RUST magazine: Rust#15

sherco
(obviously...)
that really worked – was in the results: five
brands battled it out all year long, all but two of
the titles came down to the final round, and
there were three different capacity bikes at the
head of EnduroGP.
But just as you finally thought everything was
fine and dandy, it’s time for another change.
The old adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
doesn’t seem to apply to enduro and despite
the current format having more interest from
riders, and a plethora of countries keen to host
an event, for 2017 it’s all-change once again.
The hugely successful EnduroGP class will
no longer be a ‘scratch’ or overall class, but
simply the category where anyone on a
machine over 250cc will ride. Alongside the
EnduroGP class there will be the Enduro2
class – not to be confused with the now
defunct E2 175-250cc two-stroke and 290-
450cc four-stroke class – for anyone riding a
bike smaller than 250cc. Are you following?
Thankfully the FIM have left the EJ, EY,
and EW classes untouched for 2017. After
three lots of rebranding in recent years (we’ve
gone from WEC to EWC to EnduroGP) and
two rounds of format change in the last two
years, you have to wonder what this latest
mix up will do to a championship that is trying
hard to get back on track.
Next year’s calendar will also contain new
race formats including one endurance, one
GNCC, and one sprint. It’s looking like the
series we know and love will change beyond
all recognition.
But for now, let’s keep our fingers crossed
for the future and celebrate the amazing
champions and the rip-roaring success that
was 2016!