National Hard Enduro & Impi Hard Enduro

Pics by ZCMC and Action In Motion.

The Impi Hard Enduro is SA’s biggest hard enduro event. It is one of those races that has quietly got on with building up to what it is, with riders flocking from all over SA to go and toil in the mountains. The second and third rounds of the National Hard Enduro took the riders to the chilly surroundings of the Drakensberg mountains and some familiar, popular trails.

The dust and long grass added to the challenge as the guys battled for Impi supremacy. Provisional results show that KTM and Husqvarna ruled the roost in the premier gold class. Will Slater was simply too fast to beat and It was a noteworthy weekend for the KTM group as Husky’s Heinrich Aust claimed the second step from Tristen Tamsen. The top 5 was rounded out by Mr consistent, Sherco’s Brett Swanepoel in fourth with KTM’s Dylan Jones running 5th. It was a weekend to remember for Brother Leader Tread KTMs William Slater as he flew the orange flag high, taking the overall win, Will Slater was crowned IMPI king.

He had a fast time trial and put the hammer down to claim first place. He commented, “I had a really good time in the mountains this past weekend. From time trial the pace was fast.” He went on to say, “I just paced myself and looked after the bike till the gold section each day then emptied my tank completely, leaving nothing on the table. Thankfully it paid off and super happy to come home with some good points and the overall win.”

Heinrich Aust had a great weekend. He started the weekend off on a good note on his Husqvarna TE 250 and gave an impressive performance ending in the top 5 gold classifications on the first day of the IMPI. He went on to snatch up second place on day 2 giving him second place overall for the event. “I started off fairly slow on day one but I managed to do what I needed to do in order to stay in contention and then I pushed hard on day 2 to bring home second overall which I am really happy about. I am now looking ahead to the next round of enduro which is back to the traditional series.”

Dylan Jones came home with a commendable P5 overall. Jones had a great start to the event coming in P4 in time trial setting him up for a good start for the two days ahead. Jones said, “The 2023 Impi Hard Enduro was an incredible event like always. Three days of serious riding in the Drakensberg was outstanding riding with amazing trails.” Struggling to find his groove and making a couple of mistakes the rest of the time Jones was still feeling good and went full throttle to come back and snatched up fifth overall. Jones closed off saying, “I’m very happy with my ride over the 3 days. I just want to say a big thank you to the team.”

One of SA’s favourite sons, Husqvarna racings Travis Teasdale had a cracker time trial and day 1. Unfortunately, due to mechanical issues caused by rocky conditions, he was left fighting for championship points on the second day ending up in P8 overall for the IMPI event. He Says, “It was a cold and early start to the first day. There was a big train of us just trying to navigate our way through the new terrain. I broke away from the pack in the gold loop and on to bronze home I broke away from William and pulled a decent size gap on the way home to take the win. I pushed to break through the group on the second day, unfortunately, I had a leak in my radiator which had the mechanics at DSP sorting it out super quick for me. Coming down the big pass I dropped off a step and the wall collapsed, bending my sprocket after losing about 2 hours it was a matter of bringing it home safe and steady to get some good points in the bag for the National Championship.”

Young gun, Matthew Stevens had a creditable weekend behind his name as well riding his KTM 150 XCW well inside the top 15 gold classification. A confident Stevens had the following to say about the event and his bike, “I am very happy with 2 strong Gold Finishes and am closing the gap to the older guys race by race. IMPI and National Hard Enduro was an awesome event, super tough! My XCW 150 and set-up worked well. Looking forward to the rest of the season.”

There are lots of other cool stories around the IMPI event, like 12 year old Alonzo Forster who finished bronze on his 85. Sadly we don’t get to hear about them all, but the good guys at Action In Motion sent along such a cool selection of pics that show what IMPI spirit is all about.

Please scroll down to view a great selection of images.