Silver City Desert Enduro: Entries Open

Desert racing has always been popular in Australia. And why wouldn’t it? The intoxicating combination of the Aussie Outback’s distant horizons, beautiful landscapes, wide-open terrain and colourful characters has ensured that events such as the Finke and Hattah Desert Races inevitably find their way onto most dirt bike riders’ bucket lists. And with the arrival of the all-new Silver City Desert Enduro – staged near Broken Hill on the last weekend of August, and backed by major sponsors Kenda and Lucas Oil – this country’s desert racing scene is set for another shot in the arm.

As revealed on transmoto.com.au a few weeks back, the August 25-27 Silver City Desert Enduro (SCDE) is an two-day desert race that’s being run by Dirt2Ride Events’ Lyndon Heffernan in conjunction with the guys from Broken Hill’s Silver City Motorcycle Club. In recent years, Heffernan has been involved with the organising of state and national enduro and MX events, trail tours, and Transmoto Enduro Events, but he’s been blown away by the impact this SCDE has had on the Australian off-road scene.

“It has long been a dream of mine to create my own ‘bucket list’ event, and in recent years, it became increasingly apparent that it had to be a desert race,” explained Heffernan. “When the guys from the Silver City Motorcycle Club and I found the perfect location – at Langwell Station, some 60km south of the iconic Outback township of Broken Hill in northwestern NSW – we knew we had an event that most dirt bike enthusiasts would want to have a crack at. And the response we’ve had since announcing it has been unbelievable. I’ve got to say a big thanks to the guys who organise the Hattah Desert Race too, as they were really helpful in spreading the word at their event in early July. Entries only opened online yesterday, but the numbers are really good and there’s strong interest across all the classes.”

Rather than simply catering to the Pro end of the rider spectrum, Heffernan has structured the Silver City’s racing formats to accommodate a range of riders, with classes that include: Junior and Pony Express on Saturday, and then a bunch of to Senior capacity and veteran classes on the Sunday. “It’s all about mates racing with and/or against their mates, and enjoying the event’s spirit,” Heffernan goes on to explain. “It looks like we’ll have a few big-name riders on board – and I suspect the $10,000 prize pool may have helped us on that front – but now that we’re the only desert event with a Pony Express class, we appear to be attracting a heap of average riders too; blokes who don’t want to modify their bikes to race in the desert, and who are there more for the experience than the result. Let’s be honest, though; the Silver City Desert Enduro is designed to be a lot of fun, but it will also be challenging and a true test of man and machine.”

For a sneak peek at the riding terrain you can expect at the 2017 Silver City Desert Enduro, check out this cool two-minute promo clip on the event, produced by NSW South Coast surf shop owner, Forrest Ladkin from Natural Necessity (footage courtesy of Forrest Ladkin, Petri Films, Hattah Desert Race).