by Rodrigo Lopes
What’s your name?
Rodrigo Lopes.
How old are you?
45.
Where are you from?
Born in Brazil, living in Denver, CO, USA.
When did you get into the sport of hard enduro and when did you ride a dirt bike for the first time?
My first hard enduro was King of the Motos 2016 and I think I finished 11 overall amateur class.
What bike do you ride?
I practice on a 2020 KTM 300 XC-W TPI and race on a 2021 KTM 300 XC-W TPI.
What team do you ride in (if any)
I ride for Elite KTM and RMW Extreme .
How many hard enduro races have you entered (roughly, doesn’t have to be 100% accurate)?
5 King of the Motos, 4 Tennessee Knockout, 2 RevLimiter, 2 Red Bull Override, 1 Battle of the Goats, 2 Silver Mountain Extreme, and 1 EnduroFest.
If possible, what would you characterize yourself as? Beginner, weekend warrior, ambitious amateur, semi-pro or pro?
I characterise myself as semi-pro but race pro..
What race are you going to talk about and what year did you do it?
King of the Motos 2021.
What was the race format like – how many days, hours or races did you have to do to finish/win the race?
This year due to COVID-19 restrictions in California, the KOM organisation needed to put a shorter course than prior 5 years I have raced it. They had the course set up and needed to change it 3 weeks before the race. But they managed to put a good 5 miles qualifier, and a very good 14 miles track for 2 laps in the main event The terrain was mostly long rocky, with waterfalls and big boulders canyons. Also some long sandy with loose gravel third gear hills. Gnarly downhill sections. The start on Chocolate Thunder uphill was a big chaos and bottle necks as it is traditional in King of the Motos. I was running top 10 most of the race and my gps froze few miles before the finish line, I got lost and ended up doing almost an extra lap out 2 laps format. Overall it was awesome experience and organisation!!!! And you get to watch the insane King of the Hammers!!!!
It was a 5 mile taking 20-30 minutes for the top 10 guys up to 3 hours to some amateur. The main event was 2 14 miles and about 50 min – 1 hour per lap to the top pros and not be able to finish 1 lap to few amateurs.
What excited you the most about this race? Was it the terrain, the grip, the camaraderie, the organisation, the weather, your own performance or something entirely different?
Beside the unique high desert mountains, the perfect 70 F sunny weather, long hours race without COVID, you can be part of the insane King of Hammers insane atmosphere and races!!!
What kind of tires/mousse/tubliss/tube did you use and why? More importantly – would you recommend your setup or did you learn that something else would have been better?
I decided race with soft nitro mouse 120 with holes and IRC Gekkota 09 rear and front. Michelin bib mouse 15 on the front.It was set up for the rocky, gnarly sections.
Was the track tough on you physically, mentally, both or not at all?
The track was a constant silver level and 3 hours race did not wear me out physically or mentally.
Was the track easy to follow (markings or GPS tracks) and was the difficulty level what you expected, easier or harder?
The GPS track was very easy to follow but my 2 garmin e-trex 20 froze and I got lost losing about 45 minutes.
Where did you stay during the race, was it a good choice and would you do it again? (camping, hotel, private etc.)
My family decided to get a Airbnb house in Joshua Tree, CA, 45 minutes from the race. It worked very good because there are not many hotels around KOM.
What result did you get and are you happy with it?
I ended up 19th overall and I am not too happy getting lost but it happened.
Did you feel like you got a good value for your money at this race?
This is always an amazing experience
Finally, would you do this race again and recommend it to other riders?
I will keep racing King of the Motos till I am able to.
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