The Royal Distributing World Enduro Canada Cross Country Championships have come and gone, following two rounds in Lytton, B.C., and two rounds at Old Man River, Alberta.
Round 1 proved to be a tough day for good results for the Corner Grass Racing Team’s (CGRT) Ryan Linderman (Husqvarna FC 250) of Hillcrest Mines, Alberta, and Ben Rego (Husqvarna TE 300) of Kitimat, B.C.
Both riders had poor starts and moved up through the pack with lots of dust and a tight course, which made passing difficult. At the finish, it was Linderman in 10th position and Rego crossing the line in sixth place.
The Monkey Wrench Cross Country brought more common results to the team, as Rego holeshot the Pro class, battling with Canada’s finest to finish with a solid fourth-place finish.
Linderman rode more to his usual pace, finishing the day in sixth position. Leaving B.C., Rego and Linderman were sitting fourth and seventh in the Championship ranks.
The Old Man River area provides a unique experience of deep erosion ruts, extreme elevation changes, roots, rocks, dust and mud—everything to challenge the best off roaders in Canada.
Round 2, the Shale Shaker Hare Scramble, was holeshot by CGRT’s Rego. Rego pushed hard, but couldn’t manage to stay in front of the top two riders, taking his first podium of the year, in third position.
Linderman also had a great start, and ran hard for the 2½-hour hare scramble to finish in sixth place.
Linderman and Rego had great starts again, as they settled into fifth and third place until they became lost after someone removed course markings. Rego rejoined the fray at the back of the Pro pack. He pushed forward through the pack of Pros to finish fourth, taking three hours, 17 minutes to complete over 100 kilometres of mountain trails.
While Linderman’s day started very well, he was forced to withdraw when his bike ran poorly after his engine ingested water.
“I am feeling for Ryan, he has been riding great, and after adapting to the new FC250, he’s showing great results,” said CGRT manager Lee Fryberger. “It’s a tough DNF for him as he was sixth in points going into the last round, which was where he finished last year in the series.”