Karl Katoch

Erzbergrodeo boss: “Then we’ll storm Eisenerz”

(Bild: Philipp Carl Riedl / Red Bull Content Pool)

The Erzbergrodeo starts on Sunday at 1 pm! The idea was born three decades ago. Karl Katoch recalls the pioneering days in an interview and explains how the event revolutionized the entire sport. The big interview with the Erzbergrodeo boss.

Kronen Zeitung: The idea of the Erzbergrodeo was born 30 years ago. How did it come about?
Karl Katoch : Günther Maier was doing the off-road magazine for Eurosport at the time, called at some point and said: "Hey, there's a mountain we can ride on. At the time, I was a test rider for Reitwagen-Magazin and an organizer of perfection rides. Back then, a few thousand people a year rode motorcycles with me. We looked at the terrain and decided that we wanted to organize an event.

The first Erzbergrodeo took place in 1995. What was the event like back then?
There were about 300 people and we rode up the mountain. Some people from Eisenerz bought meat loaf down in the village and sold it at the top of the Erzberg. The second time there were around 500 riders and the third time there were a thousand. That was the first time we ran a qualifier in advance.

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When was the breakthrough for the event?
That was four or five years later. At the time, Mayor Hermann Auernigg said that we were doing business at the top but the municipality at the bottom wasn't getting anything out of it. I suggested that we storm Eisenerz and drove into the town with a few hundred riders.

Was that the birth of the storming of Eisenerz, which still takes place on Fridays?
Yes, this campaign brought us a lot of recognition, because suddenly the TV stations jumped on board. From the year 2000, things really took off, also thanks to Red Bull, who were involved right from the start.

Did this bring the sport of enduro to a wider audience?
Enduro sport actually comes from England. There you basically rode into a forest, came out the other side and said: Leiwand did it! The backdrop of the Erzberg changed the whole sport of enduro because people were able to watch the riders for the first time. Suddenly everyone understood why you sweat in this sport and what it's all about. 

Karl Katoch has always led the "storm from Eisenerz"

(Bild: Philipp Carl Riedl / Red Bull Content Pool)

How much have you changed the sport as a result?
As the terrain on the Erzberg is so small, we had to make the course more extreme. And that was the birth of extreme enduro, which was practically born here and also created a new type of motorcycle design. Until then, you had only ridden over stones on trial motorcycles. You rode fast in the forest on enduro bikes. The Erzbergrodeo combined both for the first time.

Are you pleased that you are now also part of a world championship?
The Erzbergrodeo has somewhat marginalized the classic enduro sport. There are world championships in various classes, but nobody knows the athletes. Of course, the FIM (motorcycle world federation; note) wanted to award a title at some point because a victory on the Erzberg was worth more.

How should the event continue in the future?
If we can maintain what we have created over the years, everyone can be happy. My wish is that everyone in the region and in Austria continues to appreciate what this event brings. Because something like here at the Erzberg only happens once in the world.