The Big Picture
SLIP SLIDING AWAY
Despite still recovering from shoulder survgery, FMF/KTM’s Ben Kellley led this year’s tough and slippery John Penton GNCC early in the race in Ohio before eventually settling into a fourth overall finish.
PHOTO BY SHAN MOORE
The Big Picture
AND G
TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
Josh Roper wags a leg to regain balance at the Inaugural GasGas invitational Trials at KTM’s facility in Murrietta, California.
PHOTOS BY MARK KARIYA
The Big Picture
AND GAM DOMINATION
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong slayed the XC2 class, winning the 250cc division by nearly three minutes
PHOTO BY SHAN MOORE
The Big Picture
AND GAM
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Colton Haaker navigates his way through one of the rocky ravines at this year’s Tough Like RORR Extreme race in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania.
PHOTO BY STEPHANIE VETTERLY
ROCKY ROAD
The Big Picture
AND G
Babbitt’s Online Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Grant Davis has been dominating the YXC1 class at this year’s Grand National Cross Country Series.
BY SHAN
PHOTOS
MOORE
SIZZLING
The Big Picture
AND
G
AMIMAL FARM
Former motocross ace Andrew Matusek rounds the barn in the Cross test at the recent Hidden Valley Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro en route to a 10th overall finish.
BY SHAN
PHOTOS
MOORE
The Big Picture
AND G
GIDDY UP
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Tayla Jones enters the “horse” barn portion of the course en route to the win at the Hidden Valley Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro in Glen Daniel, WV. PHOTOS BY SHAN MOORE
The Big Picture
AND G
COVERED UP
FMF/KTM’s Josh Toth lost out for the win in the final test when he went down, losing to FactoryONE Sherco’s Grant Baylor by five seconds. Here, Toth navigates the deep ferns.
PHOTOS BY SHAN MOORE
Photo by Mark Kariya
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KYB suspension, a full Akrapovic exhaust system, Galfer rotors and pads, Excel rims, AXP skidplates... the list goes on. Sherco’s attention to detail is unmatched when it comes to putting together a race-winning machine straight from the factory. This year is no exception with high-performance upgrades throughout the range. Visit us online to find a local dealer to see for yourself.
NO NEED
FULL AKRAPOVIC EXHAUST *4-Strokes
SELLA DELLA VALLE SEAT
SMAGE RIDING TECHNIQUE PAT
FOR THE NEXT YEAR, 11-TIME US MOTOTRIALS CHAMPION PAT SMAGE WILL BE BRINGING US MONTHLY RIDING TIPS DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU A BETTER RIDER. AND WHO DOESN’T WANT TO BE A BETTER RIDER? WHETHER YOU’RE A TRIALS RIDER OR AN OFFROAD ENTHUSIAST, WE’RE CERTAIN YOU’LL BENEFIT FROM PAT’S TIPS, SO SIT BACK AND TAKE IT ALL IN. BE SAFE AND DON’T FORGET TO PRACTICE WITH A BUDDY!
JUMPING LOGS ON AN ENDURO BIKE
THE LOOP
News and Culture From The World Of Trials, Offroad and Extreme Racing
2020 MOTOTRIALS NIXED
US NATIONAL MOTOTRIALS AND EL TRIAL DE ESPANA
CANCELLED FOR 2020
The North American Trials Council has decided that no national mototrials events will be held in 2020. Here is the release from the NATC:
After careful consideration and consultation with the council regarding the current issues facing our country, communities, and individuals the North
American Trials Council has made the difficult decision to not hold any events for the remainder of the year 2020.
We felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented global crisis because of ongoing and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus.
We are disappointed that we are unable to execute our series for our riders, sponsors, volunteers, supporters, organizers, and fans. However, we feel it is the right decision based on current conditions and information. It is important as an organization to be responsible and reasonably protect the safety of those involved.
We thank everyone in advance for your support of this difficult decision. We will begin working on having a great season in 2021.
Brad Baumert Chief Enthusiast Officer North American Trials Council
GasGas USA has promoted a Pro Trials event, made especially for video, at GasGas headquarters in Murietta, California, which we have full coverage of in this issue thanks to Mark “Kato” Kariya.
WEBB TAKES BAD MEDICINE
Cody Webb wins the Kenda Bad Medicine at Fallen Timbers, Round 2 of the Sherco AMA East Extreme Championship
The second round of the Sherco AMA East Extreme Championship headed to southern Ohio for the Kenda Bad Medicine @ Fallen Timers Extreme Enduro. While the Little Hocking area is known for is extremely challenging mud, the riders would not have to worry as dry heat upwards of 95 degrees made for dusty, exhausting conditions all weekend.
The event would be run in a cumulative three moto format with the races getting longer and much more technical as they went on. The first would be one rider every 30 seconds on a short extreme test on the side of the property. Factory 1 Sherco’s Cody Webb would set the fastest time giving him first gate pick in race 2 at 6 minutes 28 seconds with Rockstar Husqvarna’s Colton Haaker less than 20
CODY WEBB
seconds back with a time of 6 minutes and 41 seconds. Beta USAs Ron Commo would finish third with a time of 6 minutes and 45 seconds with a string of riders behind him within the next 20 seconds – Team mate Ben Herrera, Round 1 podium finisher Ryder LeBlond, Factory 1 Sherco’s Quinn Wentzel, RPM KTM’s Trystan Hart and Factory 1 Sherco’s Nick Fahringer all breaking the 7 minute mark. Jackson Davis, all the way from Kilgore, TX would take Top A honors with Tom Truxell and Tobin Meyers in the top three and Round 1 winner Danny Lewis seconds back in fourth. Race 1 rould also be the start of the weekend long battle between series points leader Beta USA’s Rachel Gutish and Factory 1 Sherco’s Louise Forsley with Forsley finishin ahead of Gutish.
Race 2 would see a full row start, 25 pros all lined up dead engine, heading around the hill and into the woods. Once again Webb would end up with the lead after a mid pack start, working his way up to the front by the end of the first of two 7 mile laps. Hart was the only rider to stick right with him foreshadowing the race the two would have the following day. The lappers would start to play
LOUISE FORSLEY
a role as the race wore on with LeBlond making a late charge to fall into third by the end of the race. Rachel Gutish would take the win in race 2 even after sustaining a knee injury in the first moto. “I’m not sure what happened, I dabbed my leg and I lost a lot of range of motion, but I’m going to keep on racing. That’s what I do.” Said Gutish as she iced her knee at the end of the day.
Day 2 would be the final of 3 motos and while the temperature was a bit higher a cool breeze made it a little more bearable for the 2 lap, 12 mile course. At the end of the first lap Hart had pulled close to 20 seconds over Webb and with the combined times from the day prior he would need to win by about 45 seconds to secure the overall, but Webb would make sure to keep him in sight and the two would go back and forth for the entire hour and fifteen minute main event. Haaker would work his way into a podium position, even after sustaining an injury on day 1. “First race was good then the second race I just randomly clipped a tree with my hand.” Haaker explained. “I didn’t get it x-rayed but if you looked at it you’d be like it’s broke”. He would admittedly race a little more timid to ensure he didn’t tag his uninjured hand and have to pull off completely.
The last lap battle would secure another win for Webb, making 2 in a row for the series. “I was a little skittery with the front end out there. It’s so dry I’d make stupid mistakes and then nail all the technical bits.” Webb lamented “Finally I had a really technical line where there was a lapper in a hole and I just went over a big rock and that’s where I was able to get my gap.” Hart and Webb would put on such a charge they would finish minutes ahead of Haaker by the end. “It was hot a humid and it would have been nice to have some rain so it’d be greasy.” Hart discussed “If the next race has lappers that was the one part where me a Cody would pass each other was when we caught lappers and the other one would just get around somehow.” Beta USA’s Max Gerston would power through the heat to finish 4th with Fahringer rounding out the top 5.
Forsley would end up using her trials championship skills to get through the much more challenging final loop and take the win over Gutish, tying the two in points for the series championship. Danny Lewis would take the final moto by enough time to give him his second win in the series Open A class followed by Tobin Miller in second and Jackson Davis in third.
This round marked the start of three consecutive weekends of Extreme Racing. Next is the Kenda Mad Moose race in Marquette, MI July 26 followed by the Kenda Battle of the Goats in Taylorsville, NC August 1-2. n
COLTON HAAKER RACHEL
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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
TPS SENSOR GUARD FOR TPi MODEL KTM’s and HUSQVARNA’S
PRODUCT: TPS Sensor Guard
COMPANY: Bullet Proof Designs
PRICE: $75.00
Bullet Proof Designs is staying ahead of the two-stroke evolution with the TPS Sensor Guard for TPi model KTM’s and Husqvarna’s. Two-strokes are all the rage right now, especially in the tight and technical off-road conditions where bike protection is needed. Constructed out of aerospace aluminum, the guard replaces the flimsy plastic unit covering the vulnerable throttle position sensor on the newest generation two-strokes. The American Made Guard is available in four different colors and comes with a lifetime warranty ensuring you’re always #BattleReady!
The perfect balance.
With its finely balanced mix of power and agility, the 2021 FE 350 opens up boundless off–road possibilities. A unique opportunity to traverse epic natural landscapes, intuitively merging speed, traction and technical abilities into the ultimate synergy of man, machine and terrain.
2020 GASGAS TXT GP
FACTORY EDITION
Following the recent launch of the 2020 GASGAS TXT RACING line-up, GASGAS Motorcycles have confirmed the availability of the TXT GP range, available now at dealers.
The Factory Edition, flagship trial machines feature an extensive list of upgraded and premium components to ensure optimum performance.
Using the experience and know-how earned from 15 successful FIM Trial World Championship campaigns, each GASAGAS TXT GP model is designed and built to deliver uncompromised performance when used on the most challenging terrain.
Providing riders with everything they need to perform at the very highest level, all TXT GP models feature parts used on the official GASGAS Factory Racing machine of Jorge Casales.
