Enduro21 catches two minutes with Hard Enduro World Championship rider Teo Kabakchiev to talk about the differences racing at the highest level on a TPI compared to his new carburetted Sherco Factory 300 rocketship.

We reckon there aren’t many bikes which sound so raw as the Sherco Factory Racing SE 300 two-strokes of Teo Kabakchiev and Mario Roman in the Hard Enduro World Championship.

Crisp, precise, throaty and with a punch like Mike Tyson, these Shercos sound exactly like a carburetted 300 two-stroke should do.

Standing trackside at round one of the season at the Valleys Hard Enduro, they look capable of rocketing up anything, turning on speed in a blink of an eye when faced with a steep climb and to be truthful, if you get too close, they feel ever so slightly frightening too!

Enduro21 caught two minutes with Kabakchiev, Sherco’s new, young rider in their hard enduro team, to ask the simple question: what’s the difference between the TPI-engined Austrian bike he’s raced for the last five years and the French factory weapon?

Going from a career so far on Austrian bikes, how much of a change was it to jump on the Sherco SE 300?

Teo Kabakchiev: “It was a little bit of a change to get used to it but happily not too long. Definitely in the first ride I felt how different things were with the chassis, the engine and everything. Some parts feel the same like the brakes but a lot feels different. I would say that after four or five rides I just felt like I have always ridden the bike.”

More flow through rock gardens

“I quickly felt the stability of the chassis was a positive thing but the Sherco has a different way of riding, or you have to ride in a different way.

“The SE300 has a lot of power down in the bottom. I had this habit of always clutching it with my previous bike to compensate the lack of the power down low, to make it up difficult sections or whatever. So I had to adapt to not clutching it so much with the Sherco and let the engine do the work.

“I find it’s less exhausting to ride like this and it brings good flow on the trails, through rock gardens and for me that’s a real positive. The symbiosis between me and the bike feels really good.”

And the step from being a privateer to a factory rider?

“I’m super happy. I like to work with professionals and the Sherco team is just that. For me to come here is to go to the next level. The whole team and the logistics and everything is professional. I have always dreamed to be a professional and this is a great team to be in.”

Photo Credit: Future7Media | Andrea Belluschi (action) + Sherco | Mastorgne (static)