The second race weekend of the 2024 DOWATEK Hard Enduro Series Germany, the Heaven or Hell Xtreme Enduro in Crimmitschau saw second-straight victory for Italian, Sonny Goggia.

With bright sunshine and temperatures above 20 degrees, all participants and fans enjoyed. The second round of the HESG which, with the Saxon Offroad Cup, made two action-packed race days last weekend. There was much praise from the riders for the challenging track and “a perfect race weekend”.

Surprise winner in saturday evening shootout

The ACE Bikes Prolog Award took place in Crimmitschau on Saturday evening. Over 170 participants faced the rocky prologue enduro test.

Henry Strauss, one of the youngest riders in the entry list, put on a remarkable ride to top the times in 05:34.844 minutes, three seconds faster than Sonny Goggia who crashed just before the finish line, losing valuable seconds as a result.

 

Group races - extreme enduro for everyone

The group races were a challenge for everyone, with temperatures over 20 degrees and the HET Reinsdorf organising crew integrating some difficult sections, allowing the hard enduro specialists to prepare for the even tougher final without being too hard for the hobby riders.

Sonny Goggia and Felix Bähker came out on top but were outshone by Linus Albert delivering a brilliant performance with his 85cc machine, qualifying for the main race despite the obvious disadvantage on the small bike.

Second victory for Sonny Goggia

The finale started at 3:15 PM over a distance of 1 hour and 20 minutes plus 1 lap. Everyone knew it would be a tough job, as many sections had never been ridden before, and no one knew how it would develop and in fact some sections had to be removed from the track during the race.

Felix Bähker had a stroke of bad luck in the first lap; he injured his hand again, which he had broken last autumn, and had to end the race prematurely.

Goggia meanwhile took the lead from the start with Hentschel able to keep up early in the race but, as the race progressed, Goggia pulled away – even without drinking after his hydration pack burst at the beginning.

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Since he crossed the finish line four minutes before the end of the race duration of 1 hour and 20 minutes, two more laps had to be completed. In the end, he had a lead of six minutes over Leon Hentschel.

In the finish, he had words of praise for the track: “At the beginning, I made some mistakes because the track wasn’t easy. It was really tough, but when I pushed a little harder, I was able to pull away and win again. It was also good training for the first World Championship races.” Said Goggia.

Hentschel was also satisfied with his race. He always stayed in second place and had a larger gap to his pursuers, which now also brought him to second place in the standings: “The track was really fun. After being sick for the last 2 weeks, I'm super happy with my performance.”

Lenny Geretzky secured his first podium finish of the season. After struggling in Reetz, the Crimmitschau track much more to his liking: “It was a really beautiful hard enduro track, and it was really a lot of fun.”

Geretzky also clinched the first daily victory of the season in the junior category. The other class victories went to Goggia (PRO), Franke (Women), Pieper (Seniors), and Frühauf (Amateurs).

Challenge Charlie

The challenge for British rider Charlie Frost was to struggle through the pack after a rule violation on Saturday before the event and consequently relegation to the back of the field.

But an impressive display on the Beta saw him advance from last place to fourth. Starting six minutes after the first rider, he battled through all the traffic jams and secured important points for the championship.

The series organisation also drew a decidedly positive conclusion. Series manager Denis Günther said: “The collaboration with HET Reinsdorf worked perfectly this year. The dam sections from previous years were also perfectly adjusted, resulting in a truly spectacular race weekend. Additionally, we have once again reached a new level of support from both drivers and fans, which makes us eager for more.”

The next HESG race takes place on May 25 in Hamma, Thuringia. Entries are open. More information: www.hardenduro-germany.de  

 

Photo Credit: Michel238pic | Michel Kuchel