Apparently Triumph wasn’t joking around when it announced last year it was not only diving headlong into the world of dirtbike manufacturing, it was also aiming to make a name for itself in the world of enduro racing. It qualified that intention by hiring five-time Enduro world champion Ivan Cervantes and Motocross legend Ricky Carmichael to assist in every aspect of development and testing of the new off-road models, as well as preparation of and possible participation in the new race program. 

Well, Ivan evidently couldn’t wait for the smaller displacement enduro bikes (said to be well on their way to production), and went ahead and put Triumph in the spotlight by riding a Tiger 900 Rally Pro to first place in the adventure bike (“Maxi-Trail”) class of Spain’s popular Bassella Race. 

But let’s be clear, he didn’t just win the race on the Tiger, he dominated the course from the moment he wheeled off the rain-dampened starting line until he crossed the finish line 25 seconds ahead of another world-class enduro racer, 3-time FIM Bajas World Cup champ, Alessandro Ruoso, piloting a Yamaha Tenere 700. In third place was Gerard Farrés, aboard a Macbor Montana XR5 500.

While the maxi-trail class is relatively new to the European raid circuits, it appears on its way to becoming a fixture, much in part due to the public’s ever-growing affection for travel-ready adventure bikes. Ivan thinks it’s a great thing. “The maxi-trails are fashionable…and the idea of creating a category for them has been an absolute success,” he told Spain’s SoloMoto in an interview following the race.

“At first, handling a motorcycle weighing almost 200 kilos [441 lbs] like the Triumph that I was riding can induce a certain respect, but later, when you get used to it, you discover that its handling is much better than we might think,” he said of the Tiger Rally Pro, which it appears he ran stock, save for the addition of a custom bash plate, knobby tires and Arrow Silencer, an accessory offered by Triumph for the Tiger 900 range. Additionally, a rider of Ivan’s caliber would have the Rally Pro’s Showa suspension professionally tuned, and the stickers on the bike’s Showa fork tell us that happened via the famous tuning house of Andreani MHS in Barcelona. 

In the video from the race, it’s clear the Tiger Rally Pro ate up all that was thrown its way, including lots of slop, whoops and jumps. To see additional footage of Ivan putting the Tiger 900 Rally Pro through its paces, check out his instagram post where he makes the big bike look like it was made for enduro riding. 

If this brash win at the Bassella Race is a sign of things to come for Triumph’s quest to make a name for itself in the world of enduro riding and racing, we’re excited for more. The bikes we’re expecting to see sometime soon, according to an interview Ivan did with enduro21.com on the topic, are a 250cc and 450cc 4-stroke. “It will be a completely new bike, with a 100% Triumph engine and chassis,” Ivan said in the interview.

He also hints the 450cc model might be on track for rally racing and a Dakar run, an interesting turn of badging just as Yamaha has announced it will step back from the event after 44 years. 

But for Triumph, a company famous for its street machines, it’s full throttle ahead toward the dirt tracks, and Ivan is happy to be onboard. “That’s one of the reasons I’ve been fully involved in it, to make a dream come true. For me it is wonderful to become part of a factory project like this, where I can contribute my point of view and all my experience.” 

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Photos by Nicki Martínez | Bassella Race

Author: Jamie Elvidge

Jamie has been a motorcycle journalist for more than 30 years, testing the entire range of bikes for the major print magazines and specializing in adventure-travel related stories. To date she’s written and supplied photography for articles describing what it’s like to ride in all 50 states and 43 foreign countries, receiving two Lowell Thomas Society of American Travel Writer’s Awards along the way. Her most-challenging adventure yet has been riding in the 2018 GS Trophy in Mongolia as Team AusAmerica’s embedded journalist.