Kellogg to host world class hard-enduro races

KELLOGG – Hard-enduro motorcycle racing isn’t for the faint of heart. With heart-stopping jumps and death-defying drops, it demands a rare breed of athlete to take on one of motorsport’s toughest challenges.

Somehow, Kellogg has become one of its most iconic destinations.

This Thursday, Silver Mountain will host the Toyota Silver Kings Hard Enduro, presented by Klim. It’s the second stop on the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) Hard Enduro World Championship—the pinnacle of the sport.

For those unfamiliar, the question often arises: What is hard-enduro racing? The truth is, there’s no single answer.

According to FIM, hard-enduro blends the most extreme elements of off-road motorbike racing—high speeds, long distances, technical skills, obstacles, jumps, fast lines, and navigation challenges.

But promoter James Stearns offers a more poetic take.

“The sport was born from the idea of, what if you got off the trail and tried to go up a waterfall. Or, what if you could drop off a waterfall,” Stearns said. “What if you could ride something that was unrideable? This isn’t a man against man or man against machine sport, it’s man against the environment. That’s the allure of hard-enduro. Competing against wildness in a world that’s been tamed.”

So how did Kellogg become one of just eight international stops—and the only one in the U.S.—on the FIM circuit? For Stearns, the answer was simple: the terrain.

Silver Mountain offers a rare combination—rugged, challenging terrain, a privately-owned mountain, a resort with family-friendly amenities, a gondola, and easy access from a major highway just an hour from an airport. It’s a recipe for a world-class event.

And the town itself plays a key role.

City officials gave Stearns the freedom to build the event—so long as it remained safe.

“Kellogg is a place where, socially, dirt bikes are still acceptable,” Stearns said. “The town is welcoming and helpful. We appreciate the town, the businesses, the police department, and city employees like Mike Fitzgerald and Monica Miller."

Next weekend, the Silver Valley will welcome some of the biggest names in enduro racing. Among them: Super Enduro World Champion Billy Bolt, Hard-Enduro World Champion Manuel Lettenbichler, Marc Fernandez, Alfredo Gomez Cantero, and Graham Jarvis.

“The level of competition is so high,” Stearns said. “It’s hard to imagine what these top athletes are going to be doing. They aren’t messing around. They train in the gym, they train cardio, they’re seasoned professional athletes.”

But Silver Kings isn’t just for the elite. What sets it apart is its inclusivity—offering riders of all ages and skill levels a shot at conquering one of the sport’s toughest courses. This year’s event features 13 levels across three classifications, open to both men and women.

Stearns’ team has spent weeks building a course designed to challenge riders and thrill spectators. And, in true FIM fashion, the course remains a secret until race day.

“There’s a lot of money involved,” Stearns said. “There are trophies involved, and there are a lot of bragging rights involved. Our track team is known for keeping an ace up our sleeve.”

Joining the FIM World Championship Series is a major milestone, but Stearns is especially proud of this year’s prize purse: $100,000, up from $25,000 in 2022.

Last year, more than 500 riders and 5,000 fans came to Kellogg. Stearns expects another strong showing.

“I don’t think we need to do anything more than execute what we’ve done in the past,” he said. “If we do that, we could be the best round of the entire series.”

Silver Kings kicks off Wednesday, June 11, with a rider parade through Kellogg at 7 p.m. Competition begins Thursday with the Fun-Duro and Super Kings Street events. The main hard-enduro races take place Friday and Saturday.

Thursday’s Super Kings event is free to the public, held on the streets in front of the Silver Mountain base.

For a full schedule or to purchase lift tickets, visit www.silverkingshardenduro.com.