When it comes to racing, Peter Brock was known as the King of the Mountain. That mountain was Mount Panorama, just outside Bathurst, NSW, and not far from Yetholme, where another Broc resides. However, this young man is king of a different mountain… Yellow Mountain. This year, he stamped his authority on this fast-paced desert race in style, on a borrowed GASGAS EC 500F!

Electric vs Petrol

Broc Grabham has been racing the electric Stark Varg all year at various off-road races and enduros. His plan was to race the all-new Enduro model at the 2025 Yellow Mountain Cross Country, however, the bike and spare batteries did not arrive in time. Luckily for Broc, his older brother Ben owns Grabbo’s VIP Race Experience, and a quick call saw a GASGAS 500 arrive in the driveway just a week before the event. Broc had time to swap over a few components before riding the bike for just 30 minutes to re-familiarise himself with a petrol-powered machine.

Bucket List Race

Now in its 23rd year, the Yellow Mountain Cross Country is something desert racers from all over the country add to their bucket list. It’s an easy one to remember: the first weekend in August. The format is simple, fun, exciting, and definitely one of a kind. It is put together by both the Tottenham and Condobolin clubs, who take turns hosting the start/finish of the race. This year, the start and finish took place at the Condobolin Auto Sports Club, a few kilometres outside of Condobolin in central NSW.

The week’s worth of rain subsided in the early hours of Saturday morning, so riders were greeted with near-perfect track conditions for the early morning prologue to decide the start order. A full house of almost 200 riders braved the chilly conditions to set their times around the track. Once the numbers were crunched, it was time to line up and send them on their way. Blue arrows marked the track to Tottenham, and riders had two designated fuel stops along the 214km course.

Strategy and Prologue

Last year, Broc Grabham led the race from start to finish on both days, but this year his strategy was different. Damp ground and low dust was the perfect opportunity to sit back and let others find their way on the virgin track. Bikes started just 15 seconds apart, so keeping riders in sight wasn’t too hard. Grabham was happy with his prologue time, coming in 10th.

Twenty-five-year-old Joshua Harris from Canberra was entering his first Yellow Mountain, but coming first in prologue was not what he expected. That put pressure on him as he had to lead out on the track and try not to lose sight of the arrows or bunting.

Get Your Heart Racing

The first section had plenty of fast straights close to the road, providing some exciting viewing for spectators. Hearing a barrage of big four-strokes on the stopper, at speeds in excess of 170km/h, would get the heart racing in anyone with a pulse. Desert racing at its best.

Despite his lack of Yellow Mountain experience, Harris kept on track and stayed near the front, swapping places with Justin Harrow. Luke Chellas wasn’t so lucky—he pulled to the side of the track shaking his bike just a few kilometres from the refuel area. He had run out of fuel and relinquished his spot to Broc Grabham, who was now working his way through the pointy end of the field.

Unfortunately, Harris’s bike was not equipped with a dry-break system, and although he entered the refuelling zone in first, he exited in third when Harrow and Hall made short work of their stops.

Pushing Forward

After the refuel, Grabham settled into his normal fast pace, overcoming some early arm pump. By midway in the second section, he had caught the dust of Nathan Trigg and made yet another overtaking move to claim third position behind Nathan Brochtrup on the Husky 501FE.

Little did he know, Brochtrup was riding with a flat front tyre, punctured in the first rocky section just 30km from Condo. Luckily, the ultra-heavy-duty tube offered some stability to the tyre and barely made a difference to Nathan’s speed.

Caution Pigs!

At the second fuel stop, it was Campbell Hall in the lead with Grabham a close second. On adjusted time, this would put Grabham in the lead, so all he had to do was keep Hall in sight.

However, the local wildlife had other ideas. A mob of large pigs ran onto the track. As Broc backed off, the rear end whipped to the right, but as luck would have it, the pigs changed direction and, as the rear wheel impacted the pork, the bike was pushed upright, saving him from crashing.

A few kilometres later, Grabham lost sight of Hall and found no tracks in front of him. Hall had hit a sinkhole so hard his triple clamp snapped, sending rider and bike so far off the track that Grabham didn’t even see them. Thankfully Hall survived unscathed, but that was the end of his race.

Grabham arrived at the Tottenham finish line and was surprised to realise he was first. Nathan Trigg came in second, with Nathan Brochtrup third, just five seconds in front of Joshua Harris.

