Dirt and Trail MAY 2022
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Minus<br />
400<br />
Mario Roman wins inaugural event:<br />
This was the first Hard Enduro race in Israel, which is considered by many to be a paradise for Hard Enduro<br />
lovers. Held in terrain at the lowest point on Earth – Minus 400 features terrain like no other. This was an<br />
epic opening round.<br />
Mario Roman took overall victory ahead of Billy Bolt <strong>and</strong> Graham Jarvis in the brutal desert conditions.<br />
He came through the scorching heat to win, claiming the first win of the all-new <strong>and</strong> exp<strong>and</strong>ed <strong>2022</strong><br />
edition of the Hard Enduro World Championship.<br />
The Sherco rider started the final day in fourth place. Ahead lay a 75km course winding through the<br />
desert that would become increasingly testing toward the end.<br />
While his team-mate, SA’s Wade Young set the early pace with Billy Bolt in hot pursuit, Roman<br />
bided his time. In third place at the final service park, he then used his immense trials skills to<br />
come through the grueling boulder garden <strong>and</strong> seize the lead.<br />
“It’s amazing to get this win. What a start to the season! I feel like it’s a long time coming<br />
since my last big victory,” said Roman. “Overall the race has been very good for its first<br />
edition. The entire three days were tough with the terrain <strong>and</strong> the heat.<br />
“Today was a battle. I started fourth <strong>and</strong> focused on my own pace. In the technical terrain<br />
I caught up to them <strong>and</strong> after service I pushed on again. In the final key sections I made<br />
my move <strong>and</strong> took the win.”<br />
It was tough on Young who won the previous day’s prologue <strong>and</strong> looked set for<br />
victory before it turned out that he had missed a section of the track. He slipped<br />
down to fifth place.<br />
Billy Bolt finished second <strong>and</strong> says the short turn around between SuperEnduro<br />
<strong>and</strong> Hard Enduro seasons was a factor, “It’s been a physical start to the<br />
season for sure.” Says Billy. “After a full SuperEnduro season I was a little<br />
underprepared coming here. Considering how little time I’ve spent on the<br />
two-stroke prior to Israel I’m happy with second. At the service point I<br />
could see Mario <strong>and</strong> Wade’s tyres were in better condition, so I knew I just<br />
needed to hang on to the finish to secure a podium result.”<br />
Graham Jarvis was back for his first race since injuring himself at Romaniacs<br />
2021. Never underestimate the silent assassin: The veteran<br />
finished in third place just over two minutes behind Bolt.
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