New independent Hard Enduro European Challenge brings five extreme races across Europe into one series – beginning this weekend at Alestrem in France.

Here’s one we’d heard nothing at all about until we happened to stumble across it on social media (!?). Presumably not every enduro rider has heard of it either but there’s a new Hard Enduro series in town.

Specific to Europe the Hard Enduro European Challenge arguably steps in where both the European Motorcycle Federation (FIME) should be and also where the Hard Enduro World Championship leaves behind, i.e. an affordable international series.

The new series will still see each event running its own rules and regs but award points and prizes for competitors across many classes (including youth, juniors, women, O40/O50 and hobby as well as overall).

The new 2023 series will consist of five rounds stretching from Alestrem in France to Hixpania in Spain during October:

Round 1: Alestrem Hard Enduro (France) 28-29 January

Round 2: Extreme Enduro Lika (Croatia) 06-07 May

Round 3: Red Bull Abestone (Italy) 8-9 July

Round 4: Gefrees (Germany) 04-05 August (part of Hard Enduro Series Germany)

Round 5: Hixpania Hard Enduro (Spain) 13-15 October

That first round is this weekend at Alestrem in Southern France:

More when we get it.