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In a major coup, four-time world champion Stefan Merriman will compete in this year’s Yamaha Australian Four-Day Enduro (A4DE), which will be held at Wyong (NSW) from July 28-31.
The 32-year-old last competed at the A4DE in 2001, when he claimed honours in the over 420cc four-stroke class – as well as dominating the outright battle. Since that last cameo, Merriman has gone on to win a further three world titles (2001, 2003-04), cementing his status as Australia’s best-ever enduro practitioner.
With four world titles, Merriman is now just one behind road racing legend Mick Doohan, who won five 500 GP championships from 1994-98.
The Italian-based Merriman will ride a Yamaha WR450F in the A4DE, which is the same machine he campaigns in the Enduro World Championship. In what has been a bittersweet year at the world level, Merriman has won five of the opening 10 rounds, but has failed to finish three others. Two of those DNFs were after a nasty crash saw him receive an emergency spleen-ectomy in Italy.
After less than a month out of the saddle, Merriman scored maximum points in Spain on June 4-5, and followed up with two seconds behind arch-rival Samuli Aro in France last weekend.
Merriman will compete in one more round of the world title on July 16-17 before flying to Australia for the A4DE.
Another world enduro crusader, Australian Jake Stapleton, will also compete in the A4DE. The 20-year-old TM-backed rider is an incumbent in the all-new junior class, and was on course for his first victory of the year last Sunday before a small mistake in the final special test.
However, the result was still a real confidence boost for the Branxton (NSW) rider, who had spent the previous few weeks in hospital after breaking ribs and puncturing a lung in a nasty training accident.
Stapleton won the up to 200cc two-stroke class at last year’s A4DE, as well as finishing second outright behind Glenn Kearney.
Meanwhile, the A4DE promoter has announced that former Australian Idol runner-up Shannon Noll will sing the national anthem on the Sunday, while V8 Supercar driver Todd Kelly and rugby league pantheon Mal Meninga will be event ambassadors.
For more information on the 2005 Yamaha A4DE, visit http://www.a4de.com/
