Yearbury And Husqvarna Will Accept the Challenge

DECEMBER 5, 2019: Husqvarna builds their bikes tough and expect that they'll last the distance with even the toughest of treatment and over the most daunting of terrain.

And it's highly likely that one of their riders will prevail too when the 2019 Husqvarna Hard X race plays out in forestry near Atiamuri in just over a week's time.

This annual four-hour cross-country race, set for December 14, is a unique challenge that will feature some of the same terrain used for the separate Husqvarna Hard Adventure Enduro events, "but on a more compact 25 kilometre course".

The event had originally been scheduled to run in March, but the fire risk art that time was too great and so it was postponed until now.

Event organiser Sean Clarke describes the challenge as "mostly Bronze level trails, but with a few Gold and Silver deviations", meaning there will be something for everyone but also that it will provide a stern test for the elite riders entered.

And this perhaps plays right into the hands of 25-year-old Cambridge diesel mechanic Dylan Yearbury, one of the favourites to win the race after his recent impressive outings at similar events across the country.

Yearbury (Husqvarna FC250) was a stand-out competitor at the Nut Buster Hard Enduro, part of the two-day final round of the New Zealand Extreme Off-Road Championship series near Christchurch last month, and he also won the three-day Husqvarna Hard Adventure Enduro near Tokoroa last year, so he certainly holds no fears for the four-hour cross-country "sprint" at Atiamuri on December 14.

"I have never raced this event before, but I'm looking forward to it," said Yearbury.

"This should be nice and technical and that suits me. I have been focussed a lot lately on my riding and I'm getting good results. I am using this event as part of my build-up towards me returning to racing in the United States next year. I head back to my base in South Carolina on January 27.

"I had my first taste of racing the Grand National Cross-country Championships (GNCC) in the US this year and my best result was finishing fifth in a GNCC race in the XC2 (250cc) class. I also finished second at a national enduro event there.

"I have only limited support in the US, but hope that I can attract some attention and gain a little factory support in the future."

Riders entering the Atiamuri event must nominate themselves as either Gold, Silver or Bronze grades competitors – depending upon their age, ability and fitness levels – and that's the course they will be assigned to tackle, with the grades each scored separately.

Clarke said the event, which will run from 11am until about 3pm, would have mass appeal.

"This Hard X event is to show riders what a three-day hard enduro is like but in a compact way," he explained. "It will be a lot easier to enter and ride. Riders don't need a GPS device on their bikes, they don't need head lights or tail lights and they don't need to be concerned with the thought of six hours of gruelling riding, like what they might encounter at a hard enduro ... this is really just a long cross-country race.

"Everyone is probably thinking it's going to be a psycho-hard event, but it's not," said Clarke.

Another of the elite Gold level riders will be Wainuiomata's Jake Whitaker, a record eight-time national trials champion, and it will be his fine balance attributes and his skill with precise throttle control that he acquired from that parallel motorcycling code that may give him a slight edge.

Taupo's Hadleigh Knight is another worth watching out for. He won the three-round Dirt Guide cross-country series which wrapped up near Tokoroa two weeks ago.

The outright winner of the Hard X event last year was Helensville's Tom Buxton and this is one rider in particular who rivals such as Yearbury, Whitaker and Knight will most be keeping a close eye on this time around too.

The Husqvarna Hard X race is being held in a private forest on Ongaroto Road, about 30 minutes' drive south of Tokoroa and 30 minutes' drive north of Taupo, and the venue will be signposted on SH1 near Atiamuri. There is no charge for spectators.

Yearbury is supported by Husqvarna NZ, Fox NZ, Mitas tyres, NV Motorcycles in Morrinsville, Northern Accessories and XRC (Xtreme Race Components).

The Husqvarna Hard X race is sponsored by Husqvarna New Zealand, Forest and Trail Events, Michelin Tyres, Kiwi Rider magazine and Satco NZ Ltd.

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