Available in four capacities – 300cc, 280cc, 250cc and 125cc – TXT GP models deliver the proven stability, accurate steering, minimal weight and smooth, controllable power attributed to all GASGAS machines. Fitted with premium suspension components, a carbon fibre airbox, factory racing graphics and many other technical highlights, GASGAS TXT GP models allow riders to excel no matter how difficult the competition.
All parts featured on TXT GP machines are available for purchase from official GASGAS Motorcycles dealers, for use on all TXT RACING models.
• Top-tier models with factory parts
• Limited run of 550 units globally
For further details on pricing and availability, please refer to your local authorized GASGAS Motorcycle dealer. n
STACYC INC. And KTM And Husqvarna
Launches 2020 FACTORY REPLICA STACYC 12eDRIVE And
16eDRIVE Electric Balance Bikes
STACYC INC the original and patented Electric Balance Bike Brand for kids announces a licensing partnership with KTM and Husqvarna as the brand expands its dealer doors and builds on its commitment to “share the love of riding”.
The KTM and HQV brands deep heritage and experience in racing are something that the team at STACYC INC are excited to be able to help young riders celebrate as they take their first laps. “We are excited to connect or brands and be able to support the KTM and Husqvarna dealers by offering FACTORY RACETEAM REPLICA EDITION bikes that will allow young shredders to look like their favorite factory racers.” Ryan Ragland / CEO.
KTM and Husqvarna dealers will feature both 12e Drive and 16eDrive bikes along with branded free-standing displays. Customers can visit their favorite dealer and find the product in early August in store or online.
2021 KTM SX AND CROSS-COUNTRY RANGES ANNOUNCED
Drawing on feedback from elite racers, the 2021 KTM SX and XC introduce carefully considered refinements and performance updates across their range. To further build on KTM’s success in GNCC Racing, the KTM 125 XC is proudly unveiled for 2021.
All of the laps, victories, trophies and technical research through Motocross, Supercross and Cross-Country races have flowed into the enhancements and upgrades found in the 2021 KTM SX and XC range: the widest and most technicallyadvanced pool of READY TO RACE machinery available on the market to date. The XC lineup is more potent than ever with the introduction of the 2021 KTM 125 XC, a fully-outfitted cross-country weapon that’s READY TO RACE right off the showroom floor.
In 2019, the brand secured its fourth AMA 450SX Supercross Championship with Cooper Webb’s triumph aboard the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team made a valiant effort to repeat their success
in 2020, as Webb recently finished runner-up in the 450SX Championship after taking the title fight down to the series finale in Utah. With four Main Event victories and a total of 13 podiums – the most of any 450SX rider this season – Webb’s speed and consistency are a true testament to the bike’s overall performance and durability. In the 250SX division, the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team made big strides aboard the KTM 250 SX-F with two podium appearances by Brandon Hartranft, who sealed up a career-best fourth overall in the 250SX Western Championship with consistent top-10 finishes all season.
The feedback collected by racing achievements globally helped KTM R&D update the KTM SX and XC model range for 2021 with clear core objectives: to create the lightest, best-handling, most powerful, usable and well-equipped bikes available and to ensure that riders of any age or ability will find the exact technical package they require.
For 2021, improvements across the full-size range focus on suspension and chassis modifications, tweaks to engine architecture to further enhance durability, new Dunlop SX tires and a reworked graphics aesthetic. The WP XACT front forks feature a redesign of the internals including a new mid-valve damping system for improved control and feedback, an increase to the air bypass slot on
the air-leg to enhance initial comfort and a new oil bypass in the outer damping-leg tube to reduce pressure peaks. The fully-adjustable WP XACT rear shock features new settings for improved pressure balance and to compliment the updates to the front forks. Both ends have been reconfigured to increase confidence and comfort across a wider spread of surfaces. Dunlop’s Geomax MX-33 is the rubber of choice for the KTM SX models thanks to its versatility and race proven performance.
As the flagship model in the 4-stroke range, the KTM 450 SX-F benefits from new mapping as well as modifications to the piston, crankshaft, engine casing, rocker arms and shift locker to further refine the bike’s excellent performance and durability, and to further shave weight from this already incredibly-light machine. The new mapping provides increased bottom-end power and enhances the performance of Map 2, making it the clear choice for “aggressive” engine character.
As a towering example of excellent power-to-weight ratio in the KTM 2-stroke range, the 2021 KTM 125 SX features a fresh piston and new clutch internals for increased performance and durability, with the treatment extending to the 250 ccchallenging KTM 150 SX.
The Cross-Country line has been equally updated for 2021 and has expanded its range of innovative XC models with the introduction of the 2-stroke KTM 125 XC, the newest stablemate of the KTM 250 XC TPI and KTM 300 XC TPI. This all-new ad-
2021 KTM 125 XC
dition to the KTM XC model family is the most compact and lightweight of the full-size Cross-Country machines. Matching a lightweight Cross-Country specific chassis up with the most competitive 125 cc 2-stroke engine in the class, it delivers superior agility and power to fulfil the demands of any young and aspiring offroad racer. Throw in an oversized tank and electric start, and you have a machine ready to dominate right out of the crate.
KTM is excited to unleash the KTM 125 XC and to display its READY TO RACE capabilities in the GNCC Series, a proving-ground for the 125 platform and for the development of the new XC model. Trail Jesters KTM Racing’s Jesse Ansley earned back-to-back championships in the XC3 125 Pro-Am class, where he consistently bested the competition in some of the most demanding three-hour cross-country races, and that championship DNA runs throughout the KTM 125 XC.
KTM treats its Sportminicycle roster with the same ground-up priority for development as the full-sized bikes. As a result, the KTM 85 SX, KTM 65 SX, KTM 50 SX and KTM 50 SX MINI can now count on a new throttle assembly for better and smoother throttle action. For the KTM 85 SX, braking potential is much higher thanks to a larger rear disc and a completely new front and rear brake system
made by FORMULA. All three junior motocrossers now have a tapered handlebar allowing fitment of ODI lock-on grips. For the KTM 50 SX and KTM 50 SX MINI, the new tapered handlebar allows fitment of thinner grips for a confidence-inspiring hold by smaller hands.
First introduced to beginner riders and young racers alike in 2020, the innovative, electrically powered KTM SX-E 5 with adjustable height and power returns in 2021 with new WP XACT front fork tubes that shave 240 gr of weight off the remarkably light chassis, providing that much more confidence and performance for young riders.
To intensify the updated 2021 KTM SX, XC and Sportminicycles, look no further than the KTM PowerParts range. Designed by the engineers in Austria, these premium components can take any KTM machine to new heights.
In addition, adult and junior riders alike can stay READY TO RACE with the KTM PowerWear collection. High-quality riding gear, premium protection and casual clothing are included in the KTM PowerWear lineup.
The 2021 KTM SX and XC range will become available this summer at all authorized KTM dealers. For more info visit www.ktm.com/us. n
2021 KTM 250 SX-F
2021 SHERCO TRIALS INTRO
JCR OFF-ROAD READY
TADDY LEADS GASGAS OFF-ROAD INTO NEW ERA
GASGAS Motorcycles has officially welcomed Taddy Blazusiak as their lead enduro rider with the Polish extreme and indoor legend embarking on a new chapter of his career aboard GASGAS EC 300 and EC 350F machinery.
Bringing a wealth of enduro experience to the brand, Blazusiak will compete as a GASGAS Factory Racing rider contesting the WESS Enduro World Championship and FIM SuperEnduro World Championship.
Taddy Blazusiak to lead GASGAS Motorcycles in enduro competition
Polish racer will compete on EC 300 and EC 350F machinery
Taddy will compete in WESS Enduro World Championship & SuperEnduro World Championship
As a six-time FIM SuperEnduro World Champion, five-time AMA EnduroCross Champion, five-time Red Bull Erzbergrodeo winner, along with having four XGames Gold medals and a Red Bull Last Man Standing victory to his credit, Taddy has firmly cemented himself as one of the sport’s greatest athletes. n
STORy aNd pHOTOdS by maRk kaRIa
gaSgaS INvITaTIONal TRIalS muRIETTa, calIFORNIa july 23-24, 2020
KARL DAVIS JR STOOD ATOP THE PODIUM AFTER THE INAUGURAL GASGAS INVITATON TRIALS
A brilliant final lap netted Josh Roper a loop score of three—the best of the day—but slight struggles in the first two laps meant he’d be relegated to runnerup behind winner Karl Davis, Jr.
A five in the final section of the day sealed third place for Alex Niederer.
The trials world went into somewhat of a tizzy back in April when the North American Trials Council (NATC), governing body of the AMA MotoTrials Nationals, announced the cancellation of the 2020 series as well as the U.S. Trial des Nations effort due to ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.
Obviously, there aren’t that many observed trials events to begin with so doing away with the entire 2020 campaign left a huge hole in the competitive appetite for its participants.
Would they miss an entire season? Would the NATC be able to come up with an even shorter schedule at the end of the year? Why not take a page from some other series (like Supercross or MotoGP) and run without spectators?
Enter Gas Gas—actually, enter KTM North America and Pierer Mobility AG, the group under whose Gas Gas, Husqvarna and KTM belong.
Gas Gas, of course, has its roots in trials and after its acquisition by the Austrian concern late last year, many wondered what would become of that segment of its Spanish production. After all, the number of enduro and motocross bikes sold dwarfs the number of trials bikes. To be honest, there are probably more 125cc motocrossers sold each year than all trials bikes.
But the Gas Gas team took a look at the no-Nationals situation and began brainstorming about six weeks ago. One of the ideas floated: How about putting on our own event?
As a motorcycle manufacturer, Gas Gas does one thing: build motorcycles. It’s not in the events business, especially when it comes to a competition.
But the team did know a little about hosting press launches and it did have an ace up its collective sleeve in that the company had a little room left at the RD (for Roger deCoster) Field Supercross and EnduroCross test/practice venue literally around the corner from corporate HQ in Murrieta, California, that could be used for a trials course. After all, one of the selling points of the sport is that it doesn’t require a lot of room.
Whether that tiny slice of dirt about 30 yards by 60 yards would be enough for an event was debatable.
