20 YEARS ERZBERGRODEO
MYTHS, EMOTIONS, LEGENDS
20 FOR 20
WEBISODE 17: KTM VS. BMW
At that point we searched for a new highlight,
and said, okay, let's do the Königsklasse,
and we started from the village, up the prologue track.
Back then BWM participated.
BMW and KTM then fought a really hard duel,
which entertained people a lot.
I can remember the Köngsklasse very, very well, and it was very positive.
Those were simply spectacular scenes, when you drive
at speeds far over 150 KM/h uphill.
Back then one name stood out.
It was Simo Kirssi, who drove with BMW.
And Simo Krissi vs. Giovanni Sala, vs. Chris Pfeiffer;
David Knight drove. So everybody drove, who was very fast
at the time and had a reputation.
The entry of BMW into hard enduro,
with the big two-cylinder engine, with this HP2,
has also, I think, light a spark at KTM mainly.
So, what we, or I personally, experienced was,
that on both sides in Munich and in Mattighofen somehow all of the abilities,
or all the capacity was uncovered to create a powerful,
and even stronger and even more drivable 1000-cubic-centimeter engine.
And for the Erzbergrodeo this meant
simply a big boost in the challenge, in the struggle.
The big customers of BMW came and participated.
So in terms of PR we were very well-positioned.
For me it was- For all of us it was enriching,
and was very important for the evolution of the Erzbergrodeo.
2009: BMW QUITS THE COMPETITION
WEBISODE 18: AGONY AT THE ERZBERG
To call the Erzbergrodeo the hardest, or the strongest,
or the most difficult challenge in motorbike sports,
I think, is appropriate, because Erzbergrodeo just
consists of many, many little struggles.
We always tried to find the most difficult track to the top
and it always was agreed.
First of all it was - clearly - a sports challenge.
The most difficult, the hardest, those are titles which everyone
who ever participates in a race understands, even if you know for yourself
that this isn't your thing,
the hardest and the fastest and the longest.
But still, you want to go there, and you want to drive it once.
The chance to be in the same race as Aflie Cox or Giovanni Sala,
that really is a motivation,
or an attraction, which you have to be able to resist.
I think the Erzbergrodeo is marked by many successes and many failures.
If you look at the 1,500 competitors, the winner is, as I see it,
as popular as the one who reached Checkpoint 1.
You search for your limits, you reach the limit
and you gladly go past it.
That, I think, united all enduro drivers in all levels, from every class,
and if you look at it like that, the Erzbergrodeo is the perfect place
to reach your limits.
THE HARDEST ONE-DAY-ENDURO-RACE IN THE WORLD
The suffering at the Erzbergrodeo in the, let me say, back lines,
is really tangible. There are checkpoints,
which are right next to the Erzberg-Arena.
They just try it for hours, in the same place.
And there are scenes which I would describe
very, very clearly and definitely as suffering.
The advice which Heinz gave the Erzbergrodeo,
or always gave us as organizers,
which still burns in our memory
was a sentence which was like this:
"There's no 'too hard.' If even one can see the goal, it was too easy."
You often get asked how many people should do it,
because with 1,500 competitors only 10, 12 of them make it,
you ask, why there are so few.
My answer is really simple:
Every race really needs just one winner.
And with that, a race is superlative.
10 DIFFERENT WINNERS IN 19 YEARS
It makes them talk about you, too.
You're simply - You are on the scene's radar.
I think, that for every sportsman, whether he is young,
whether he is at the beginning of his career or he has been
into the bike scene for some years, it's a bit of a royal title.
The prize actually is the publicity, and what your sponsors invest in you.
And the Erzbergrodeo grew in publicity,
and therefore, I think, is valuable for the riders too,
because every rider who does somewhat well has the chance
that someone will pay him to be seen with him.
It's okay, how we do it,
that there are only 10, 15 who get to the finish line.
If I see a race without winners and without losers, it is not a race for me.
For me everyone who participates at the Erzbergrodeo is a hero. .