South African hard enduro delivered a statement weekend on July 2-4, as around 1,200 riders descended on the Northern Drakensberg for the Impi Hard Enduro 2026 the biggest hard enduro race in South Africa. At the front of it all was a familiar name from the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship: James Moore, who dominated both days of Gold class racing to claim the crown as the king of the Impi. While Impi is not part of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship and carries no points toward the world title, four HEWC-registered riders : James Moore, Wade Young, Thomas Scales and Luke Walker, headlined a race that showcased everything great about hard enduro at national level.
Moore a Machine in the Mountains
Run from Hlalanathi and Maswazini over rocky, dusty winter terrain and bitterly cold mountain mornings, the format demanded that Gold riders complete the entire Bronze and Silver routes before heading out onto the punishing Gold loop, and it was there, on the steep technical climbs, that Moore laid down his charge. The Beta rider won Friday’s five-hour opening race and backed it up on Saturday to seal the overall by 13 minutes with a combined time of 9h23m. Behind him the order shuffled constantly as riders picked different lines up the mountainsides, with Thomas Scales (9h36m) and Travis Teasdale (9h40m) completing an all-Beta podium for Beta South Africa. Luke Walker brought his Trademore Sherco home fourth, just two minutes off the podium.
Wade Young Shows Speed on Comeback Trail
There was an encouraging storyline beyond the podium too. Wade Young, back on the bike as he recovers from a leg injury, stunned the field in Thursday’s opening time trial, his 59m11s lap the only sub-hour time in the Gold class, almost a full minute clear of Kyle Flanagan, with eventual winner Moore fourth-fastest. The South African withdrew before Friday’s racing, a sensible precaution with bigger goals ahead. Eighth in the world championship standings despite his interrupted season, Young’s time-trial pace suggests the speed is very much still there.
Next Stop: The Roof of Africa
The timing could hardly be better. The same mountain massif that hosted Impi’s Drakensberg battleground rises into Lesotho’s Maloti Mountains, home of the legendary Roof of Africa — Round 6 of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, September 24-26. For Moore, ninth in the championship, and his fellow southern African campaigners, Impi was the perfect altitude-hardened sharpener for a world championship round on home ground, where they will fancy their chances against a title fight that sees Manuel Lettenbichler (88 points) leading Mitch Brightmore (75) and Teodor Kabakchiev (68). Before Lesotho, the championship resumes at Forza Orza in Sweden on August 20-22, where a fully fit Wade Young would be a welcome sight. Check the full championship standings as the season enters its decisive phase.