Hard enduro is hot these days, and growing quickly even when COVID has made moto-competition difficult. The FIM (regulatory body for international motorcycle competition) has just announced an eight-round world series for 2022, including three new events.

What’s hard enduro?

In case you’ve been living under a rock, hard enduro is the latest offroad competition flavor to gain popularity, thanks to a handful of high-profile events and big-money sponsorship behind them (Red Bull, in particular). In the past decade, the Erzbergrodeo and Romaniacs competitions grew very popular, with race footage flooding YouTube. Basically, it’s offroad racing with an emphasis on overcoming tough obstacles, not on repetitive laps or A-to-B speed. See below:

Because of the technical nature of the riding, many of the top riders have a background in trials competition.

New FIM series?

The FIM’s new hard enduro championship started in 2021, and returns with eight stops in 2022. The series begins in Israel in April, and is expected to wrap up in Spain in October (see full schedule below). Of course, Romaniacs and Erzbergrodeo (which has taken two years off, due to COVID) are both on the schedule. This year, there are two stops in North America, with an event in Tennessee and another in Canada (in the Badlands of Alberta). One planned event (Poland’s HERO enduro) was cut from the schedule; although it’s still running in 2022, it won’t be included in the FIM championship until 2023.

Winfried Kerschhaggl, the series’ manager, had this to say:

“Preparations for 2022 are in full swing as we steadily build towards the opening round in just nine weeks’ time. Despite a tough Covid environment to plan in, 2021 proved itself as an amazing inaugural year for the championship. It was proof that even with all uncertainties, exceptional racing is always guaranteed in Hard Enduro. We’re looking forward to welcoming Minus 400, Xross and Red Bull Outliers to the series and have full confidence each one can add something unique and special. We also welcome back Red Bull Erzbergrodeo. While we enjoyed our time immensely at HERO Challenge in 2021, we agreed with organisers that a year’s absence will allow time to develop it into the true Hard Enduro venue it’s capable of becoming. As the championship develops and grows, we’re always listening to riders, industry, and Hard Enduro fans to ensure the very best championship.”

Hopefully the fun will go ahead with minimal trouble due to the coronavirus. See the full sked below:

2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Schedule:

Round 1: Minus 400 – Israel, April 5/6/7
Round 2: Xross – Serbia, May 18/19/20/21
Round 3: Red Bull Erzbergrodeo – Austria, June 16/17/18/19
Round 4: Red Bull Abestone – Italy, July 9/10
Round 5: Red Bull Romaniacs – Romania, July 26/27/28/29/30
Round 6: Red Bull TKO – USA, August 13/14
Round 7: Red Bull Outliers – Canada, August 27/28
Round 8: Hixpania Hard Enduro – Spain, October 7/8/9

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