Triumph Factory Racing’s Jonny Walker showed impressive pace at the 2026 Red Bull Erzbergrodeo in Eisenerz, Austria, before a stick damaged the radiator of his TF 250-E and forced him to retire. The three-time Erzberg winner was firmly in contention during the opening stages of the world-famous hard enduro event and looked set to improve on his strong result from 2025.

Beginning with the high-speed Iron Road Prologue, where riders tackled the vast slopes of the Erzberg quarry in a battle for starting positions for Sunday’s Hare Scramble, Walker delivered two consistent runs across the two-day qualifying sessions. Securing 11th overall, Jonny comfortably earned an all-important front row starting position for Sunday’s main race.

When the starter’s flag dropped for the Red Bull Hare Scramble, Walker immediately settled into the lead group and began working his way forward through the extreme Austrian terrain. By checkpoint four, aboard his TF 250-E Jonny had climbed to fourth place and was beginning to close the gap to the leading trio. Demonstrating the speed and experience that have made him one of the most successful riders in Erzberg history, the Brit remained firmly in contention as the race entered its most challenging sections.

As the race progressed, the notorious Carl’s Dinner Light section proved difficult for many of the leading riders, with Walker also losing valuable time navigating the technical obstacle. Despite the setback, he continued to push forward until misfortune struck shortly before checkpoint 14.

A stick pierced the radiator of his TF 250-E, causing irreparable damage and forcing him to retire from the race. The result was a disappointing end to an otherwise promising performance.

Jonny Walker

“Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the finish this year, which is a real shame because things were going well early on. I was running up near the front and feeling comfortable on the bike, but then a stick came off a tree and went straight through the radiator. I tried to keep going, but the damage was too severe and there was a risk of causing even bigger problems, so we had to stop. It’s disappointing because I felt like we had the pace for a strong result. I also took a rock off the start and chipped a tooth, so it definitely wasn’t my luckiest day, but that’s racing. We’ll be back next year!”

Ian Kimber – Head of Global Racing Programmes, Triumph Motorcycles

“Obviously we’re incredibly disappointed with the result at Erzberg, but that’s racing and it was just an unfortunate incident that put us out of the race. Jonny was so fired up for it, as was the whole team, and yet again we showed the world the capability of our bike at this iconic event. We know for sure Jonny would have fought to the end to be on the podium. He is bitterly disappointed but we are proud of how far we’ve come and look forward to the next challenge.”