However, another ace for the team was 10-time AMA/NATC National Trials Champion Geoff Aaron, now the Team Manager for the Gas Gas North American trials squad. Besides his unquestioned talent, the two-time AMA Sports Athlete of the Year is an unapologetic ambassador for the sport. When asked, he gladly assumed a lead role in both the physical construction and format of the inaugural California Trials Invitational, Presented by Gas Gas.
SAM FASTLE AND ALEX MY-
ERS CHECK OUT A SETION BEFORE THE START
A one-off, stand-alone event, it wouldn’t be simply a Gas Gas show featuing only Gas Gas riders. It had to be a legitimate competition so the team invited seven of the country’s top men (Daniel Blanc-Gonnet, Karl Davis, Jr., Sam Castle, Alex Myers and his brother Will, Alex Niederer and Josh Roper) and three of the top women (Louise Forsley, Maddie Hoover and Kylee Sweeten). That meant Beta, Scorpa and Sherco were represented as well as Gas Gas. (Because of a scheduling conflict, 11time National champ Pat Smage was unable to attend, though this likely made for a more evenly stacked field.)
Due to the physical constraints, Aaron knew he needed to pack as much into the tiny space as possible. This dictated the Invitational being more like an indoor or stadium trial, similar to the ones in Europe that are so popular, though this one would have a twist: Aaron brought in many truckloads of dirt and created a long mound about 15 feet high. That elevation change promised to add to the challenge provided by the boulders, concrete pipes and large poles that Aaron and Schafer Tracks placed strategically to create five sections guaranteed to challenge all, the women facing slightly different lines.
“It’s crazy how many obstacles you can fit in one small area and have such a fun time,” Roper declared. “That’s what I really love about trials: You can stay in one area and be set for hours.”
Taking a cue from other races that have successfully taken place recently, the Gas Gas team elected to make the Invitational a no-spectator event with the requisite social distancing and masking up requested.
Media was invited (with the same stipulations, of course) and while there wasn’t live coverage, Gas Gas did have a crew on hand to produce an event video that’ll be available soon and it’ll be a good one to watch if you’re at all interested in trials. The combination of slightly different format (with a timed lap of part of the EnduroCross track serving as the qualifier to determine starting order) and hybrid outdoor/stadium sections produced a very competitive trial that ultimately went to Davis and Forsley.
Davis shot out to an early lead, posting a seven on the first of three laps. No one else got a single-digit score until Roper’s incredible three on the final circuit, thus pulling him to a close runner-up finish behind Davis, 36-39; Davis earned $2500 for the win. Niederer rode consistently to card lap scores of 13, 16 and 15, his total of 44 earning him third.
Forsley followed in a similar suit in Women Pro; after a two in the first section, threes in the next two versus the fives of her rivals got her in front and she remained there the rest of the afternoon. In a battle of three-time National champs, Forsley claimed the $1500 winner’s check with a 33 over Hoover’s 42, young
These uphill poles turned out to be the easy part of section five for the women, as eventual third-place finisher Kylee Sweeten demonstrates. The following hard-packed, slick downhill with a skinny section of concrete pipe to wheelie onto claimed fives from them all day.
Sweeten stepping up to the serious sections for third at 57.
“It felt really good to get back into the rhythm and get the feel of what riding competition is like [again],” Roper explained. “It was a good feeling and I was feeling solid all day.
“I really just took this event step by step, section by section. I really decided to break it down and try and do one obstacle at a time versus trying to overthink everything.”
He added, “These sections were just so perfect—I absolutely loved them!”
This is kind of [suited to] my style of riding,” Forsley said. The winner of a similar event called the Super Trial in Texas, she continued, “I could definitely be confident with this [style event] because it’s very tight and [has] bigger stuff where you have to be pretty exact, even with setting up [for the obstacle].”
Men’s Pro winner Davis revealed, “This is the first event that I’ve done other than [one indoor event 12 years ago] that’s pure stadium style so it’s really entertaining to be part of it.
“It’s not like we go out and practice real stadium sections; we practice a lot more out in the natural terrain. Of course, every once in a while you’ll get maybe one section at a trial that’s stadium and that’s the way you practice, but for the most part it’s all natural terrain [we train on]—nothing really man-made setups.
“It definitely adds a little bit of a challenge to really learn how to ride this when it’s so different.
“Honestly, I just tried to play it smart. I don’t think I rode to my best ability, but I just tried to play it smart; I knew where each of my competitors were [points-wise] and I went into each section knowing what I needed to do to stay ahead and try to keep a good points gap [on them].”
As in other forms of racing that have resumed under the COVID cloud, the participants expressed gratitude for being able to compete once again—for California Trials Invitational riders, this might be their only big stage this year.
Despite being an inaugural, Davis noted, “This is a pretty prestigious event already. I think this is probably my biggest win; everything behind it was so much, so over the top. I think it’s exactly what trials needs.” n
Eventual winner Karl Davis, Jr., summits the top of a boulder in section two. He’ll quickly pivot 90 degrees to his right in order to face three more boulders he’ll hop onto en route to a section score of one. His seven for the first loop got him out to an early lead he never relinquished.
THE NEW TXT RACING 2020 model range accumulates years of evolution and experience with a careful balance of adjustments that have been giving shape and temper to the flagship bike – the TXT RACING 300. Offering a potent combination of linear power and massive torque on demand, the TXT RACING 300 delivers maximum performance as the clear choice of champions who are faced with the most demanding terrain.
ALEX MYERS FINISHED FOURTH IN THE PRO DIVISION
The only woman to record a single-digit score (a nine on the final lap), Louise Forsley took control by the third section of the day.ING ON TO
Maddie Hoover sped to second best among the Women Pros in her qualifying lap on a portion of the EnduroCross test/practice track that Gas Gas commandeered for the event.
GRANT by
GRANT BAYLOR by a H a IR
SHERCO’S GRANT BAYLOR COMES FROM BEHIND TO WIN THE RATTLESNAKE ENDURO IN PENNSYLVANIA
KENDA AMA NATIONAL ENDURO SERIES ROUND 3 CROSS FORK, PENNSYLVANIA
JULY 26, 2020
AFTER LEADING MUCH OF THE RACE, JOSH TOTH LOST OUT ON THE WIN WHEN HE WENT DOWN IN THE FINAL TEST.
PHOENIX HONDA’S ANDREW DELONG FINISHED THIRD OVERALL, WHICH WAS IMPRESSIVE, SINCE HE HASN’T RIDDEN A NATIONAL ENDURO IN OVER A YEAR.
ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA’S CRAIG DELONG WON THE PRO 2 CLASS WITH AN EIGHTH OVERALL FINISH.
FactoryONE Sherco’s Grant Baylor came from way down the order to edge FMF/ KTM’s Josh Toth by the narrowest of margins to claim the victory at the Rattlesnake National Enduro in Cross Fork, Pennsylvania, round three of the 2020 Kenda AMA National Enduro Series.
Toth led the race at the midway point of the six-test event, but went into the final test tied with Baylor, after Baylor made an intense comeback during the later stages of the race.
Baylor turned in a very quick time in the final test, while Toth crashed, allowing Baylor to take the win by just over five seconds.
“I didn’t start out the best,” said Baylor. “But I wasn’t too far off. In the first test I think I was five seconds off the pace and it was mostly grass track. I just had arm pump a little bit and wasn’t riding myself. After that, I went onto test two and three and just was off the pace a little bit. I made a couple little changes to the bike, made some suspension changes then swapped the tire. Put a different compound tire on the back tire. I think my tests picked up about thirty seconds per test. So, I went from losing by about fifteen seconds to winning by fifteen seconds. It was just enough to edge Josh out there at the end. I edged him out by about five and a half seconds for the overall, which is awesome and moves me into the points lead for the championship, which is a first for me.”
Baylor was obviously happy with the win.
“In test five I had a really good run,” added Baylor. “Toth had me by 26 seconds going into test five. I brought it down to just half a second going into the last test. So I had the pressure on him going into that last test. I actually ended up falling over in that last test and making a few mistakes. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get him, but it was just enough to get the job done.”
The Rattlesnake Enduro marked the second race in a row where Toth lost the lead in the final moments of the race.
“I started off just really consistent, staying top three in each test,” said Toth. “But it was tricky with how dry it was in spots, and then also it was kind of wet, slick with the black dirt. It was a really tricky track to find traction. It seemed to be really tight this year. But overall it was super tight racing between a handful of us. It came down to the last test between me and Grant. We were tied going into it. I felt like I rode really good, but I ended up having one crash at the end and probably would have been enough or really close. Either way, I put it all out there on the last test and Grant was laying it down too, so props to him.”
Andrew DeLong, who won the 2014 AMA National Enduro Championship, put his Phoenix Honda Racing into third overall, which was amazing, having not raced
JOSH TOTH
an enduro in over a year.
“The first test I had a good test going and I stalled it. I probably lost five, ten seconds there,” said Andrew. “I probably would have won that test. Then the second test I was all over the place. I don’t know what I was doing. I think I won three or four, one of them was test two, by a pretty good amount. But I felt really good. I changed tires and the rest of the tests were pretty good. Six was a struggle, but overall it was a good day. I wish I would have put it more together for the win, but I fell apart at the end.”
Although he had suffered all week with a stomach bug, FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley still managed a fourth-place finish, after leading at one point.
“Test one and two were good and I was leading the day and then just kind of fell apart in test three,” said Kelley. “I had three crashes, just stupid things like back to back to back. That took some time out of my lead. Then again in test four. I felt pretty good but had a crash. The rest of the day I just kind of rode it in. I haven’t been able to eat or drink since Monday. So, I just had no energy at the end of the day. Can’t eat, can’t drink, was just exhausted. It was all I could just to ride through. Frustrating, because I know I have the speed and this is a good track for me, but just didn’t end the day well.”
After parting ways a few months ago with Sherco, Steward Baylor, rounded out the top five on a privateer Husqvarna. It seems Steward is testing different bikes in order to make a decision on a team for next year, when he plans on making a comeback. The South Carolina rider won the opening test of the day, but having been of the bike a few months showed in the end
XC Gear/Enduro/Engineering/Husqvarna’s Ryder Lafferty had high expectations coming into the race, but left Cross Fork with a disappointing sixth-place finish.
