Red Bull Hare Scramble

1 mountain. 500 riders. 15 checkpoints. 4 hours of time. And only a handful of riders crosses the finish line!

Welcome to the cruel reality of Erzbergrodeos true highlight - the RED BULL HARE SCRAMBLE, which is regarded the toughestst dirt bike race of the world! Only the fastest 500 riders of the Iron Road Prologue qualify for the technically most demanding offroad competition worldwide. The starting ceremony already is a legend in its very own right. When, at 11:00 am, Karl Katoch guides the competitors to the Erzberg lake, the thrilling atmosphere causes gooseflesh again. At 12:00 o’ clock straight, waves of 50 riders are set loose and places in the front rows are much sought-after. Starting positions correspond with the times reached in the prologue, so the fastest 50 riders of Iron Road Prologue start in the first row of the RED BULL HARE SCRAMBLE.

When Heinz Kinigadner and Karl Katoch rise the starting flag, it’s 4 hours time for the riders to pass 20 checkpoints on the 23 kilometer track. At 4:00 pm, the game is over as the chequered flag is swung for the very last time. All riders still fighting with the track at this time are listed in the official results with their last checkpoint passed in running order. Right after the start it is clear to everyone that there will be only one way to the finish line - straight up the mountain! While the top-riders are served with a spicy potpourri of endless uphills, formidable downhills, narrow forest trails and unforgiving rock passages, the vast majority of riders will spend most of their four hours at one of the first uphill sections. Only the best of the best are able to reach the legendary Red Bull Arch inside the Erzberg-Arena, making them the elite enduro riders in the whole world.

The prize for this inhuman drudgery is no prize money. It‘s a piece of rock, shaped directly out of the Iron Giant‘s side. A piece of rock from the mountain the riders have beaten with willpower, determination and quite some battle scars...

Past winners of the Red Bull Hare Scramble:
2010    Taddy Blazusiak (POL, KTM)
2009    Taddy Blazusiak (POL, KTM)
2008    Taddy Blazusiak (POL, KTM)
2007    Taddy Blazusiak (POL, KTM)
2006    David Knight (UK, KTM)
2005    David Knight (UK, KTM)
2004    Chris Pfeiffer (GER, Gas Gas)
2003    Cyril Despres (AND, KTM)
2002    Cyril Despres (AND, KTM)
2001    Juha Salminen (FIN, KTM)
2000    Chris Pfeiffer (GER, Gas Gas)
1999    Stefano Passeri (ITA, KTM)
1998    Giovanni Sala (ITA, KTM)
1997    Chris Pfeiffer (GER, Gas Gas)
1996    Chris Pfeiffer (GER, Gas Gas)
1995    Alfie Cox (RSA, KTM)

Generali Iron Road Prolog

The biggest and craziest crowd in offroad motorcycling: 1.500 riders against the one, mean mountain!

The GENERALI IRON ROAD PROLOGUE offers drama and action in its purest form. Riding skills, speed and the correct choice of your line through the many, many curves decide if you win or lose on your way up the gravel road that is13,5 km long and up to 30 meters wide. Almost anything resembling a motorbike is entitled to compete in this race, assumed it is technically OK. Quads, scooters, sidecars und even street bikes like Harleys and Buells are not a rare sight at the starting area of the Erzbergrodeo‘s prologue.

No matter what, this race has its secret heroes: The big twin-cylinder bikes. On the ultra-fast uphill sections, these behemoths with up to 1.250 ccm displacement reach speeds of 190 km/h, showing breathtaking drifts and leaving the spectators with awe and gooseflesh. Rules are as simple as it can get: Riders start in 20 second intervals, each competitor has two attempts to beat the mountain.

The best 500 riders ? fastest run only - qualify for the toughest single day race in the world, the RED BULL HARE SCRAMBLE on Sunday. When the green lights say „go“, full throttle, optimal choice of track in the switchbacks, courage and riding skills take you from the paddock to the summit at 1,466 m sea level.

Rocket Ride

The peak is the limit: the Erzbergrodeo‘s new and spectacolous Uphill-Race will prove, which riders can hold the throttle wide open...

he new side event at the Erzbergrodeo has already turned out to be a real crowd‘s favourite when it was first introduced in 2009 and was tatally sold out once again in 2010. More than 300 riders lined up at the start to deliver breathtaking action to the thousands of specators alongside the track. A hillclimb like no other - true Erzberg-Style...!
ROCKET RIDE is all about conquering a 3-story uphill section in the fastest possible way. Riders line up in groups of six and start the race in MX-style - with a starting machine and transponder timing.  Only the 3 fastest riders of each group emerge to the next round. During qualification each rider has two attempts to reach the Superfinals where only the fastest 48 riders will fight for the prestigious ROCKET RIDE trophy.

Typically Erzberg: the ROCKET RIDE offers a good taste of the Erzbergrodeo‘s upcoming challenges, as the riders have to negotiate with one of the notorious, ultra-steep uphills of the Red Bull Hare Scramble. The ROCKET RIDE action will be followed by thousands of enthusiastic spectators to cheer on their favourite riders - so you better give it all, because Mum could be watchin‘...!