ShopYamaha rider Wil Ruprecht storms to Pro Enduro and E2 wins in a rain-shortened Roma opener
Set down for two big days of racing to get the championship underway, the weekend was shortened to just the one day, when consistent rain fell over night on Saturday, leaving the dry, dusty fields around Roma into a muddy swamp and with the course weaving in and out of dry river beds, there was no alternative to cancel Sunday’s racing.
Ruprecht went on a tear right from the get-go and won the opening test by 17 seconds over his nearest rivals. As the day went on, he won five of the six tests conducted and finished second in the final test when the rain began to come down.
He won the Pro Enduro class as well as the E2 (450cc) division in a great first outing for the season. It was a massive statement from the former world champion and one he hopes sets the tone for the rest of the year.
“I was pretty keen to get the championship off to a good start and the conditions we had here at Roma last year were good for me,” Ruprecht begins. “From testing, we had the bike in a good place, and I felt like my off season had gone well, but you never know until you get racing and find out how things unfold.
“The conditions were dry but there was still traction out there and there were definitely elements that you could attack, while there were sections that needed some respect with log crossings. I was also aware of the weather forecast so I wanted to start the weekend positively and that’s what we were able to do.
“Unfortunately, the rain did come, and we weren’t able to race today. The course would have been difficult and dangerous in sections with running water in the creek beds and even the conditions in and around the pits. It was the right call to make, so we pack up out of here, and get ready for the next rounds of the championship at Dungog.
“Thanks to the team for a big effort in the off season. We wanted to improve and be better than we were in 2025, and I feel like we have made some gains. Now it’s important to carry that momentum into Dungog and keep working hard,” he ends.
Maximus Purvis entered the weekend fresh off his success at the New Zealand Motocross Championships, but he and the team were aware, his preparations for off road were a little behind. But Purvis is a talented rider and will quickly find his feet in the off-road world.
Not only was he swapping from the groomed and flowing motocross tracks of New Zealand to the rough and wild nature of off road, he also was shifting from a 450cc machine back to a 250cc bike, so there was a bit to work through as things got started in the AEC.
Purvis started the day slowly, and a couple of crashes in the opening test put him well behind the eight ball early in the day. Slowly but surely, with each test, Purvis began to work his way back into contention in the E1 class and after five tests, found himself back inside the top three and looking for a big final test to consolidation his position.
It wasn’t to be and some more mistakes meant an E1 podium at round one was gone. He finished the day fourth in E1 and seventh in Pro Enduro but bolstered by the fact that despite so many challenges, he was still able to show he will be a contender in E1 and there is plenty of time to get things back on track.
“They don’t have logs on motocross tracks and every time I was near one, I had issues,” Purvis shrugs. “I hit them at weird angles, I was slow over them, or sometimes, I just crashed trying to get past them, so it wasn’t pretty.
“But, with the motocross over and time between the next rounds, I can get to work on some off-road riding and hopefully come back next time and be a lot more prepared. I have an off-road bike back in NZ now and there is no shortage of riding around my place, so I will be able to get some riding in and feel a lot more at home.
“The team did a great job and the bike felt good. I can’t complain about that, and I like the environment of off-road racing. It’s good fun. I wouldn’t have even minded racing today, but I know the danger of it, and it was simply too wet in many sections out there.
I’m looking forward to Dungog and hopefully I can step things up a bit at rounds three and four,” Purvis ends.
The off-road riders now turn their attention to a two-day enduro at Dungog in April. It’s the old school enduro format that many of the riders enjoy and the riding around Dungog is always sensational.
