The Puppet Master calls 'Final Curtain' on the Toodyay Terror: WHES 2026 Final Round.

Western Australia is unique. Perhaps a bit strange and definitely a little bit 'special' (in the loosest sense of the term!)

Culturally? We have Fringe World. Sure, other states do Fringe. But we do it bigger, better and a little bit more weirdly.

Motorally? Well, we have WHES! Sure, other states do hard enduro, but we do it different.

The roadshow we call WHES relies on a cast of thousands to bring it to life. Production and direction credit is all Emma Petrig. Few would argue that without Emma, there would not be a W.A. hard enduro series!

Whatever it takes to keep the show on the road, Emma Petrig is all over it.

But it is the Puppet Master that truly brings the performance to life!

Pulling the strings: the Puppet Master, Jakob Petrig.

Jakob has had the most incredible year, but let's not get lost in the leader board here. We all know he is on another level - I call it Platinum Class (#WHES2027).

So comfortable is he with his lead he even asked his mum, Emma, if he should take tape with him to fix the track marking whilst he was out circulating.

You can indulge in your statistical fantasies elsewhere if you want to calculate what astronomical plain he is perched on for the championship. This story is not about points.

Beyond his riding what buggers me with a fish fork is that he has set every single track we have ridden this year!! That is five tracks, with three lines (levels) for six categories. Think about that for a moment.

In the east, Greg Peterson tells me that it is a core group of no less than seven that set their tracks.

Over here? Jakob alone determines how much we are punished, round after interminable round. He truly is the Puppet Master, and I am not talking metaphorically.

Quite literally, Jakob pulls the strings of more than eighty riders every round by creating the tracks we race. From the shadows of the days and weeks previous, he knowingly and willingly manipulates every single one of us out there. He determines exactly what we put ourselves and our bikes through.

And, somehow, he is managing to create new and challenging tracks on the same circuits we race year after year.

One more lap! P3 at TT, Damien Pruden. If he didn't love it, he wouldn't do it.

"I say this every time, but this was the best Toodyay EVER" that from the Braaaap Daddy Damien Pruden who is literally part of the furniture in W.A. Hard Enduro.

Somehow, Jakob is managing to find lines that go beyond challenging the riders. They are still completely doable for the best riders in class and achievable for most riders in class. But they also draw a line in the sand to let riders know which class they should be in.

By that I mean that if you do a lap of Silver that Jakob has set, then you are, without question, a Silver rider.

Top billing in this show: Silver leader Jett Pike

And, as it happens, it was Silver that raised the roof at this year's Insinct Toodyay Terror. There was less than 10 minutes between first place, Tyler Martin, and championship leader Jett Pike.

On the podium, Jett had this to say, "The only thing that sucks about being up here is that now I have to move to Gold".

Always an Adventure always there to capture 'that moment'.

I gave him a poke after the race to see where his head was at. "I’m definitely a bit worried on racing a brand-new bike straight into Gold for sure, but I’m fairly confident that I can get through the Gold tracks. Just definitely not as quick as the other boys do at the moment. But my end goal within the next couple of years is to be back up on that podium."

This year has been a shit show for Toodyay Terror race winner Tyler Martin.

He knows, and we know, he is competitive. But a DNS early in the year and a bike fail in Round 4 has kept him way out of the championship placings. Nevertheless he, like Jett, is ready to step up to Gold.

"Yeah, if Jett jumps up then I'd definitely have to, I think. Me and him are usually pretty close. I'd be keen to give Gold a crack. Definitely don't think I'd be top 5 competitive but it would be a lot of fun and a good skill tester."

On stage, up in lights, the Gold class has been looking a little anorexic this year, but with some new blood pumped in it is definitely going to be the showstopper of 2027.

Will the Puppet Master be there to keep pulling our strings and theirs next year? You can't but wonder the toll it is taking on the Petrig family; to keep WHES moving forward.

But WHES is an incredible community, and I am sure others that feel the magic of every single performance will step off the stage and behind the scenes to keep that magic alive for years to come.

Always an Adventure reminds us: THE SHOW MUST GO ON!!

From Twist, that is a wrap for WHES season 2026. I hope you enjoyed the show!