just gone 1-1 and consolidated his lead in the EJ-class standings. Along with Aussie enduro stalwarts, Geoff Ballard and Peter “Foodge” Burrell, I’ve joined Phillips and a few of the CH Husky team guys at a restaurant in the local fishing village to celebrate their victory. The table is overflowing with traditional Portuguese dishes – fried sardines, garlic squid, grilled groper – and no one’s too bothered with minding their manners. Azzalin tops up everyone’s wine glasses and launches into a series of hilarious stories about “the Stefan Merriman years”; about the Australian’s unconventional training techniques and bike set-up, and the other two world titles he should have won with CH Husky a decade ago. It’s clear that Merriman opened the long-time EWC team’s eyes to an alternative way of doing things, and to the riding talent in Oz. Azzalin signed two other Australians – Chris Hollis and now Matt Phillips – in the years since, and I ponder the coincidence that all three have also raced for Geoff Ballard’s Yamaha team. “I think Italians and Australians both understand that there is a time to be serious and a time to have fun,” Azzalin says, referring to the two nationalities’ cultural affinity. “Having riders who know how to enjoy themselves – and win, of course – is very important to me nowadays. Matthew Phillips here … well, he’s a fun guy,” Azzalin says with a wink at his young charger, who’s busily de-boning an oversized sardine at the other end of the table.
Phillips hasn’t said much all night, but he’s hung off every word of the conversation. The 20-year-old has fast become a student of the sport; a sponge for everything EWC. But don’t think that Phillips is overawed by the occasion. The kid is itching to create some EWC history of his own.

How prophetic were those 2013 observations I made about Phillips itching to create some history of his own? Very…
A few months after I wrote that, Matt Phillips wrapped up the 2013 EJ world title – a first for an Aussie. Twelve months after that, having signed on with the EWC’s powerhouse KTM Factory team, Phillips added an E3 world title to his collection – the first world enduro title won by an Australian since Merriman in 2004, and the first rider in history to win Junior and Senior world titles back-to-back. In the 2015 season, Phillips ran a close second to his teammate, Ivan Cervantes, in the E3-class title chase – despite butting heads with his team over bike set-up. And in 2016, after surprising many by leaving KTM to join the CH Racing Sherco team, the 23-year-old Australian won the Enduro World Championship’s (EWC) super-competitive E2 class and the EnduroGP (Outright) title, and in doing so handed Sherco their first ever world title. Making the achievement extra special is the fact that 2016 was the inaugural time the EWC has officially acknowledged an Outright champion. That, and the fact Phillips managed to win aboard a 300cc four-stroke – yet another first for the EWC.
To my way of thinking, that amounts to creating EWC history. Lots of it! In fact, winning three FIM world titles arguably makes Matt Phillips Australia’s most successful dirt bike export of all time. Refreshingly, the young Tasmanian remains just as down-to-earth as he’s always been. He’s created a lot to be proud of; not least of which is the pathway he’s illuminated for the ever-growing talent pool of off-road racers in this country.

Be sure to check out the highlights video of the 2016 final, title-deciding rounds in France. Aside from the outpouring of emotion from Phillips, Azzalin and his entire support network at the French event, keep an eye out for Sherco’s head honcho, Marc Teissier, who’s literally bawling his eyes out in the background. That right there exemplifies the sort of passion that makes this sport go round.

This content was originally published in Transmoto’s digital flipmag in September-October, 2016 (Issue #58).