Martin Maes on Having Fun Instead of Walking Enduro Tracks for Practice and his 29 / 27.5 Wheel Combo 17

Martin Maes swept the first Enduro World Series in Rotorua. He did it on a GT with 29-inch front wheel and 27.5-inch rear wheel. While the young Belgian takes his sport and career seriously, he also knows the value of taking a break and keeping things fun. We saw him in the Officially Unsanctioned Enduro World Series Whip Off in Tasmania the other day boosting, blasting and having a hoot with locals and even some members of ne'er-do-well #vanzacs crew. One may fear the recent success has gone to his head and the grip of the party lifestyle too strong to overcome. Thankfully Sven Martin, the concerned and honorary EWS dad-on-tour challenged the victorious Maes on the situation. Many racers were out walking the Tasmania EWS tracks, trying to learn lines while Maes was hanging out waiting to do some donuts in a truck in a dirt parking lot. Turns out, Martin just thinks walking enduro tracks for practice is a waste of time.

Have fun, don't walk according to Martin Maes

The buzz about mixed wheel sizes on race bikes has been hitting an all-time high, too. Loic, Finn and Mick were racing them at the DH races in Rotorua and Martin rode the 29 / 27.5 combo at the EWS there. Sven asked Maes why he chose the setup, and to our surprise, Martin had been trying it out for a good few months. The audio interview was recorded, there was some uncertainty about whether or not it should be published, but the green light was given by all parties involved, so here ya go.

Martin Maes discusses his 29 / 27.5-inch wheel combo (recorded in Rotorua)

For Zuman and Bizutch, here's that banger without the text, too.