“My day was not very good, to be honest,” said Lafferty. “Out of all the years here at Cross Fork, this is usually a good one for me. I just didn’t feel comfortable today. Really tight. I got lost in test three like a lot of people. Just frustrated and struggled with the bike. I’m not pumped at all. Not happy with it, at all.”
Beta USA’s Thorn Devlin was seventh overall after struggling at the start of the day.
“Every year this is always a tricky race,” said Devlin. “We struggled a good bit in the beginning of the day. Then we started clicking, getting the bike setup a little better. By the time I started feeling good, I was already too deep in the hole. It’s points, though, which is good.”
First in the Pro 2 class and eighth overall was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong.
MACKENZIE TRICKER WON THE WOMEN’S ELITE DIVISION,.
“I think the row that I had at 22 kind of hurt me a little bit for the overall because we were kind of breaking trail a little bit later in the day,” said Craig. “But that’s just part of it. I was competitive and pretty solid all day long which was good. That’s what I needed to do. Happy to get a win and gain some points.”
Beta USA’s Cody Barnes was ninth overall and second in the Pro2 division.
“I struggled kind of in the beginning,” said Barnes. “There were a lot of slick rocks and just I kind of struggled to get a flow. But towards the end I was able to ride good and snag the test win. In a lot of tests, I ended up second to Craig and he was riding really good. Just kind of struggled today, but hopefully I will rebound for the next one.”
Brian Dussault rounded out the top 10 on a Beta, topping the AA class, while Ben Nelko was 11th overall and third in the Pro2 class on a 760 Racing Husqvarna.
Enduro Engineering/ Mepmx/Fly/Grizzly Peak/Traveler’s Rest Speedway/KTM’s Mackenzie Tricker won the Women’s Elite class, ahead of FactoryONE Sherco’s Brooke Cosner.
Tricker took the win by just over two minutes.
“Today went pretty good,” said Tricker. “I think I might have won all of the tests. I just tried to keep it off the ground and just be consistent.”
Tricker did, indeed, win all of the tests, while Cosner rode a consistent race, take seconds and thirds all day.
“Today was mistake city,” said Cosner. “I couldn’t stay off the ground today, but I managed a second which was good. I had a good day.”
Shyann Phelps grabbed her first podium with a third-place finish, while FMF/ KTM’s Brandy Richards was fourth in class.
OVERALL RESULTS
1. Grant Baylor (Shr)
2. Josh Toth (KTM)
3. Andrew DeLong (Hon)
4. Ben Kelley (KTM)
5. Steward Baylor (Hsq)
6. Ryder Lafferty (Hsq)
7. Thorn Devlin (Bet)
8. Craig DeLong (Hsq)
9. Cody Barnes (Bet)
10. Brian Dussault (Bet)
AROUND THE PITS RaTTlESNakE ENduRO
ANDREW BAUER MAKES FINAL ADJUSTMENTS TO CRAIG DELONG’S ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSVARNA.
ALAN RANDT AND TIMMY WEIGAND TALK ABOUT THE RATTLESNAKE ENDURO DURING A RELATIVELY RELAXED PERIOD ON SATURDAY.
CHARLES
MARCHANT PREPS
JOSH TOTH’S BIKE ON “BUILD DAY”, WHICH IS FRIDAY.
BRYAN “BLU” HEATH HOLDS DOWN THE FORT AND MAKES EVERYTHING HAPPEN FOR THE ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNAQ TEAM
TIMMY WEIGAND IS IN CHARGE AT ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA OFFROAD.
AROUND THE PITS RaTTlESNakE ENduRO
MACKENZIE TRICKER GOES THROUGH SIGN UP ON SATURDAY WITH A MASKED UP LOGAN DESNSMORE OF THE NEPG.
THE NEPG WENT THROUGH EVERY PRECAUTION POSSSIBLE TO FIGHT AGAINST COVID.
KTM’s JOSEANGEL CORDAVA PREPS BEN KELLEY’S BIKE ON SATUIRDAY.
CHARLES
MARCHANT PREPPING JOSH TOTH’S BIKE FOR SUNDAY.
BRIAN “RABBIT” SWEET MAKES SURE EVERYTHING GETS DONE.
AROUND THE PITS RaTTlESNakE ENduRO
ISDE STAR BRANDY RICHARDS FINISHED FOURTH IN THE WOMEN’S ELITE CLASS IN HER FIRST NATIONAL ENDURO.
MASKS, MASKS, EVERYWHERE ARE MASKS.
NEPG/EE’S JOSH CAIRL:
“WANNA SEE MY TRAMP STAMP?”
RYDER LAFFERTY: “THIS GUY IS OFF THE RAILS!”
NAPPER: “SOMETIMES I JUST WANT TO BEAT THIS KID!”
LIVIN’ ON TOTH TIME.
RATTLESNAKE
ENDURO PHOTO
GALLERY
IF YOU FIND YOUR PHOTO DOWNLOAD IT AND USE IT
KR557 ROLLS ON
KTM FACTORY RIDER CLAIMS 66TH CAREER XC1 WIN
KAILUB RUSSELL GRABS THE START AT THIS YEAR’S JOHN PENTON GNCC
MILLFIELD, OHIO
JUNE 28, 2020
JOSH STRANG WORKED HIS WAY UP INTO SECOND PLACE BY THE END OF THE RACE, GIVNG THE BATTITT’S ONLINE/TEAM GREEN/KAWASAKI RIDER HIS SEVENTH PODIUM IN SEVEN RACES.
GRANT BAYLOR GAVE FACTORYONE SHERCO ITS SECOND PODIUM OF THE SEASON, A THIRD-PLACE FINISH WITH A GRITTY RIDE AT THE JOHN PENTON GNCC!
BECCA SHEETS CAME FROM WAY BEHIND TO WIN THE WXC WOMENS PRO DIVISION AHEAD OF RACHEL ARCHER.
BETA USA’S CODY BARNES WAS SECOND IN THE XC2 PRO2 DIVISION.
KAILUB AND KRUE TEESHIRT
This year’s John Penton GNCC, held at Sunday Creek Raceway in Millfield, Ohio, which is owned by Kailub Russell’s family and known as the “Russell Fam Farm”, was a race of firsts and lasts for the Russell family. Since Kailub has announced his retirement from GNCC racing at the end of this year, this was, of course, his final John Penton GNCC. However Kailub’s son Krue was racing his first John Penton GNCC in the 50cc Jr. 2 (4-5) class.
Kailub and Krue were both featured on the Youth Day t-shirts, which were given out to the youth riders by KTM USA.
“It’s pretty cool for him and I to be on the Youth Day t-shirt; it’s crazy,” said Kailub. “I think it’s the sixteenth annual, so they started in ’04 doing that. My last year as a youth racer was ’05. It’s crazy to think 16 years has gone by like that. Now I’ve got a little boy just starting racing now too. It’s really cool. We’re still going to be at the races. He wants to race. He’s having fun and enjoying it. It’s all good. It’s fun.” n
CRAIG DELONG
Rockstar Energy Racing Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong put a whoopin’ on the XC2 division. “It was a pretty good day,” said DeLong. “ The only thing that could have went better was my start. I got a bad start. I was trying to get it ready to start, and it started before I wanted it to so I had to shut it back off. Kind of left me a little unprepared there with ten seconds to go. Worked my way through the pack and was leading by the end of the first lap. I knew if I got out and pushed hard I could get out front and kind of ride my own race. That’s what I did. I felt good. I really like this place. I’ve been looking forward to coming here all year. Happy to get it done.”
KAILUB RUSSELL CLAIMS 66TH CAREER GNCC XC1 VICTORY AT
It’s often said that if there’s one thing you can count on coming into the John Penton GNCCC is that it is either going to be a mudfest or dusty. Despite calls at mid-week for 80% rain showers on both Saturday and Sunday, Sunday’s ‘Bike” day was neither muddy (except at the hillclimb out of the creek), nor was it especially dusty.
Kailub Russell and his FMF/KTM teammate Ben Kelley battled for the lead after the start of the race.
Kelley explains the first lap fiasco between he, Kailub, FMF KTM’s Josh Toth and Sherco’s Cory Buttrick. .
“I came into the first corner a little hot and just overshot it, so Kailub snuck by me, but I was second place,” said Kelley. “Things looked good, but Cory snuck by me early on so I was in third place for about the first half of the lap. Then coming back through the FMF Powerpoint, it was super slick, with kind of an S-turn up on a ridge. I got sideways and just flew off a bank. It was a huge bank. Down off a four-foot cliff right into the river. Somehow I saved it. Was going up the creek backwards up the Monster Mile and had to come back on the track, so I got probably back to sixth or seventh. I just shook it off and charged through from there through the Monster Mile. Somehow by the end of the Monster Mile I was in first place. Made some good passes and just felt good. We got into these open field sections and Kailub was definitely faster than me. He reeled me in and then passed me right in the Monster Mile.”
Kelley finished just off the podium in fourth. Meanwhile, Toth had quite an experience on the first lap, as well.
“I was in the top three, top four off the start then made some passes and got up to second actually
AT THE JOHN PENTON GNCC IN MILLFIELD, OHIO
JOSH STRANG SCOOTS UP THE “MUD-HILL”. AFTER THE RACE, IT TOOK JOSH A WHILE TO COOL DOWN. THE HUMIDITY AT THE TRACK WAS OFF THE RAILS.
and was riding right behind Kailub,” said Toth. “I came right into the Penton section and me and Kailub kind of missed a turn and Ben was able to seak by us. I latched on and I was really comfortable with the pace. Happy with where I was at. Late in the lap, once you cross the road, I went across the street and after you go through a checkpoint there was a long, sweeping, downhill right. There’s a big drop-off on the left side. I got bucked and the rear wheel just floated above the ground, so I had no braking power. I went straight off this cliff, like third or fourth gear. I was so lucky to walk away from it. I landed way down there in the woods and my bike was in a barbed wire fence. I was just gassed getting my bike out of there. Being up there, I was comfortable but that took literally all my energy right there. So I went from top three right in the lead to middle of XC2. When I came out of there, I just put my head down and picked my way back through and made a couple passes and got back up battling for the fifth-place spot. Got really close to make some moves, but unfortunately I came together with a lapper two laps to go really bad. Just wasn’t my day.”