Bovine Barricade

The return leg on Sunday got underway at 8am as the riders tackled new track on the way to the infamous Gilgais area, full of natural mounds and dips. The rising sun and shadows made racing challenging, so Brochtrup opted to ride safe, giving up a few positions early in the race.

Grabham had a great run through the Gilgais but had yet another heart-stopping moment when he spotted a cow and calf mid-air after a jump. The calf ran back toward the cow, impacting the GASGAS and sending bike and rider under the cow! Unhurt, Broc quickly remounted and started the bike as he could hear Trigg bearing down on him.

From then on, it was Grabham all the way. He kept the lead and utilised the switchback tracks to keep an eye out for dust as the following bikes swapped places.

After the first fuel stop, Brochtrup hit trouble as the sole of his left boot fell off. Not wanting to lose the supporting plate in the boot, he opted to sit down as often as possible and minimise the risk.

Happy Ending

Joshua Harris had a trouble-free run until after the first fuel stop, where he lost the front end in some tight single-line sections while battling with Brochtrup. However, it didn’t take long before he managed to get past and keep enough distance to maintain third place.

At the end of the race, Broc Grabham took the honours for the fifth year in a row and now has seven outright victories to his name—an outstanding race on a borrowed bike!

Nathan Trigg rode superbly in his first Yellow Mountain to finish second, just 2 minutes and 45 seconds behind Grabham. Joshua Harris was stoked to finish third and might well invest in a dry break for next year.

Meet Sprocket

If you’ve been around Enduro anytime in the last 40 years, you might have come across this larrikin. John Povey, generally known as “Sprocket,” has been there, done that when it comes to riding—anything from the Weipa Croc Run to Finke Desert Race and more enduros than you can poke a stick at.

Not only is he good for a laugh, but the cheeky grin hides a rider with real talent. Sprocket has entered the Australian Four Day Enduro a staggering 28 years in a row and only DNF’d twice.

In 1998, Sprocket competed in the International Six Day Enduro in France and came away with a Silver medal. The following year, he lined up again in Germany and—you guessed it—another Silver. A broken bike at the ISDE in Cessnock in 1992 spoiled a good run, but he still came away with Bronze.

These days, Sprocket’s age is on the wrong side of 60, but he’s still enjoying riding and racing. After many years of clashing events, he finally made it out to his first Yellow Mountain.

ADB: How was your Yellow Mountain experience?
Sprocket: Fantastic! I just cruised around prologue and started 160th. I had a brilliant ride, overtaking about 30 riders, but had some issues 50km from the end.

ADB: What issues did you have?
Sprocket: I got a flat front tyre. I stopped and changed the tube, but about 1km later, it was flat again!

ADB: You stopped for another puncture repair?
Sprocket: No, I kept riding. It was only 50km to go, so I pushed on.

ADB: How did you finish on Day 1?
Sprocket: Well, after the flat tyre, those 30 odd bikes rounded me up again and I came in 166th. But it was a heap of fun.

ADB: Did the return trip go well?
Sprocket: Yeah, much better, no flat tyres! I worked my way back past the same riders and ended up finishing 134th.

ADB: How would you sum up Yellow Mountain?
Sprocket: A fantastic event. Even with flat tyres, I had a ball. It was cool.

Not Just the Boys

Desert racing isn’t just for the boys—Yellow Mountain accommodates the women as well. This year, 17-year-old Jade Chellas from Parkes took out the Ladies’ first place trophy in her first attempt at the Yellow Mountain Cross Country aboard her KTM 250. Tabitha Newcomb finished second and Emma-Jayne Williams rounded out the top three.

What Do You Need for Yellow Mountain?

  • The race is 214km each day and you camp overnight, so bring a swag, tent, caravan, or motorhome.
  • There are two fuel stops approximately 70km apart, so make sure your standard tank will make the distance under wide-open throttle.
  • Bring two fuel drums to be deposited by officials at each fuel stop. Put your race number on them clearly. If you’re FAST, a dry-break fuel system is best. For everyone else, a jerry can is fine.
  • Breakfast and dinner can be purchased at the campgrounds, or you can bring your own and kick back around the campfires. Wood is also supplied!
  • The race is on private property (30 individual properties), so your bike does not need to be road-registered.
  • Bring a mate, your partner, your family and have a fantastic weekend—just leave the dog at home.

For more information check out Yellow Mountain Cross Country on Facebook or www.yellowmountaincrosscountry.com.au