The 2025 Australian Hard Enduro Championship fired back into life over the weekend with Round 2 landing at a brand-new venue in Esk, Queensland – the aptly named Murrumba Madness. With cold, frosty starts and bone-dry terrain, the stage was set for a brutal weekend of racing – and Beta Motorcycles Australia’s hard enduro duo, Ruben Chadwick and Ebony Nielsen, were right in the thick of it.
Saturday’s prologue loop might have been short, but it was packed with tight technical lines, rocky creek beds and very few overtaking opportunities. None of that fazed Chadwick. The Beta RR 300 RACE pilot timed a critical pass to perfection and held on strong to lock down 2nd place for the day.
In the mixed Silver class, Nielsen came out swinging. Back in the hard enduro scene after a stint focusing on the AEC, she clawed her way to a gritty 8th place finish in prologue – a confidence builder heading into Sunday’s main race.
Conditions on Sunday couldn’t have been better, and Ruben made it count. Second off the line, he wasted no time moving into the lead and didn’t look back. Drawing from his trials roots, Chadwick made the gnarly terrain look manageable, stretching a 10-minute lead by the end of Lap 1, and a commanding 23-minute gap by Lap 2. After more than four hours in the saddle, he rolled through the finish in 1st place, continuing his unbeaten run and tightening his grip on the championship standings.
“It was a great weekend with perfect conditions on the new property,” Ruben said post-race. “The Beta RR 300 RACE soaked up everything I gave it. I’m happy to come away with the win after a busy few weeks overseas at Erzberg. Huge thanks to our sponsors and the team.”
Nielsen, the only female rider in the Silver class, pushed hard through over 4 hours and 20 minutes of racing and crossed the line in 17th, proving again she’s a force in the making.
“As the only female in Silver, I was stoked with 8th in the prologue and 17th in the main,” Ebony said. “It’s been a while since I lined up for a hard enduro, but it felt good to be back.”
With two rounds down, Ruben Chadwick remains the rider to beat in the 2025 Australian Hard Enduro Championship, and he’ll be looking to carry that momentum into Round 3 – the Dog & Bone Extreme, held September 20–21 in Sandy Hill, NSW.
Meanwhile, Ebony Nielsen shifts her focus back to the AEC, where she’ll line up for Rounds 7 & 8 in Casterton, Victoria.
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