Wade Young – an unstoppable force in hard enduro racing

Most off-road bikers or well, motorsport enthusiasts, know about the so-called “Mother of Hard Enduro” – the Roof of Africa (or just fondly referred to as just the “Roof”) which annually takes place in Lesotho. It is the oldest hard enduro race in the world, having first been staged in 1967.

South African rider Wade Young (27) the current king of the Roof, has completed seven of these events and in 2022 he won the event for the fifth time in a row. This achievement should leave no doubt as to the young man’s character and grit.

“With seven Roof wins under his belt Wade is now just two wins away from equalling the all-time record held by Alfie Cox, whose last victory came in 2001,” says Adrian Scholtz, CEO of Motor Sport South Africa (MSA).

In 2012, as the youngest competitor at the time, he won the race and many said, because of his age, that it was a fluke. But of course, the history book is now proof that it was no fluke. His performance at the time and since is nothing but phenomenal.

In 2013, at just 17 years of age, he won the South African Championship in the senior off-road class and took the title in the U21 class. Then in 2014 he won his second Roof of Africa title, and also claimed both Ukupachu and King of the Hill Hard Enduros, and stood on the podium at Red Bull Romainiacs and Sea to Sky.

On South African soil, Wade successfully defended his overall South African Enduro championship title. In 2016 he signed with the factory Sherco racing team and started the year with a big win at Hell’s Gate. Two years later he won three major global hard enduro events, taking out Red Bull Romaniacs, Red Bull Megawatt 111 in Poland and Sea to Sky in Turkey. He then capped the year off by successfully defending his Roof of Africa title.

In 2019 he had to withdraw as a result of injury, missing out on the middle part of the season but managed to come back strong at the end, winning the American Hard Enduro Series (AHES) series as well as stringing together a host of big results around the globe, including second place at Sea to Sky, winning the Uncle Hard Enduro in South Borneo, Indonesia in late November, and claiming the one-day Wildwood Rock Extreme earlier the same month. He also chalked up yet another Roof of Africa title, his fifth in a row, in 2022.

How does he feel in 2023? Motorsport South Africa sat him down for a short interview.

• What is your favourite motto?

“To accomplish great things we must not only act but also dream, not only plan but also believe”.

• How incredible to be just two wins away from Alfie Cox’s record. What do you think has made you so successful in this unforgiving sport?

“It is a very testing but rewarding sport. This might surprise most but I enjoy every aspect of racing from training to planning; how to get better, and then delivering the goods on race day. I think anything in life you enjoy doing; you will do well in the long run.

• What wins have you already secured this year?

“I got the win at Alestrem – this was a big one for me and then Preratois (France) as well as the National Offroad in SA.

• How much training do you have to put in before each event?

“It depends on the race. For sure I have a good base fitness so most of the training is done on the bike trying to improve my skills and be more efficient on the bike.”

• When and how did you first start riding?

“I started riding at the age of eight and racing at nine. We live in a farming area and the older kids had bikes so I eventually got a bike – that’s pretty much how it started and then I got hooked.”

• What is it that appeals to you about the sport?

“There are always new challenges – no hill or step is the same. The absolute rush of walking the track and looking at some of the obstacles a couple of days before the race thinking you are not sure it’s possible, to the actual race day where you have to be in a completely different frame of mind, really appeals to me.”

• This sport is not for the timid. What has been your worst injury?

“A couple of years back I cut the side of my hip open. This was definitely the most pain I have ever been in. I remember on the way to the hospital questioning if it was worth doing this if I had to go through this amount of pain, but of course, once I was healed I soon forgot about that. I have also had lower back pain which has been more frustrating than painful.”

• What do spectators not realise about the toughness of this ride?

“There are a lot of sacrifices that need to be made at a young age. I still remember always having to say no to parties, not being able to hang out with friends, and being away from family and my support structure. If you can manage these things at a young age, you are definitely halfway there.”

• Is it something you would recommend for other talented young riders?

“For the riders, just have fun while you are young and as you go try to understand what the guys ahead of you are doing and adapt. Always keep it fun, but more importantly, I would advise parents to take more of a back seat and let the kid motivate himself and have the drive to do better himself. I feel that parents need to be just the support structure. Unfortunately, I have seen when there is too much unintended pressure from the parents this makes or breaks the ride 95% of the time.”

• When you are not pushing hard on the track – what other training do you do?

“I enjoy a good session on road bike cycling, core work and stretching.”

• What do you do to relax?

“I enjoy going out to restaurants with good company, listening to music, going on long cycles and working in our family company.”

• At 27 you have accomplished so much – besides beating Alfie’s Roof of Africa win record what else are you working to achieve?

“I would like to be world champion. That is at the top of the list. Other than that, live a healthy positive lifestyle and set good examples for the rest.”

In closing, Adrian Scholtz says, “Wade is already one of the very best hard enduro riders in the world.  MSA wishes him well with his future endeavours in the sport and looks forward to seeing what more he can achieve.”

 Source: Cathy Findley PR