Bittersweet Finish to 4 Day Enduro for GHR Honda’s Aj Roberts

AJ Robert’s exceptional ride at this year’s Australian 4 Day Enduro was one of the best of his career, according to GHR Honda’s Glenn Hoffmann.

“AJ started the final motocross special test on the last day about 35 seconds behind (Stefan) Merriman, and just on 60 seconds from David Knight,” Hoffmann explained.

“You could see how determined he was to win that last moto, but unfortunately the conditions were such that he lost the front end with only one lap to go.” Although Roberts was clearly thriving in the wet conditions, reigning World Enduro Champion Knight was able to get past the local Aussie hero to win the race and take overall honors.

Roberts was still able to remount and cross the line in second. His efforts meant he shaved about 31 seconds off Merriman’s time in the wet, but had to settle for fourth outright on his CRF450R after 250cc rider Chris Hollis was able to make up time earlier in the day in more profitable conditions.

“A lot of talk went on about the 450 riders having the huge disadvantage of having to ride in the wet, and compare their times to 250 riders who did it in the dry,” Hoffmann explained.

“I think next year, some of the rules will be changed to have them all competing in an equal manner.”

“Still, we are more than happy as a Team with AJ’s results. To stay as competitive as he did with Knight and Merriman is testament to his talent and to the CRF450.”

Unfortunately, Robert’s teammate for the event, Ben Grabham had to stay back at camp due to mechanical issues that prevented him from competing after day one.

“Benny was riding extremely well at the start. He finished sixth outright on day one so it was frustrating that we couldn’t get him back out there,” said Hoffmann.

“It was just a case of not being able to fix the problem right there on the spot which was an unusual situation for us. We will be making sure that doesn’t happen again!”

The GHR Team are now headed for Mildura, where Grabham and Jason Hill will represent Honda in the Hattah Desert Enduro. Grabham will be looking to improve upon his second place finish from his inaugural ride at the event last year

For full results of the Australian 4 Day Enduro, go to: www.a4de.com