I used to watch Erzberg Rodeo highlights on an iPad while making the drive from Seattle to Los Angeles for the International Motorcycle Show. My co-worker at the time, Iain, was a member of Team USA that competed at the GS Trophy in 2010, and a hard enduro aficionado. That was my first introduction to the sport, and the grinding carnage of Carl’s Diner had me hooked.
At that time, David Knight was the top dog. His skills in trials riding paid dividends in the harsh Austrian copper mine environment, and he was easily distinguishable thanks to being the only competitor wearing an open-face trials helmet. The other competitors, though, at least a large majority, wore Airoh helmets, recognizable by their pointy chin piece and elongated visor.
I was new to off-road riding at that time, and had just acquired my first dirt helmet, a matte black, bottom shelf, AFX FX-17. I didn’t know the difference and was just stoked to have something I could wear pink goggles with. But those Italian helmets with their pointy chins always appealed to me. They were unavailable in the States, and the desire to have what you can’t have is a kind of drug I’m all too familiar with.
