Stark’s Erzberg Test Starts Here

Cooper Abbot

The Stark videos coming out of the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo have definitely grabbed riders' attention.

Now it's time to see what the team and the VARG can do when the mountain starts throwing proper punches. Erzberg doesn’t ease you in, it’s long hours of rocks, climbs and bottlenecks that test even the strongest factory efforts.

If you missed it, we’ve already covered Stark’s SuperEnduro Manufacturers’ Championship win and their wider push into hard enduro this season.

The Hardest Test Yet for the Stark VARG

The Erzbergrodeo Track

Stark has entered Erzberg with a serious rider line-up, including Eddie Karlsson, Toby Martyn and Cooper Abbott, to see how far the VARG can go against some of the toughest bikes and riders in hard enduro.

Karlsson is the rider many will be watching closest. The Swede has built his reputation in extreme terrain and has spent plenty of seat time developing and racing the VARG. If a Stark rider is going to make a statement at Erzberg, Karlsson looks like its strongest card.

UK riders will be watching Toby Martyn closely. The British enduro ace is no stranger to tough terrain. If Martyn gets into a rhythm, don't be surprised to see him mixing it with some big names out on the mountain.

Erzberg's Rocket Ride hillclimb

So far, things have gone as well as Stark could have hoped. Race Director and former motocross world champion Sébastien Tortelli took the Rocket Ride hillclimb win, and the clips quickly caught traction online. Watching the bike claw its way up Erzberg's loose climbs, it's easy to see why.

But the Rocket Ride is only the warm-up. The real challenge comes when riders face hours of rock gardens, bottlenecks, climbs and punishment that have ended the hopes of countless factory-backed teams over the years.

Whatever happens next, this is the biggest test the VARG has faced so far.

The BCB Take

Sebastien Tortelli on the Varg

The VARG has shown it has the pace. The big question now is whether it can handle the hours of punishment that make Erzberg one of the toughest races in motorcycling.

If Stark gets a bike deep into it, this will be another step forward for electric dirt bikes. And if range, charging or durability become the story, we'll learn something from that too.

Erzberg doesn't care about marketing claims. It chews up factory bikes and spits out riders every year. That's why we're watching.

Ride safe, folks.

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