Toth went on to finish seventh overall, while Babbitt’s Online/Team Green/Kawasaki’s Josh Strang grabbed his seventh podium in a row with a second overall.
“I got a better start this week,” said Strang. “I think I just missed the button. I think I was fifth or something maybe, sixth. I don’t know. Better than last week. There was no dust today so it was easier to make passes and stay at the front. It wasn’t too bad. I didn’t feel great all day, just energy-wise, but felt like I rode okay. Just that 20 seconds again. Couldn’t do anything with it.
“Everything in the woods got fairly rutty and had just the typical John Penton hard pack. You just had
JOSH TOTH LED AT ONE POINT IN THE RACE, BUT AFTER A COUPLE OF MISHAPS FINISHED UP IN SEVENTH
to be cautious. Sometimes you’d get on the gas and the rear end would just light up. Other times the front would wash on you. So you just had to be careful and ride to the conditions. That’s why it was harder. I felt like you could have pushed harder, but if you pushed harder you ended up crashing. I struggled today in the John Penton, actually. I feel like I would catch up, I’d get closer and then I’d lose all the time that I had caught up. So it was a bit frustrating there today but it was all right.”
FactoryONE Sherco’s Grant Baylor grabbed his second podium of the season for Sherco.
“It was a pretty good day for me,” said Baylor. “I had a pretty bad start. The bike just didn’t want to fire for some reason, but we got going and started making our way through the pack there. I think I made my way up to fifth or something on the first lap there. Next lap might have been fourth and the next lap might have been third. Then just kind of stayed there the rest of the race. I hit the ground a couple times today. Wasn’t a flawless day. I caught Strang here about two miles from the end. I was right up on his rear wheel and just spun out and fell down, so that cost me being able to maybe make a move there in the last little bit. We had to settle with third, but I’m happy to be back on the podium.”
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig Delong turned in his most impressive performance of the season, finishing fifth overall and winning the XC2 Pro 250 class by a three-minute margin over Beta USA’s Cody Barnes.
“The only thing that could have went better was my start,” said DeLong. “I was trying to get it ready to start, and it started before I wanted it to so I had to shut it back off. That kind of left me a little un-
JORDAN ASHBURN GETS A PIT BOARD EN ROUTE TO A SIXTH PLACE FINISH.
prepared there with ten seconds to go. But I worked my way through the pack and was leading by the end of the first lap. I knew if I got out and pushed hard I could get out front and kind of ride my own race, and that’s what I did. I felt good and I’m happy to get it done.”
Jordan Ashburn brought his Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Team Green Kawasaki home for sixth. The Tennessee-native has been running right around the top-five all year.
Russell’s win was the 66th GNCC win of his career.
“I didn’t feel that great right off the get-go.,” said Russell. “The track was icy and it had a lot of traction in certain spots, but you would get your momentum going and then you would lose traction and start sliding and skating. I just kind of rode into it the first lap. Made a mistake in the John Penton section. Me, Josh, and Ben almost hit head-on. We blew this turn and I was turning around. We kind of made a cluster right there. Ben got in the lead. I felt good as soon as we started the next lap. When we got in the woods, I felt really good. I got up to Ben and I can’t remember, I think I passed him. I kind of bonsai’d the creek section over here. Like I said, I just felt really good and really smooth at the time. So I wanted to try to gap Strang because he was right behind me. He was like five seconds back. I knew if I could get that 20-second buffer it would be a lot easier. I was able to kind of stay right there at that 20, 15, 13 to 20 seconds. It was like yo-yo-ing. I was really good on this side of the track and not as great in the John Penton section, but it was hard to charge over there. So I was just riding really hard where I felt comfortable, and I would kind of maintain over there and lose a little bit. Like I said, I was just kind of not wanting to throw it away over there because it would be really easy to get tangled up in a vine or blow a turn and go down over a hill.
TRAIL JESTERS KTM RACING’S JESSE
ANSLEY RETURNED TO ACTION AFTER SUFFERING A NECK INJURY.
There was a lot of tricky sections that can just jump up and bite you. But it was a good day. I had a little bit of an issue on the second-to-last lap. I got tangled up with a lapper just for a little bit, then I got tangled up with another dude. I lost probably ten to twelve seconds in literally like half a mile. I was like, damn it. He’s going to be right on me. I picked it back up. I knew I was going to have to hammer it that last lap. I was able to break.”
OVERALL RESULTS
1. Kailub Russell (KTM)
2. Josh Strang (Kaw)
3. Grant Baylor (Shr)
4. Ben Kelley (KTM)
5. Craig DeLong (Hsq)
6. Jordan Ashburn (Kaw)
7. Josh Toth (KTM)
8. Cody Barnes (Bet)
9. Johnny Girroir (KTM)
10. Mike Witkowski (Yam)
TRAIL JESTERS KTM RACING’S JOHNNY GIRROIR FINISHED NINTH OVERALL AND THIRD IN XC2 PRO CLASS.
KAILUB RUSSELL
In the WXC Women’s Pro division, BABS/Fly/ Maxiss/Yamaha’s Becca Sheets came from way behind after getting lost on the trail on lap to come from behind to claim her sixth win in seven rounds, ahead of Am Pro Yamaha’s Rachel Archer, while defending champ Tayla Jones was third on a Rockstar Energy Racing Husqvarna.
“I had a pretty decent start,” said Sheets. “I was third going into the woods and kind of towards the end of the lap, I would say the eight-mile marker, Tayla went down on a rocky hill. I just peeled right and MacKenzie Tricker (MEPMX/Fly Racing/Grizzly Peak/Travelers Rest Speedway/KTM’s) was behind me and followed me. So, we got ahead of Tayla, and then Rachel Gutish (Beta USA) got us somewhere and was out front and she had turned where they had given us a fresh bike trail, and she turned left instead of right. I didn’t see it, because we were in a pack of some sportsman A guys who had caught us. So, we turned around. I was like, this is wrong, because we’re going back to the same track we just rode. So I think that’s where Tayla and McKenzie got us back. When I popped on the moto track I saw them. They were almost finished with the moto track and I was like, oh, no. I just kind of put my head down and tried to ride smooth. It’s hard to push on this track because it’s so slippery, but I was able to catch up to McKenzie and then Tayla eventually and get the win.”
Archer’s second, 28-seconds behind Sheets, matched her best performance of the year.
“I was actually dead last off the start line, and I managed to get back into sixth or seventh
MACKENZIE
AND
FOR THE LEAD AT THE START OF THE WXC WOMNEN’S PRO RACE
TRICKER (828)
TAYLA JONES (1) BATTLE
behind Corie Steede on the first lap,” said Archer. “Then we got to a little rock face at about the sixand-a-half-mile part of the track, and Tayla and McKenzie fell off. Me and Becca went around, took a different line and actually ended up doing the same loop twice. We went the wrong way with the sportsmen A guys. Then we came out at the end of the first lap and Tayla and McKenzie were in front of us. We were very confused. I just put my head down and tried to stay with Becca and stayed with her for a couple of laps. Then the lap traffic got in front of us. She pulled a little gap on me. At one stage, I was twelve seconds down on Becca, but I just couldn’t pull her in. I managed to grab a second, so I’m stoked.” Jones finished third, with Gutish and Steede rounding out the top five.
WXC WOMEN’S OVERALL RESULTS
1. Becca Sheets (Yam)
2. Rachel Archer (Yam)
3. Tayla Jones (Hsq)
4. Rachel Gutish (Bet)
5. Korie Steede (TM)
6. MacKenzie Tricker (KTM)
7. Brooke Cosner (Shr)
8. Shelby Rolen (KTM)
9. Taylor Johnston (KTM)
10. Alli Phillips (Hsq)
AM PRO YAMAHA’S RACHEL MATCHED HER BEST PERFORMANCE THE SEASON WITH A
RACHEL ARCHER PERFORMANCE OF A SECOND.
AROUND THE PITS jOHN pENTON gNcc
TEAM BABBITT’S ONLINE/TEAM GREEN/KAWASAKI’S JOEY MAUER INSPECTS JOSH STRANG’S LINGKAGE ASSEMBLEY BEFORE THE JOHN PENTON GNCC.
FACTORYONE SHERCO’S GRANT BAYLOR BICYCLES THE TRACK BEFORE THE RACE AT THE JOHN POENTON
BECCA SHEETS WAS ALL SMILES BEFORE AND AFTER THE JOHN PENTON. THE BABBS RACING/FLY/ XW YAMAHA RIDER CLAIMED HER SIXTH WIN IN SEVEN RACES
THE SECRET TO JORDAN ASHBURNS SUCCESS?
DEBRIEF: ANTTI KALLONEN GETS IN A FEW WORDS WITH KR557 AFTER THE RACE
AROUND THE PITS jOHN pENTON gNcc
TEAM BABBITT’S ONLINE/TEAM GREEN/ KAWASAKI’S JOSH STRANG NOW HAS SEVEN PODIUMS IN SEVEN GNCC RACES.
THE AMA’S ERIK KUDLA ALL MASKED UP.
FMF/KTM’S JOSH TOTH GIVES AWAY A TEE-SHIRT, COMMEORATING THE JOHN PENTON GNCC, WHICH WAS GIVEN TO ALL OF THE YOUTH RIDERS AT THE EVENT.
IT WAS QUITE OBVIOUS THAT JOSH STRANG WAS SPENT AFTER THE RACE DUE TO THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY, HOWEVER, THE TEAM BABBITT’S ONLINE/TEAM GREEN/KAWASAKI RIDER MAINTAINS A PERFECT PODIUM RECORD THROUGH SEVEN ROUNDS.
TO THE VICTOR GO THE SPOILS! KR557 GETS THE JOHN PENTON AWARD FOR WINNG THE RACE.
