The RAF Enduro team is the leading team in 2 wheeled off road riding, as a team we cater for many off road disciplines from Enduro where the rider could be in the saddle for 8 hours navigating a 70 mile loop of Isle of Man, or three 15 minute motos on a motocross track. Within the large team we cater for all levels of rider from beginner and up to expert level. As long as you have access to a two wheeled off-road bike then you are welcome on the team, regardless of ability.
To develop riders and offer an introductory into off road racing riding, the team organise and run the RAF Championship either on military training areas or on an approved Motocross track. As a guide the championship consist of 3 Enduro races and 3 Motocross races.
The next step for riders and to build their confidence is participation in regional events, currently the team authorise the Lincolnshire Enduro Series (LEC) an additional 9 round series that gives all riders an opportunity to develop their skills at an intermediate level.
At the top level the team compete within the British Enduro Championships (BEC) and the Scottish Enduro Series (SACU) both these events are nationally recognised events where all the top Enduro riders within the country compete.
Vehicle Types and Discipline Variety
To compete in all the disciplines the riders use a two wheeled off-road motorcycle, which there are two main variants.
– Motocross: This is the most widely known bike and used for Motocross or any closed loop circuit that doesn’t require riding on the public highway. A good example of this is a Honda CRF 450.
– Enduro: Based on the same principles as a motocross bike but also has the ability to ride on the public highway and meets all standards including lights, horns and road legal FIM tyres a good example of this is a KTM EXC 250.
The RAF Enduro team cover many aspects of two wheeled off-road riding that is sanctioned by the Auto Cycle Union the disciplines we cover are as follows.
– Time Card Enduro: Events where riders start separately (or in groups up to 4), the main part of the event is to ride the course, which is predominately off road, within time allowances which are achievable and timed to the nearest minute. The event includes Special Tests where riders start individually and are timed to part of a second. The lap length is a minimum of 10 miles with Special tests up to 15% of the length of the lap.
– Short Course Time Card Enduro: Events similar to the above with a reduced length of lap greater than 2 miles and less than 10 miles and where the Special Tests may consist of the whole or part of the lap however the total length of special tests must not cover more than 20% of the total length of the course
– Extreme Enduro: An Off-Road event over extremely difficult terrain where riders start individually or in groups of 2 or more where the result is decided on the rider who completes the most laps in the set time or the greatest number of laps in the shortest time.
– Off Road Sprint Enduro: An Off-Road event where riders start individually and consist of a series of Special Tests where the time is taken to 1/000 second. The event being decided on the sum of the time penalties achieved over the set number of Special tests.
– All Terrain (Rally): An event staged over varied terrain, predominantly Forest Roads and Tracks, and is intended to prove the skill and endurance of riders and the reliability of their machines. The event is aimed at production Trail motorcycles of all capacities and the route shall be planned accordingly and will consist of a number of liaison stages or legs. The inclusion of Timed sections or special stages is optimal however the riders must start such tests individually. The route may be marked with route markers, or may require a combination of both.
– Hare & Hounds/Cross Country: An Off-Road event where riders start in groups where the result is decided on the rider who completes the greatest number of laps in the shortest time.
– Motocross: An Off-Road event where up to 30 riders line up on a single gate, they then race a closed loop circuit for a set amount of time between 10-20mins, the result is decided on the rider who completes the greatest number of laps in the specified time.
