Running it in
JP takes delivery of something new and orange, then gets in his van…
STRAIGHT OUT THE SHOWROOM INTO THE VAN, straight to the Welsh border, a night’s sleep in a field then wake up to a British Championship Extreme Enduro. Hello new KTM 300 EXC TPI, I hope you’re ready for this life. The afternoon before an event is cutting it a bit fine but when you’re waiting to collect a new bike and the event
you’ve entered looms large what are you going to do? Luckily the new KTM 300 EXC TPI is essentially the same bike I rode all last year but a 300cc two-stroke not a 250. On the boil that means it handles the same but has an engine that’s got more throatiness to it, which is why extreme riders favour that capacity. Also, there is naturally more power lower down to launch you up rock steps and over logs, and you can live in the torquey part of the power much more easily. On the startline it turns out the KTM factory have disconnected the starter button during shipment from Austria. I didn’t know this. The dead engine race start really is a dead engine race start for me as I watch 30 experts herd towards the first corner while I kickstart the bike into life. Then, about two hours into the two and a half hour race, my steady ride to a potential top 20 place suddenly becomes 34th place due to an ‘incident’. But it doesn’t matter, I’m happily enjoying being back on a bike. The good news is just like the 250 TPI, the 300 sips fuel at an event like this so I run the whole race on one tank which means no need for pitstops.