MotoOnline.com.au introduces an all-new weekly feature from off-road expert Adam Riemann.

Do we really need another column about dirt bikes? Absolutely, but not the usual spiel on who beat who and which bike pulls top gear better – something fresh for 2012!

How about a lifestyle column on the adventures your favourite riders are experiencing before, during and after race day? And what about some behind the scenes goodness on all the new model bikes that we moto-journo’s get to ride?

This idea was conceived after MotoOnline ED Alex Gobert asked me if I’d like to write a weekly column, which he has rightly branded ‘Off-Road Observer’. Now, for those who don’t know me, I’ve been riding and racing off-road, enduro, cross country, desert and extreme enduro for about 19-years now.

What’s cool about it is that for 13 of those years, I’ve been photographing and writing about all things moto for Australia’s premier dirt bike magazine, Australasian Dirt Bike. To also have the privilege of writing for Australia’s premier moto website is a great opportunity and quite fitting given Gobert and I are dedicated and passionate towards this industry.

I’ve formed some great friendships within our industry and, if you like, am regularly in a position to observe the behavior of our off-road specialists. So, to kick off our first Off-Road Observer, what better than an insight into Australia’s number one Off-Road rider, Chris Hollis.

I first met Hollis in 2005 during an Australian Off-Road Championship round at Raymond Terrace, NSW. Here was this young punk who rocked up on a flogged YZ250F and ran top-five all day. He turned a lot of heads, but mainly because of the number 84 that was plastered on his side plates with black electrical tape.

You’ll only ever see two numbers on Hollis’ bike – #1 or number #84 (with the exception of the A4DE). The number 84 is reference to the year he was born and number one because he races to win championships.

While manufacturer commitments will have him running the number one plate on his KTM this year, he’d much prefer to be running 84. He froths on the number so much, he’ll even grab the #84 table tag you take with you after you’ve ordered a steak.

Ironically, both of Hollis’ Australian Off-Road Championships have been won on Yamahas, but the glory of showcasing that plate has been carried over to another manufacturer for the following year.

After becoming Australian champ in ’08 he carried the number one plate over to Husqvarna for 09 and set sail to Europe for a factory ride with them in 2010. Returning home for 2011, Hollis picked up where he left off with Yamaha by reclaiming the number one plate, but has now joined the Motorex KTM Off-Road team for 2012.

How is he adapting to his first few weeks on a KTM? Pretty good really. I drove up to Port Maquarie to chill out with Hollis between Christmas and New Years just gone. We did a bit of everything – canoeing, fishing, cycling, coffee sessions at his usual haunts and of course some decent moto time.

There’s been a bit of musical chairs between Hollis and his teammate Toby Price on which model of the KTM range they are going to ride this year, but it seems Hollis is pretty happy with his testing on the 350 EXC-F.

When he won the AORC outright in 2008, Hollis had this effortless cornering style on his WR450F, but he seemed to have lost that mojo on the YZ450F he rode in 2011. He still won the 2011 championship, but never actually won a round.

From what I can see, it’s like he’s got his cornering mojo back with the 350 EXC-F. I think the new KTM chassis suits his style better because he rides the KTM like he used to ride the WR450F.

Time will tell I guess, but we had a ball out on some of the extreme trails he has around Port. I also had him feature in one of the maintenance vids I’ve been doing with my ADB project bike, the 2012 KTM350 EXC-F. Check it on this page right here…

Anyway, living the life of a factory hero was a good way to see out the year. It helps to ride with faster riders, because you can never stop learning about all the elements involved with preparation and set up.

Strangely enough though, after living on the Hollis diet of Mangoes, Coffee, Smoked Salmon and the odd glass of red, you couldn’t tell who broke wind in the race van as our farts started to smell the same. Not sure that’ll give me any more speed on the bike though!

’Till next week…

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