Enduro title caps decade-long chase

By Stuart Teather
KOOWEERUP motocross rider Jehi Willis broke through for his maiden Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE) victory last week.
Willis, who rides for Husqvarna Australia, got out to an early lead in the class five division, and held a six-second gap ahead of Brad Williscroft heading into the fourth and final day of the competition, held at Orange, New South Wales.
Willis held on to his lead on the final day, sitting on Williscroft’s back wheel for the better part of the race to ensure his first win in a decade’s worth of attempts at the prestigious race.
A relieved Willis said after the race that everything had panned out the way he had hoped.
“I didn’t sleep a wink the night before, just going through the race over and over in my head,” he said.
“I shot out of the gate then held the lead as long as I needed to. Brad was trying pretty hard to get round me so I played it safe and just hung on to his back wheel after he made the pass.
“I can’t tell you how relieved I was to cross that finish line knowing he hadn’t pulled any time on me.”
Willis was racing the new WR300 Enduro model, and the racer paid tribute to his team after the victory.
“I’ve been chasing an A4DE title for a long time now, Husqvarna’s support over the last few years has been exceptional and they’ve really helped me progress among such a competitive field of professional riders.”
The result saw Willis finish 10th outright, while fellow local, Officer rider Blake Hore, came ninth outright after placing seventh in the class four division.
Willis’ class five is for two-stroke bikes up to 500cc or four-strokes over 500cc, while the class four covers four-stroke bikes between 290-400cc.