JOHN PENTON GNCC PHOTO GALLERY
IF YOU FIND YOUR PHOTO DOWNLOAD IT AND USE IT
PHOTOS BY SHAN MOORE PHOTO IN THIS GALLERY FEEL FREE TO IT AS YOU PLEASE! HAPPY HUNTING...
D Mario Roman RIDING SCHOOL
AUGUST 17th, 2020 Training Center, Sequatchie, TN
2 of the World ’ s best hard enduro PROs!!! Sherco Factory rider, Mario Roman, and half with FactoryONE bo�led water.
KAILUB RUSSELL CARRIES ON
aT HIddEN vallEy Full gaS SpRINT ENduRO
HIddEN vallEy gOlF cOuRSE
glEN daNIEl, WEST vIRgINIa ROuNd 3
july 18-19,m 2020
KAILUB RUSSELL CONTINUES TO DOMINATE EAST COAST RACING WITH A NARROW WIN AT THE GLEN DANIEL FGSE
JOSH STRANG HAS BEEN THE STRONGEST COMPETITION TO KAILUB RUSSELL IN ALL OF THE EAST COAST OFF-ROAD EVENTS.
ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA’S TAYLA JONES GOT BACK TO HER WINNING WAYS AT THE GLEN DANIELS FGSE.
JORDAN ASHBURN BOUNCES DOWN A ROCKY CREEK IN THE ENDURO TEST.
Team Trail Jesters Racing KTM’s Johnny Girroir not only won the Pro2 division, but he also finished third overall.
AM PRO YAMAHA’S LAYNE
MICHAEL WAS P3 IN THE PRO CLASS AND FOURTH OVERALL
It’s certainly an off-roader’s dream to turn a knobby on a golf course, and Kailub Russell not only got to churn up some beautiful fairways, but the FMF/KTM rider also came away with a win at the beautiful Hidden Valley Golf Course in Glen Daniel, West Virginia; round two of the 2020 Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series, edging Team Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Josh Strang by 2.5-seconds after two days of racing.
Russell set the stage by winning the opening cross test by just .4-second ahead of Strang, which would be an indicator of the two days to come. Russell admittedly made his share of mistakes over the weekend, and Strang kept him honest.
“It was pretty up and down, really,” said Russell. “On Saturday I couldn’t keep it off the ground. I crashed twice in the first two tests and I still won them. Each one was by less than a second; just minute wins. Luckily, I was still in the fight there. The woods are iffy and not my favorite and I had a three-second lead going into the last test and I threw it away. That really kind of pissed me off.”
Strang took the win on Saturday, finishing a little less than five seconds ahead of Russell. Meanwhile, Pro2 rider Johnny Girroir turned some heads by finishing third overall for the day, the Trail Jesters Racing KTM rider finishing 13 seconds ahead of Team Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Jordan Ashburn, with AmPro Yamaha’s Layne Michael, who is rebounding from a shoulder injury a few weeks ago, rounding out the top five overall, another three seconds back.
On Sunday, Russell came back strong, but stalled his engine twice during the first test, the Cross test, having damaged his kill switch from the crash on the previous day. This gave Strang a little more daylight, as Michael finished second and Russell rebounded for third. However, Russell took out his frustrations on the Enduro test, where he had crashed the afternoon before, and won the test by an amazing 10 seconds.
“This morning I felt like I really should have got that time back and won the first test, but I had a little bike malfunction,” said Russell. “So yesterday when I crashed we were thinking I damaged my kill switch because my bike shut off on me twice in the very first test today. That’s the only thing we could think of was the wires were shorting out. But it did it twice and I only lost by four seconds. I was pretty happy with that because like I said, the first time it did it, it took me three or four seconds right there just to get it to refire. Then, I just rode that first woods test today real pissed off. I knew I was better than that. I got all the time back in the lead in the one test. I won by ten seconds. I just hung it out. It was actually better that I had somebody catch in front of me. So I was super focused in that test and I absolutely smashed it. I felt like I threw it away there on Saturday, but Josh was riding good. He kept me honest all weekend. It was tough.”
JOJO CUNNINGHAM
Strang finished the weekend off just 2.5 seconds behind Russell for second overall, which the Aussie off-road was pleased with.
“You just have to be aggressive but also have to not make any mistakes, and it’s difficult,” said Strang. “I enjoyed it yesterday more so than today, but the woods test for me was fun all weekend. My times were competitive too, which was good. Usually the Cross test I’m more competitive and I lose a little bit in the enduro. I think I won four enduro tests, so that’s good for me. Overall, the weekend was good. I lost the overall by two and a half seconds. I didn’t do anything wrong. I had a few small mistakes but all my tests were pretty good. Kailub had a killer first enduro test today. He was ten seconds faster than everyone all weekend. That’s Kailub. He can pull it out, he must have been on edge. He does it everywhere. He’s good at it.”
There was a major focus on Girroir on Sunday, to see if he could repeat his third overall finish from Saturday, and the Southwick, Massachusetts-native delivered, edging Michael by just less than six seconds and securing third overall for the weekend. The finish also put Girroir at the top of the Pro2 division.
“I started off a little bit slow, just timid on the weekend,” said Girroir. “I didn’t really want to crash, but it’s not the name of the game here. It’s sprinting. I think I won 11 out of 12 tests in Pro2, so it feels good. I liked the roots and rocks and stuff in the Enduro test. They were just slick and high-speed, so it was a little dangerous.” Michael finished P3 in the Pro class and fourth overall.
“Today (Sunday) was much better for me,” said Michael. “I stayed off the ground all day which was huge. I just kind of felt more comfortable today. Yesterday was the first time I’ve ridden in the woods in five weeks. I’ve just had some time off the bike. Today I felt much more like myself. I was contesting for test wins. I didn’t get one, but I was close all day.”
Michael ended up with three runner-up test finishes on Sunday.
Team Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Jordan Ashburn was fourth in the Pro division and fifth overall.
“I got some good tests on Saturday,” said Ashburn. “I just made a few mistakes on Sunday. Today I just wasn’t quite on the edge. Layne picked up some time on me. Overall, I’m happy with the weekend.”
Tely Energy Racing KTM’s Liam Draper, who moved into the Pro division this year after winning the Pro2 championship last year was sixth overall.
“I got off to a slow start both days, really,” admitted Draper. “I couldn’t figure out this Cross test all weekend. That was my downfall. But I had a fun weekend. Battling with these Pro 1 boys is no joke, really. They’re fast guys. It’s all tight turns, but I re -
SHERCO’S JT BAKER
ally enjoyed the Enduro test a lot and I had fun, so it was a good weekend.”
Former National Enduro winner Cory Buttrick was seventh overall.
“It was pretty up and down,” said Buttrick. “I wish I could have started where we finished. I finally started making steps in the right direction. I feel like the last three tests today (Sunday) I finally started racing instead of riding. It felt like all weekend I was kind of just scared to go the pace. I was just struggling to carry speed everywhere. I couldn’t connect an entire lap. I made a few small changes to the bike today just suspension-wise. I picked up some time. Finally I was happy with how we finished. We were heading in the right direction.”
Trail Jesters Racing KTM’s Jesse Ansley went into the final test on Sunday with a nine-second advantage over 760 Husqvarna’s Ben Nelko for second place in the Pro2 class, but a crash in the final test dropped him to third in class and ninth overall, behind Nelko.
“I was third Pro2 rider at the end of day one, then I made up really good ground the beginning of today,” said Ansley. “Then going into the last test I had a nine-second buffer on Ben. I ultimately blew it, honestly. Ben caught me and I crashed up. I just gave up so much time. Then for me to be in a good position and I just blew it. Obviously it’s all on me. I just got to go back and figure it out.”
Former Pro Motocrosser Andrew Matusek rounded out the top 10 overall on a Suzuki.
Matusek also won the Open A class ahead of Hans Neel and Luke Ross.
West Coast rider JT Baker won the ProAm class on a FactoryONE Sherco, beating out round-one winner Cole Mattison. Anson Maloney, another Californian, was third.
In the Women’s Pro Class, Rockstar Husqvarna Lan Mills XC rider Tayla Jones took the win by just less than four seconds ahead of Am Pro Yamaha’s Rachel Archer.
“I had a pretty good weekend,” said Jones. “I was super stoked to be back at the Full Gas races, these are my favorite. The tracks were awesome. It got dry and dusty, but it’s summertime. What do you expect? I didn’t have any crashes. I was pretty amazed at that with how slick the conditions were. I had fun and got another win here, so I’m stoked.”
US ISDE Team member Brandy Richards, of Arizona, was third on an FMF/KTM.
RESULTS
1. Kailub Russell (KTM)
2. Josh Strang (Kaw)
3. Johnny Girroir (KTM)
4. Layne Michael (Yam)
5. Jordan Ashburn (Kaw)
6. Liam Draper (KTM)
7. Cory Buttrick (Hsq)
8. Ben Nelko (KTM)
9. Jesse Ansley (KTM)
10. Andrew Matusek (Suz)
HIDDEN VALLEY FGSE PHOTO GALLERY
IF YOU FIND YOUR PHOTO DOWNLOAD IT AND USE IT
AROUND THE PITS HIddEN vallEy FgSE
LISTEN UP! HOOP IS SPEAKING. JASON HOOPER HAS SACRIFICED HIS TIME THE LAST FEW YEARS TO BRING SPRINT ENDURO TO THE MASSES AND IT IS AN AWESOME SERIES. THE GLEN DANIEL EVENT SAW A HUGE TURNOUT.
JON MITCHEFF AND “DIRTY”MIKE HALL HAM IT UP DURING THE GLEN DANIEL EVENT. THERE’S NOT A MORE DEDICATED SET OF MECHANICS THAN THESE TWO GUYS!
BABBITT’S OFFROAD/ONLINE/OFFROAD/KAWASAKI’S JO JO CUNNINIMHAM IS A SUPERSTAR ON THE LOCAL LEVEL IN THE EAST COAST AND HE IS QUICKLY BECOMING A NATIONAL SUPER STAR ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL.
