KTM rider Jonny Walker put in another impressive extreme enduro ride on Saturday to finish second in the notoriously difficult Hell’s Gate event in Italy, coming in behind veteran Husaberg rider and defending champ Graham Jarvis. It was only Walker’s second attempt at Hell’s Gate and his first as a KTM factory-supported rider.
Johnny started the day strongly and won the five-lap morning qualifier to take pole for the main race. He had a good start, secured the holeshot and led briefly before making a small mistake that cost him the advantage he had won at the start when he lost valuable time recovering his bike. This put him three minutes behind Jarvis, a time that Johnny managed to cut in half going into the second to last lap. Then the very experienced Jarvis turned up the heat and pulled clear in the final lap to lead the 22-year-old Cumbrian home.
“It went very well this morning,” says Jonny. “I took it steady and I still won but in the night race I lost time when I crashed and the bike slipped down the slope. It’s a very long day with the five laps in the morning before the main race and the last hill is impossible to ride, you have to be pulled up by the spectators. But I’ll be back next year and I’ll be coming back to win this race.”
