Desert Edge Race Team or DERT [the local Honda outfit] have been victorious in this event for the past five years so holding onto this title was paramount for seasoned campaigners and DERT riders Daymon Stokie and Caleb Auricht.
With meticulously prepped 2016 CRF450R’s which had been raced previously at both at Finke and Hattah, the team were ready to take the title once again.
The 12-Hour Desert Enduro is run in conjunction with the off road buggies: the buggies run a southern loop and the bikes on a northern loop. Team DERT/Honda held a convincing lead throughout the entire race, travelling over 1296 km of brutal terrain.
Difficult race conditions and major accidents prompted race organizers’ to call a stop to both of the events just as the sun began to set. The Honda duo of Stokie and Auricht had amassed another dominating win for DERT laying down thirty-six laps.
DERT manager Michael Vroom expressed his praise of the DERT/Honda team, “Having the two of them(Stokie and Auricht) focusing on the task at hand combined with the input of our team mechanic Aaron Obst, no one was intimidated and [we all] continued to push hard. For us to keep our win streak rolling was just awesome!” Vroom added.