Graham Jarvis (Husaberg) Britain

“It’s nice to be back in Turkey. The Cliff Champ race was very short but a lot of fun. Racing in such a unique location in downtown Antalya was amazing and I hope we entertained the crowds with some of our antics. We’ve had a long summer break, during which I had to stop riding for a couple of weeks when I crashed in training but now I feel ready. Everyone has stepped up their riding a lot so it’s going to be a tough race.”

Jonny Walker (KTM) Britain

“I’m looking forward to this year’s event, though it’s a bit of a shame that I got ill so close to the event. I was in hospital last week with glandular fever and tonsillitis, which wasn’t ideal preparation for the event but I’m still determined to give it my best shot. Right now I’m not thinking of the main event on Sunday but instead working through the whole event one race at a time. The Beach Race and Forest Race are up first on Saturday so once they’re over I’ll focus on the Olympus Mountain Race. I learned a lot from last year’s event. I know when to expect some of the tricky bits and how to ride them so I hope I can work that to my favour.”

Andreas Lettenbichler (Husqvarna) Germany

“This is my second time competing in the Red Bull Sea to Sky event. Last year I had some bad luck when my bike overheated but this year should be better as I know what to expect. Even though I had some problems I really enjoyed the race. I think the concept is great – mixing in the beach, forest and mountain makes the riding a lot of fun. Last year the difficulty of the terrain was perfect and although this time the track will be a little bit longer it shouldn’t be any harder but fitness will play a big part. You need to stay strong to the finish.”

Paul Bolton (KTM) Britain

“So far the atmosphere of the event has been great fun. The organisers held a press conference and cliff race in nearby Antalya to promote the event. The track was short but a lot of fun. I had a great run, didn’t make any mistakes and managed to finish second, so I’m pleased about that. After that we finished off the evening with a bit of cliff diving in our riding kit. It’s been a cracking start to the week. The race kicks off with a beach race and forest race on Saturday. I’m looking forward to that, as it should be a good bike of action packed racing.”

Lars Encokl (KTM) Austria

“It’s my first time here in Turkey at the Red Bull Sea to Sky. After watching all the videos of the 2011 race, I knew I wanted to come here and have a go too. Hopefully I can surprise a few people with my results. I feel that I’m riding well and improving all the time. Finishing sixth overall at the 2012 Erzbergrodeo and then having a good week at the Red Bull Six Days in Germany has given me a lot of confidence so I want to build on that momentum here."

Ozdemir Burak (Gas Gas) Turkey

“In 2011 I managed to place as the second fastest rider from Turkey. I was riding well but when it began to rain I made some mistakes and dropped back. I didn’t give up and reached the finish line, unfortunately by the time I got there the weather was really bad and they had to close the cable car. I ended up spending the night on top of the mountain and missed the after party. So this year my goal is to be fast enough to make it to the party. It’s great to have a race like this here in my home town, these riders are incredibly talented and it’s cool to race with them.”

Diego Ordonez (KTM) Guatemala

“It’s been 17 hour flight to get here but so far it’s been worth every minute. This is my first international hard enduro event so I’m excited to be here. I watched all the videos of the race on Youtube and decided then that I wanted to come. It looks like a lot of fun and will be a lot different than what I’m know. I’m using a KTM 350 EXC four-stroke for the race as that’s what I’m used to riding on at home. It’s different from the norm as most riders in hard enduro use two strokes but at the moment I feel comfortable on it so I didn’t want to change.

“My background is in trials and I competed in the US national championship. I hope having a good technical ability will help to improve in the sport. My goal is to gain as much experience as possible and not worry about the overall result too much. If I can succeed here I’d love to come back race in more hard enduro events and become more competitive.”