Hell-raiser!

Winning the 10th edition of the race in dominant style Jarvis was joined on the podium by fellow Brit Jonny Walker and US rider Cody Webb.

 

After heavy snow fell in the lead-up to the big day, the 10th anniversary of the Hell's Gate Hard Enduro proved to be one of the most memorable events yet.

 

Deep snow covering almost every inch of the torturous course left the picturesque Il Ciocco hotel resort looking more like an Alpine ski slope than a hard enduro venue.

 

With the main event getting underway at 3.30pm, KTM's Jonny Walker that took full advantage of his pole position from the 

morning's qualification race to grab the holeshot. 

 

Intent on trying to establish an early lead, though, the young Cumbrian crashed halfway around the opening lap and allowed the patiently waiting Jarvis to sneak past in front.

 

Although hampered by carving a fresh line into the snow, Jarvis quickly found his stride and made short work of the unpredictable conditions to break away from his rivals. 

 

Ending the opening lap of four almost a minute in front of Walker and Cody Webb (Beta), the Husaberg rider charged on. 

 

Remaining trouble-free and beginning to enjoy the conditions, Jarvis steadily increased his advantage to almost 12 minutes, as darkness fell when he arrived at the final climb – Hell's Peak.

 

Needing only a second attempt to scale the near vertical assent, Jarvis crossed the finish line as victor for the third consecutive time.

 

"It's an incredible feeling to have won at Hell's Gate for the third time,” claimed Jarvis.

 

"Once I got into the lead everything went really well. I was happy to follow Jonny from the start of the main race. 

 

"I was riding behind him OK and in no hurry to pass him, but he made a mistake and I went to the front. I had two goes at the final hill and didn't even get anywhere near half way.

 

"I was screaming to the spectators to start pulling me because I've lost the race on the last hill before. It seemed to take forever to get to the top but once I got a rope on my bike I knew I was safe. 

 

"It's a great achievement to have three wins, but I hope I can add to that. I've really enjoyed the race this year and will be back next year.”

 

Although struggling with a bout of sickness prior to the event, Walker dug deep into his energy reserves to finish as runner-up to Jarvis. 

 

Admitting to trying too hard in the early stages, Walker soon settled into the rhythm of the race on lap three as he fought hard to recover from his third placed position.

 

 

Final: 1 Graham Jarvis (Husaberg), 2 Jonny Walker (KTM) + 12.17, 3 Cody Webb (Beta) + 17.32, 4 Alfredo Gomez (Husaberg) + 21.52, 5 Ben Hemingway (Beta) + 29.28.

Elimination 3: 1 Graham Jarvis, 2 Jonny Walker, 3 Cody Webb, 4 Alfredo Gomez, 5 Ben Hemingway, 6 Andreas Lettenbichler.

Elimination 2: 1 Graham Jarvis, 2 Jonny Walker, 3 Cody Webb, 4 Alfredo Gomez, 5 Ben Hemingway, 6 Andreas Lettenbichler, 7 Michael Vukcevic, 8 Diego Nicoletti, 9 Melcoir Faja, 10 Xavi Galindo, 11 Dan Hemingway.

Elimination 1: 1 Graham Jarvis, 2 Jonny Walker, 3 Cody Webb, 4 Ben Hemingway, 5 Andreas Lettenbichler, 6 Alfredo Gomez, 7 Michael Vukcevic, 8 Diego Nicoletti, 9 Xavi Gallindo, 10 Melcoir Faja, 11 Dan Hemingway, 12 Christophe Rober, 13 Alex van den Broek, 14 Mattieu Gagnoud, 15 Lars Enockl, 16 Ivan Zanone, 17 Michele Cobuzzi, 18 Paolo Vadi, 19 Riccardo Piacenza, 20 Giovanni Pulcini.

Morning Race): 1 Jonny Walker (KTM) 29.17:55, 2 Graham Jarvis (Husaberg) 29.32:66, 3 Cody Webb (Beta) 30.03:62, 4 Diego Nicoletti (Beta) 30.35:07, 5 Maurizio Lenzi (KTM) 31.01:79, 6 Andreas Lettenbichler (Husqvarna) 31.22:42, 7 Christophe Robert (Husaberg) 31.44:67, 8 Ben Hemingway (Beta) 32.02:23, 9 Dan Hemingway (Beta) 32.08:18, 10 Alex van den Broek (KTM) 32.15:85, 11 Michael Vucevik (Sherco) 32:22.18, 12 Michele Cobuzzi (Beta) 32.24:15, 13 Alfredo Gomez (Husaberg) 33.01:75, 14 Riccardo Piacenza (KTM) 33.23:38, 15 Lars Enockl (KTM) 33.23:82.