David "Knighter" Knight, (born 31 May 1978), is a three-time world champion

enduro Enduro is a form of motorcycle sport run on extended cross-country, off-road courses. Enduro consists of many different obstacles and challenges. The main type of enduro event, and the format to which the World Enduro Championship is run, is ...

rider from the

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. But holds 5 World Titles altogether. After competing in the Enduro FIM Junior Cup, Knight debuted in the

World Enduro Championship The FIM Enduro World Championship, formerly known as the World Enduro Championship, is the world championship series for enduro, a popular form of off-road motorcycle sport. The championship currently features three classes (E1, E2 and E3), along ...

riding for Yamaha. He finished runner-up in the 250 cc class to

Juha Salminen Juha Salminen (born 27 September 1976 in Vantaa) is a Finnish former professional motorcycle enduro racer. He is a 13-time World Enduro Champion (including the overall world championship titles from 2000 to 2004) and has also won the German cha ...

in 2001 and to Samuli Aro in 2002. In 2003, he moved to the biggest 500 cc class and placed fourth. For the 2004 season, Knight moved to the

KTM KTM AG (Kraftfahrzeug Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, formerly KTM Sportmotorcycle AG) is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and sports car manufacturer owned by Pierer Mobility AG and the Indian manufacturer Bajaj Auto. It was formed in 1992 but traces ...

team and finished second to his teammate Aro in the Enduro 3 class. In 2005, continuing in the E3 class, he took his first world title and also won the

International Six Days Enduro The International Six Days Enduro (ISDE), formerly known as the International Six Days Trial (ISDT), is the oldest 'off-road' motorcycle event on the FIM Calendar. The ISDT was first held in 1913 at Carlisle, England. It has occurred annually, ...

outright. In 2006, he posted a "perfect" season, winning all 14 rounds of the E3 WEC season, also winning almost every special test at each event. For 2007, Knight moved to the United States to take on the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series against the best in the US. He replaced Salminen, who in turn moved back to the world championship from the KTM USA team. Despite some mechanical difficulties and an injury, Knight still managed to take the GNCC title. After defending his title in the following season, he moved back to the World Enduro Championship. He won his third world title in 2010. Knight also competes in a wide range of "extreme" enduro events, such as the Hells Gate extreme enduro in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, the

Erzberg Rodeo The Erzberg Rodeo is an Austrian motorcycle enduro event started in 1995 and held annually in May or June, run on ore. It is the largest of its kind in Europe. The Erzberg Rodeo is part of the Red Bull Hard Enduro Series, together with Red ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

,Erzberg website
/ref> the

AMA EnduroCross Championship The AMA EnduroCross Championship is an endurocross championship held in North America since 2007. It is held in stadiums or arenas, recreating enduro obstacles such as rocks, boulders and logs. Motorsport promoters Eric Peronnard and Tim Clark orga ...

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and the "Tough One" in the UK (he has won all of these, even beating Salminen), and won (leading every lap of) the first and second annual

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...

Last Man Standing events in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. The Manxman won two races at the inaugural 2007/08

FIM Indoor Enduro World Cup The FIM SuperEnduro World Championship is an endurocross series held primarily in Europe since 2007. It is held from October to March, during the Northern Hemisphere winter and the Enduro World Championship off-season. Circuits are built inside st ...

, beating Taddy Blazusiak to claim the title. In 2009/10 he collected a win and three podiums. The rider got two wins and three podiums in 2012/13, resulting runner-up behind Blazusiak. He has won three editions of the Barcelona Indoor Enduro in 2003, 2006 and 2007, and resulted second six times in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2011 and 2013. Knight is an accomplished all rounder, having won the British Expert

trials In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...

championship, as well as competing with success in various

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

and beach racing events. His all rounder status was confirmed by his winning of the "Moto 1" event in the UK, which got riders from several disciplines of motorcycle sport to compete against each other in several disciplines (including road racing, MX, enduro, trials, etc.). Knight received an MBE, June 2011, in the Queens Birthday Honours list.

Career summary

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, David 1978 births Living people Enduro riders Manx motorcycle racers Members of the Order of the British Empire