THE FULL GAS SPRINT ENDURO SERIES IS AN AMAZING SERIES AS A PLATFORM FOR YOUTH TO LEARN THE ROPES TO BECOME NATIONAL POWER-HOUSES!
THE YOUTH RIDERS GET AS MUCH RESPECT AS THE PROS SAT FULL GAS SPRINT ENDURO EVENTS!
VICTORY FOR RUSSELL, HEARTBREAK FOR TOTH
KAILUB RUSSELL WINS A TIGHT ONE
, 2020
JOSH TOTH (206) GRABBED THE HOLESHOT AND SPRINTED AWAY AT THE START OF THE RACE.
JOSH STRANG IS MANAGING A 100% PODIUM RATE THROUGH EIGHT ROUNDS OF GNCC RACING, WHICH IS INCRDIBLE.
TRAIL JESTERS RACING KTM’S JESSE ANSLEY (328) AND BETA USA’S THORN DEVLIN (521) BATTLE FOR THE HOLESHOT IN THE XC2 CLASS
Wow! What a crazy finish for the High Voltage GNCC in Maidsville, West Virginia. What really happened at the finish is anyone’s guess. But in the end, Kailub Russell made a last-second pass within the final quartermile of the race to take the win when his FMF/KTM teammate Josh Toth was held up by a lapper on the final hill, which is the “official story”.
Plenty of accusations and rumors swirled after the race, but we aren’t going to speculate and are sticking with what we were told by the riders.
Toth grabbed the holeshot and sprinted away in the dust, pulling out as much as a 35-second lead at one point, until the two lap board when Russell pulled within striking distance and eventually made the pass on Toth to take the lead in one of the fast and long field transfers.
Shortly after making the pass, Russell’s bike started smoking due to dust being sucked into the engine, and KTM mechabnics started giving Russell pit boards saying “save the bike”. (Russell had wanted to change iar filters during his pit stop, but KTM team manager Antti kallonen told us he nixed that idea.)
Reluctently, Russell slowed, and Toth re-took the lead.
To make matters worst, Russell fell and broke his shift lever, leaving him stuck in second gear. Still, stuck in second, Russell managed to stay close enough to Toth to be in position to take advantage of Toth’s mistake on the final hill.
In the end, Russell claimed his 67th GNCC XC1 win, while Toth claimed a disappointing second.
Third overall went to Babbitt’s Online/Team Green/Kawasaki’s Josh Strang, who now has eight podium finishes in eight races, after holding off a late-race push by FMF/KTM’s Ben Kelley.
“Ben was riding strong that last lap and a half, so I wanted to make sure I kept in front of him,” said Strang. “ Not my best day anyway. But it was not bad. Third place, we’ll take it going into the summer break. Hopefully we get some little bit better conditions in September when it starts to cool down and rain a little. That’ll be good. I’ve been feeling good and having fun. Today was fun, just the dust. It’s just another condition and that’s why we race GNCC for all conditions. “ Kelley just missed the podium in fourth.
“I was there the whole second half of the race, but I just couldn’t make it happen,” said Kelley. “I’d have a line picked out and there’d be a lapper there. Last lap I almost got by Josh, but a lapper slid into the rut I was in and I ran right into the back of him and got stuck. So then I lost a bunch of time and charged back up. There weren’t many spots you could pass with the dust, without forcing it and taking him out. It is what it is. Fourth on the day.”
TRAIL JESTERS RACING KTM’S
JOHNNY GIRROIR WON THE XC2 C LASS IN WEST VIRGINIA.
fifth went to Strang’s teammate Jordan Ashburn, who had to come from the back of the pack after getting taken out at the start. Meanwhile, Trail Jesters Racing KTM’s Johnny Girroir won the XC2 class with a sixth overall finish, his third class win of the season. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craid DeLong finished 29 seconds back in seventh and second in the XC2 class. DeLong holds a nine-point lead over Girroir in the class standings. SX star, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne, who was brought in to ride the injured Trevor Bollinger’s bike, was 29th.
In the Women’s Pro WXC class, Am Pro Yamaha’s Rachel Archer claimed her first RESULTS
1. kaIlub RuSSEll (k Tm)
2. jOSH TOTH (k Tm)
3. jOSH STRaNg (kaW)
4. bEN kEllEy (k Tm)
5. jORdaN aSHbuRN (kaW)
6. jOHNNy gIRROIR (k Tm)
7. cRaId dElONg (HSQ)
8. mIkE WITkOWSkI ( yam)
9. THORN dEvlIN (bET)
10. jOHNaTHON jOHNSTON (HON)
DEBRIEF: kaIlub RuSSEll
I was third off the start and Dante was in front of me. I couldn’t really stay behind him. He was going a good pace, but Toth was a little bit quicker than him. I would catch Dante in some of the woods stuff and then in the open stuff it was impossible to ride behind anybody on the first lap because the track baked after the morning race. That first lap was almost impossible to ride within ten seconds of somebody. I was literally at a dead stop in some spots on the first lap. I was like, there was nothing I could do. Just got to let him go. What could I do? Fall down and go back and fight more dust? So I just bided my time and got into second. Then I just kept biding my time. I knew Josh was riding good. I wasn’t going to reel him in straightaway. So I just needed to nickel and dime him and not make any mistakes.
I passed him probably I think about the six mile marker or something like that, right before the white flag came out. I kind of just got up on him. He was riding pretty conservative in the fields and I just kind of attacked him and squared him up and got to the inside of him. Then I went around the outside and I pushed him wide up in a turn. That way he couldn’t cut back underneath. Like I said, it was hard to follow people out in the field, so I knew I wanted to get that pass done right there because there was a bunch of fields coming up after that. So I knew I would drop back another six, seven seconds if I wouldn’t pass him there. So I got the job done. I kind of took a break and recovered a little bit. On the last lap I wanted to hammer a little bit at the beginning to get away. That way I could kind of just take it easy and cruise into the finish without any pressure. Then I got the pit board that I needed to save the bike. That’s when everything started falling apart. I looked back and I see my bike smoking. Literally just four turns after I got the pit board that said save the bike, the thing just started spitting and sputtering a little bit. I could tell it was not wanting to be lugged. I lost some power. It was close to giving up on me. I did the best I could, but I was frustrated mentally. I had to change my riding. I ended up just making a small mistake and I fell over and I actually broke my shifter off. I was stuck in second gear, so now I couldn’t short shift my bike and there’s still half the lap to go. Josh got around me in the field. Like I said, I wasn’t trying hard. I just didn’t want to rev the bike and I was stuck in second gear. Second gear in a field section, it’s hard not to rev your bike. So I was literally standing up, cruising around, barely getting by the lappers. I stayed fairly close to him and I think he thought he had it in the bag. I wasn’t too far behind him. I was riding my bike such low RPM. He was behind a lapper and he tried to cut out of the rut and go up the hill early to just get by the lapper on the last lap. It was literally the last hill we had. I had enough room to get behind the lapper and take the main line that was faster. I passed him and the lapper at the same time. It was all downhill from there. n
ZACH OSBORNE
I decided to come ride because of the uncertainty around the rest of my racing. It was a good opportunity for me to come and try my hand again. I’m obviously a little more rusty than I thought or would have liked to have been. I wasn’t that good. I didn’t get the start and the dust was just insane. If you weren’t in the front, it was just really, really bad. For me, it was pretty dismal from the get-go just because I never really found the pace at all. It was just kind of a Sunday trail ride.
On the start, I guess I gassed it too soon and gagged it out. It’s one of those deals. It’s inexperience probably on my part, a lot of inexperience, and just excited.
This start is a lot different from what I’m used to. I practiced a bunch of starts yesterday and rode in the woods on Thursday. It wasn’t really enough. It is what it is. I’m happy with being healthy and having gotten the experience. We’ll come again, I’m sure.
AROUND THE PITS HIgH vOlTagE gNcc
IN JUST A FEW SHORT YEARS JOSH TOTH HAS BECOME A STAR IN THE OFF-ROAD SCENE.
JORDAN AND MARY ASHBURN IN THE STAGING AREA AT THE HIGH VOLTAGE GNCC.
JT BAKER TRAVELED FROM THE WEST COAST TO COMPETE IN THE XC2 CLASS FOR FACTORONE SHERCO.
FORMER WOMEN’S MX STAR AND X-GAME COMPETITOR, BRITTANY MARCOTTE ALSO MADE THE TRIP FROM THE WEST COAST TO COMPETE FOR SHERCO.
FRIDAY IS BUILD DAY IN THE KTM PITS.
AROUND THE PITS HIgH vOlTagE gNcc
ANTTI KALLONEN AND ROSS MAURI DISCUSS STRATEGY BEFORE THE RACE.
JOSH STRANG WENT OVER THE LIMIT OF ONE SUPPORT CREW ALLOWED ON THE STARTING LINE BEFORE THE START OF THE HIGH VOTAGE GNCC.
“DIRTY” MIKE HALL, OF TRAIL JESTER’S RACING KTM, FLYING THE COLORS BEFORE THE RACE.
ZACH OSBORNE WAS A FAN FAVORITE FOR THE ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA TEAM.
SX MECHANIC STEVE BAUER WAS ON HAND TO AID ZACKO
MEET RACHEL ARCHER
NEW ZEALAND’S AM PRO YAMAHA RIDER TELLS US HER STORY AFTER GRABBING HER FIRST-EVER GNCC VICTORY AT THE HIGH VOLTAGE GNCC.
On The Pegs spoke with New Zealander Rachel Archer after her recent “firstever” GNCC win at the Mason Dixon GNCC in West Virginia.
Tell us about growing up and racing in New Zealand? What type of racing did you do?
I started racing when I was ten. I first got a dirt bike when I was three. Every day after school I’d ride my dirt bike out on the farm and stuff until dark. I wasn’t very good at doing my homework. I started racing cross-country when I was ten, and then I got into motocross when I got an 85 when I was 12 or 13. I won a few New Zealand motocross titles and then started racing the New Zealand cross-country series. Was doing really well in the women’s class and then moved up to the senior grade when I was 14 on the 125.
Against the men?
