With organisers laying on a 55km loop that comprised of two distinctive but different special tests, Yamaha support team rider Kenji Suzuki secured victory on both days.

At round four, KTM mounted Tomoyasu Ikeda placed 28 seconds behind Suzuki to finish second with Yamaha’s Taku Izumi completing the top three.

Again it was Suzuki that remained the rider to beat at round five as he took another comfortable win. However, behind him the battle for the final podium positions changed hands. Showing great speed in the 6km long slippery and muddy enduro test, Masnari Ota (KTM) recovered well from his previous day’s errors to claim second. Taisuke Mizukami (KTM) rounded out the top three in third.

Results

Japan Enduro Championship 2012, Round 4  IA-class (Elite)

1, Kenji Suzuki, YAMAHA WR250R, 23:29.34

2, Tomoyasu Ikeda, KTM450EXC-R, 23:57.82

3, Taku Izumi, YAMAHA YZ250, 24:18.80

4, Kazuhiro Yoshikawa, FANTIC TZ250ES, 24:35.73

5, Taisuke Mizukami, KTM250EXC-F, 24:54.20

6, Tadao Ikeda, HUSABERG TE125, 25:01.03

Japan Enduro Championship 2012, Round 5  IA-class (Elite)

1, Kenji Suzuki, YAMAHA WR250R, 37:52.45

2, Masanari Ota, KTM250XCW, 38:50.11

3, Taisuke Mizukami, KTM250EXC-F, 40:29.10

4, Yutaro Uchiyama, YAMAHA WR250F, 40:34.25

5, Tomoyasu Ikeda, KTM450EXC-R, 40:35.36

6, Tadao Ikeda, HUSABERG TE125,40:38.83

About Hidaka Two Days Enduro

H.T.D.E began in 1985. Its mountain course is set up with one lap of distance 60km, centred around the Parc Ferme of the Onsen Resort hotel “Hidaka Kogen-so”. Only street-legal motorcycles are permitted. In the past, legendary riders such as Malcolm Smith, Heintz kinigadner, Kevin Haines and Larry Roeseler took part in the race. Also in the 1999 joined Mika Ahola and Roman Michalik is great memory.

Photos : Toshimitsu Sato

Text : Big Tank Magazine