Hacking enters Beijing rally

From Bullseye Media Relations

TORONTO, ON -- Lawrence Hacking, the first Canadian to finish the Paris-Dakar Rally and twice silver–three time bronze medallist in the International Six Days Enduro, will be competing in the Beijing-Ulanbataar Rally in China next month. Fifty-one year old Hacking is the only Westerner in a field of mostly Japanese, Chinese and Russian entries.

The seven-day rally, which starts Aug. 7 in Beijing, will take competitors into Mongolia and through the Gobi Desert before reaching Ulanbataar. Hacking will be riding a basically stock Honda CRF250X shod with Pirelli tires that are fitted with heavy duty tubes. The only alterations to the bike include the addition of aftermarket fuel tanks and an emergency water tank to the skid plate. The gearing has also been changed and the suspension stiffened.

“I’m looking forward to another incredible adventure. That’s how I look at a rally of this scope. It’s not so much about the results for me, but about finishing and having fun while I’m at it,” said Hacking. “I hope that my taking part in events like this will inspire younger Canadian enduro riders to take up these kinds of challenges in the future. It’s a great sport and a great way to see places most people never do.”

Among Hacking’s more than a dozen sponsors are Honda Canada, Pirelli Tires, Nexo Sports, Arai Helmets, Sinisalo Boots and Cycle Canada Magazine. Ocean Transportation Freight Forwarding (OTSFF), which is heavily involved in Canadian off road racing, took care of shipping the CRF250X to Beijing.