PODIUM FOR BETA & CHADWICK AT RD3 AUSTRALIAN HARD ENDURO CHAMPIONSHIP
Last weekend, the 2023 Australian Hard Enduro Champion, Ruben Chadwick, and Ebony Nielsen headed to Round 3 of the 2024 AHEC, dubbed the ‘Dog & Bone Extreme.’
The weekend featured mild, dry conditions across both days of racing at the vast property 40 km northeast of Tenterfield, NSW.
On Saturday, riders competed in a 45-minute prologue on a relatively fast track. Chadwick,
starting from the first line, had a slower start but quickly gained pace early in the race and was hot on the tail of Ibrahim, who was in first place. Continuing to apply pressure and waiting for him to make a mistake, Ruben made a pass on the third lap to bring home the win in the Gold Class prologue aboard his RR 300 Racing. Nielsen also had a great prologue, finishing in 10th place in the Mixed Silver Class aboard her RR 300 Racing.
Race day on Sunday featured very technical terrain that tested both rider and bike. Starting first, Chadwick maintained a good pace and led the race through the end of the second lap, where Solar made a pass. Chadwick exited the pits to start the third and final lap in second place, but Ibrahim made a pass and held off Chadwick’s advances through to the chequered flag, with the top three riders racing neck and neck right to the end.
Chadwick finished the race in third place, just three and a half minutes behind first place, after the gruelling three-lap, five-and-a-half-hour race.
“I’m happy to come away with the win in the prologue, but it was disappointing not to finish
higher up in the main race. The tracks were pretty brutal, with tough racing between the three of us throughout the day. Thanks to my sponsors for the support. On to the next and final round in Hillston!” – Ruben Chadwick
Nielsen had good pace in the Mixed Silver Class, finishing in 19th place on Sunday and 16th place overall for RD 3. Ruben continues to lead the 2024 Australian Hard Enduro Championship and will return to the track for RD 4 in Hillston, NSW on 3-4 August.
Ebony returns to the track on 27-28 July for RD 7 & 8 of the Australian Off-Road Championship at Queensland Moto Park.
