Imagine a true National Enduro Series…one with industry backing and the support of top Pro riders from around the country…from coast to coast, just who would be the best balls-out, new school dirt bike racer in Canada? Face it, we’ve all wondered about it, at least until the CEC series was launched in 2009. In 2010, Labelle, more than any other race, answered the “who’s the best” question in just about the hippest way possible. Heroes were made, hearts were broken and moto-history was made in the tiny mountain village of Labelle, Quebec.

Muddy? Don’t ask. The town of Labelle had their fire hydrants open to help wash filthy bikes and riders. Chris VanHove, however, took his bath time a little more discretely.

The most interesting thing about new-school enduro is the mix of motocross flash and marketability with hard core enduro values, like working on your own bike. Even a well-sponsored Pro rider like Honda’s Jason Schrage worked on his own bike…brakes every lap, clutches, tires…you name it.

Geoff Nelson does not like to get his feet wet.

Guy Giroux kept his 300 Husky on the pin all weekend, until clutch problems derailed his chances in the final full-gate moto on Sunday.

Jamie West recovered, sort of, from his spectacular crash at Parry Sound to race Labelle with a broken vertebra. He was seventh overall Jr on Saturday, then hung in there until the end of the second lap on Sunday when a fall made his back pain too great to continue. The kid is tough!

Philipe Chaine, full-tilt flyin’ through the slimy forests surrounding Labelle.

Ben Rego spent Saturday night, after standing on the E2 Podium, scrounging used tires and brake pads to keep his YZ450F running. Pat Koether and Idaho Joe from Rekluse stepped in to deck out Rego’s ride with a brand new Z-start auto-clutch!

Clint Riviere may be the “ultimate redneck” but he’s fast. He finished second in the Vet Pro class both days.

VanHove fought to the finish, locked in a season-long battle with Jared Thomas. When the dust cleared Thomas won the E1 title by a mere 300 or so seconds over the entire course of the series . Definitely heartbreaking for VanHove, but it shows just how close the Eastern Pros have come to matching the skill of their Western counterparts thanks to true National-level Enduro racing.

On Sunday the wet, black slime-covered trails continued to punish riders, but the course was much improved over the nearly impossible conditions on Saturday.

The first turn of the second Pro moto on Sunday was a gong-show. Geoff Nelson was the only one to escape the Millson/Rego/Nelson love triangle in time to catch Wojo and Schrage.

Something tells me Shane Cuthbertson could have a future career as a flat-track racer…

Wojo impressed everyone with his moto-skills, as did Schrage. The two riders swapped paint the entire race, with Wojo finally coming out on top. Listening to his screaming Y-Zed smoker and Schrage’s booming Honda stroker battle around the high-speed natural terrain motocross track was awesome!

“The Giant Killer” kills a giant berm. A quiet guy from Kitimat, BC, Ben Rego is really turning the heads of enduro fans and team managers alike.

Power brokers meeting. Everyone was smiling after the final moto test, from the riders to the promoters to the spectators. It was a perfect segue to the upcoming Montreal Endurocross, where they’ll get one last chance to bang bars this season.

Speaking of smiling promoters, Marc Giroux was very proud of the way the race at Labelle turned out.

The streets of Labelle were given over to the dirt bikers for the weekend. That’s the mayor of the town rockin’ the mic at the awards banquet, which coincidentally was held in the boardroom of the city hall. Cool? YES! Labelle rules!

This is the future of enduro racing. 14-year-old Samuel Rousseau rides the B class on a screaming 125 KTM. Trail smart beyond his years, he kept out of trouble and won his class on Sunday, as well as the www.offroadmotorcycles.ca/Cycle Improvements MX-Tech ‘Weekend Warrior’ award!

And the best all-around dirt bike racer in Canada is…drum roll, please…Honda’s Jason Schrage!

I bet we’ll see Schrage’s first place trophy, a new Kymco scooter, pimped out into the ultimate pit bike for 2011.

Here’s the who’s who list of the top enduro racers in Canada for 2010.

Overall Pro: (1) Jason Schrage-E2 CHAMPION (2) Geoff Nelson-E3 Champion (3) Brian Wojnarowski (4) Shane Cuthbertson (5) Guy Giroux (6) Ryan Graffunder (7) Ben Rego (8) Julien Cerny (9) Jared Thomas-E1 CHAMPION (10) Chris VanHove (11) Adam Millson (12) Ryan Durkee (13) Phillipe Chaine (14) Paul Petrin (15) Dillon Bucknell (16) Shane Watts (17) Brent Kroeker (18) Nick Graffunder (19) Alexandre Legault (20) Ian McKill

Vet Pro: Jean Pellerin

Vet AM: Barry Billings

Super Vet: Jean Marie Breau

Women: Shelby Turner

A: Tyler Murray

B: Ben Riviere

C: Ty McKenna

Hats off to the promoters, workers, fans and racers who worked so hard to make the 2010 Royal Distributing Canadian Enduro Championship, presented by Parts Canada, the coolest racing series in the country! We can’t wait to see how things shake down at the Montreal Endurocross Oct 2!