Wade
Young
South Africa
·
Enduro
Date of birth | April 5, 1996 |
|---|---|
Birthplace | KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
Age | 30 |
Nationality | South Africa |
Career start | 2012 |
Disciplines | Enduro / Hard Enduro |
KwaZulu-Natal-born enduro racer Wade Young made history on November 17, 2012, when he became the youngest-ever winner of the Roof of Africa Enduro in Lesotho. Not only was he the youngest racer to take the title in the 45-year history of the iconic event, but he was also the first South African to win the three-day event since 2007.
Some would say that winning one of the toughest Hard Enduro races on the planet so early on in your career is a fluke. But the manner in which Wade did it, beating the second-placed rider by a full 11 minutes and finishing ahead of former winners like Graham Jarvis and Chris Birch, proved he was a rider of class way beyond his years. Even more impressive is that the 2012 edition of the 'Roof' was one of the toughest ever, with over half of the Pro class making failing to finish.
2012 was Wade's first full enduro season, and he proved those wins were no flukes with more success in 2013 and 2014, winning national titles at home and big races around the globe. As he's matured, he's become even more of a fierce competitor in Hard Enduro and a legit podium threat in the toughest races out there.
In 2016 he signed up with factory ride with Sherco, a move that paid dividends quickly. He claimed his first major European extreme enduro win with victory at Hell's Gate in Italy, which he followed up with podium finishes at Red Bull Romaniacs and Red Bull Megawatt 111, as well as victory in early 2017 at Portugal's Extreme XL Lagares.
2018 saw him claim a hat-trick of victories at the European classics, with wins at Red Bull 111 Megawatt in Poland, Red Bull Sea to Sky in Turkey and at the toughest of them all, Red Bull Romaniacs.
2021 brought yet more success as Wade claimed first place at the HERO Challenge, second at Red Bull Romaniacs and third overall in the first-ever FIM Hard Enduro World Championship.
With a long career still ahead of him, Wade looks set to add many more wins to that tally.