maintenance and rider sustenance . Outside assistance is not permitted .
Of the 138 competitors in this year ’ s event , 48 did not finish .
Cam Donald ’ s teammate for the race and also riding a Tiger 1200 Rally Pro was his childhood friend and “ brother from another mother ”, Donald Owen – an Expert class enduro rider , B-grade motocross and road racer and professional motorcycle mechanic .
After riding an epic 16 hours of his first attempt of the 24hr trial , Owen hit a deep , square-edge hole hard and was unable to continue , so the bearded wild man immediately turned his attention to supporting Cam get to the finish line .
“‘ DNF ’ are letters nobody wants to hear in a race , and I was starting to feel heartbroken . But the support from fellow riders , who all stop to help , and volunteer staff at the control points was truly amazing ,” Owen said . “ When I was stuck in the darkness , a guy walked almost three kilometers through the bush scrub with a head torch to come and help me . I ’ ll never forget that .
“ Our next objective was to keep supporting Cam . His ability to ride at the right level – not too hard , not too slow – and maintain the right mental state to get through all the dark times was unbelievable .”
Cam Donald described his technique to riding a large adventure bike in an enduro is momentum . “ As long as you ’ re going forward , you ’ re fine .
“ Riding in the Enduro Pro mode ensured the bike ’ s power delivery was nice , linear and easy to use – exactly what you want when you ’ re in super tight , technical terrain that would test a 250 !
“ I formed a special relationship with that bike . We struggled , we argued , we laughed , we cried , but I brought her home safe just as she brought me . Together , we crossed the finish line . I can ’ t believe we did it ! I feel as if I ’ ve won a race !”
Bike preparation for the gruelling race was minimal . The Tigers were fitted with Triumph accessory upper protection bars ; aggressive road-legal knobby tyres for maximum traction and an 8.0-inch LED light bar for additional night-time visibility ( as per race regulations ). Centrestands and pillion mounts were removed for increased clearance .
Significantly lighter and much more powerful , with class-leading handling and specification , plus all of Triumph ’ s new T-plane triple performance advantage , the
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