Yeah. I won the intermediate under 200 cc two-stroke New Zealand cross-country title when I was 15 on a Husqvarna 150. Then from there, Yamaha started looking at me. I went over to Australia and did some desert racing with the Husky team over there called SIMFORD. This was with Daniel Sanders. I did that and I got second in the women’s class to Megan Rutledge who is a motocross champ. That was my first year on the big bike, on the 250. Then I came over to America for some GNCC’s.
So last year was your first year, right?
No. I actually came over in 2015 and did two with KR4 on a 125. I got fourth at Wild Boar and seventh at Big Buck, I think. Then I was hooked.
Did your father ride? Is that how you got into it?
Yeah. My dad has always been into dirt bikes. He’s raced all over the world and stuff, represented New Zealand. He was going to go to the Six Day in 2000, but he broke his leg really bad. Mom was pregnant with me at the time and they had just bought a new farm, so he decided to miss out on that one.
Was it a cow farm? What kind of farm was it?
Back home we’ve got just under two-and-a-half-thousand acres of cattle country. We’ve got a 620-cow dairy farm and a 1400-cattle dry stock farm.
Did you ever milk a cow?
Yeah. Lots of hours in the milking shed.
Tell us about New Zealand. Why are there so many world champions in Formula 1 and road race and enduro come out of such a small country? We’re probably very hardworking people. There’s just so much variety. You can ride sand and then you can drive an hour and ride rocks. Then you can drive another hour and be on black topsoil. There’s so much riding. You can race every single weekend if you want to.
Talk about your win last week at the GNCC. That was awesome. You jumped out to the lead and you pulled away.
Yeah. I almost got the holeshot, but Brandy beat me to the line. Then I got into the lead quite early, I think around mile four. Then I guess with the dust, I just managed to pull a huge gap. Becca caught me on the third lap, I think it was. I looked behind me to see how far she was and she was right beside me. Just made some really sketchy passes around some lapped riders and managed to get a few bikes between us. Then slowly opened up the gap again and finished with a 59-second lead.
How did you get hooked up with Randy Hawkins?
I used to train with Paul Whibley quite a bit back home. He lives four hours away from me. On school holidays I’d go down to his place and stay there for a few weeks and just ride and train. You’d come back exhausted and wanting to sleep for a week. But it was good. He got me in contact with Randy and Randy offered to give me an amateur support program last year, and then I ended up fourth overall so I signed a two-year contract to be pro.
What did he make you do? Did he make you roll tires over?
We’d go down to the beach and he’d make us bear crawl backwards up the sand dunes and then run up and down the beach doing sprints holding a big log and stuff, and then wade through the waves. All kinds of weird stuff.
How big of an adjustment was it moving to America? How much different is America from New Zealand?
It was quite scary because I was 17 when I moved over here by myself. It’s a bit of a culture shock, but it’s definitely opened my eyes up. It’s just so different. Over here there’s so many religious people and stuff, which I’m not used to, but I think it’s
taught me a lot. It’s taught me to be grateful for all the little things.
Do you go home every winter? When’s the last time you saw your parents? I went home when COVID first hit, so four months ago.
And you didn’t have any trouble getting back over here?
No. I had to show the border security people my contract and stuff to prove I actually had a paid job and everything.
So you’re racing a little bit of everything. What do you enjoy most?
Definitely GNCC. The longer races I seem to do a lot better in. I’m doing the sprint series this year because I really need to work on my sprint speed. I’m getting my ass kicked this weekend, but it’s okay.
Tayla (Jones) has been riding this a long time. Yeah. I’m on my practice bike, which is kind of flogged.
Where are you staying when you stay over here?
I’m actually living at Randy’s place at the moment. I was renting a house when my boyfriend was over here, but when he moved home I didn’t want to be lonely.
Describe your style. Do you think you’re aggressive, smooth? What’s your riding style?
I’ve definitely had to work on my aggression. I would say I’m more of a smooth rider. I just try to stays consistent and it seems to pay off.
You were definitely aggressive last week at the GNCC. Yeah. GNCC definitely made me be a lot more aggressive. A couple of years ago I definitely wouldn’t have been yelling and screaming. But now I finish the race and I can’t speak because my throat is so sore from yelling at people.
What indulgences have you learned since you’ve been here in the United States?
Probably pickles. No one eats pickles at home. I’m a big bread and butter fan. n
CODY WEBB
BETA USA’S RONNIE COMMO OVERCAME A MISHAP DURING SATURDAY’S QUALIFYING TO FINISH THIRD IN THE FINAL.
FactoryONE Sherco’s Cody Webb won the opening round of the Sherco AMA East Extreme Series with an impressive victory at Tough Like RORR in Tamaquah, Pennsylvania.
Hot and humid, as usual, the rough and rocky 15-mile course took its toll on Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Colton Haakeer, who took the lead on the opening lap of the final when Webb made a mistake and led until late in the lap when he was over-come by heat exhaustion and was forced to pull out with a half-mile remaining in the race.
“I couldn’t even think or see straght enough to fathom finishing,” Haaker posted to his Instagram.
With Haaker out, local boy Ryder LeBlond picked up an impressive second on his KTM.
“Yeah. I was a bit surprised,” said LeBlond. “I thought I was behind Cody and Colton the whole race, but I guess Colton had problems on the last lap. I didn’t get the best start because people had their bikes on and they were turning them on and off. It was kind of messing me up. Then when I went to go, I felt like I was pretty close to last. Somewhere halfway through the first lap I got to third and just stayed there the rest of the race. “
Beta USA riders occupied the next two spots - third and fourth - with Ronnie Commo grabbing the final podium position.
“I started on the second row because I had some issues on Saturday,” said Commo. “I lost the rear tire and mousse off the bead. So I really had to come back from a hole. The second race on Saturday I pushed as hard as I could. I ended up sixth. That put me on the second row in the final and I was third in my group going into the woods, and passed those guys pretty quick. Then tried to reel in the group as quick as I could so I could try and just kind of hang with them. Then quickly realized my pace that I could run comfortably was faster than Fahringer and Gersten. I was like, okay, so I got to get around these guys. Then I just kind of settled in and rode the rest of the day as smooth as I could knowing that I had to hit prison sex after that. Once I ended the first lap I was like, pace yourself. There was one little gnarly hillside, then it was kind of like a national enduro, a little harder on the way back. So you could probably push yourself there if you needed to.”
Gerston followed up in fourth.
“The first lap, I had a decent start and I made just a couple stupid mistakes, just classic rookie mistakes,” said Gerston. “I shouldn’t make those mistakes because I’m not a rookie. I still was able to regroup and keep going pretty good. I actually wasted a lot of energy on the first lap. I was taking bad lines. That just cost me a lot of energy more than anything else. So then coming through the second lap I
kind of regrouped. On the second lap I went out and I rode better. Made an effort to hit my marks, hit my lines and just keep moving forward, use my proper technique. I had a little cramping on that second lap, but it kind of came and went and I was just trying to breathe through it. I just kept pushing forward.
Fahringer and I kept bowing out on the last lap. That kind of kept me pushing forward. I had a forth on the day. I really would have liked to have gotten a podium but my teammate, Como, was riding really, really well. Overall I’m okay with the finish. I would have liked to have done a little bit better, but it was a good experience, I enjoyed the event and had fun.”
Nick Fahringer rounded out the top five, this year on a two-stroke.
“Ironically, last year I did real well on the four-stroke here, but this year we also had a lot more spread of competition,” said Fahringer. “I can’t compare results and bikes. The Sherco 300 was working good today. Yesterday I had some setup changes going into the qualifying and first moto I just was not clicking, so I reverted to stuff I had been more accustomed to. Things felt magical yesterday afternoon. I had a stellar qualifying time in the second moto.
“In the final I got a good start. I was riding with Cody for probably a solid ten, fifteen minutes. I think that was a mistake because I wasn’t able to maintain that. I got pumped up. It just kind of shocked my system. I spent more than half the race kind of trying to recover from doing that, and then just chugging through the rocks in the heat. I was not riding right.
“The second lap went a lot better. I started battling with Max. There was a hill where I took some pretty creative lines and stuck some good moves and got past him. Then I got a little stuck and he passed me at the top. We were both side by side. I looped my bike out and it hit him. He got up and my body cramps, so I’m laying there in the rocks trying to rub on my leg and just get my leg moving. So we just kind of chased each other the last lap which made it fun.”
Former Pro Trials rider Logan Bolopue led the second half of the top-10 in sixth, while Nik Dudukovich, Stephen Edmondson, Danny Lewis, Adam Hartnagel and Quinn Wentzel rounded out the top 10.
Beta USA’s Rachel Gutish took home an $800 check for winning the Women’s Pro division ahead of FactoryONE Sherco’s Louise Forsley and Rode Free Racing’s Annelisa Davis. n
DEBRIEF: CODY WEBB
It was definitely pretty tough. That first lap I was up there and I was thinking, this could definitely be harder than I expected. But two-thirds of the way through that second lap I was kind of like, I understand now. It started kind of just dragging down on you. There’s endless rocks. That first lap, I was riding with Colton there for the huge majority of it. We were having just a really hot pace. I kind of just let him do the pace making there, hoping it would wear him out. Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t. But I was making a lot of mistakes when I was behind him. That second lap I just kind of rode my own race and felt way better even though a little more fatigued. I was trying to conserve energy when he was leading and we were going fast. That’s when I just started making dumb mistakes. Almost went over the bars. I jumped off the bike a couple times. I only had one little tip-over on the second lap. It was fun, but it definitely wears you down.
I think the trickiest part about this track was a lot of off-cambers with loose rocks. That first lap following Colton, he would knock a rock loose and I’d hit it and I almost crashed. So the first lap was almost a little more treacherous. The second lap some of those lines got burned in, so all the off-cambers were pretty untouched for the most part, which makes it tricky. A couple tricky uphills, but the hill climbs weren’t bad. There was one extreme bit where you’re just kind of stuck in a narrow crack the whole way througha deep ravine. I didn’t like that part because I was just dragging my swing arm through there, along with everyone else. There was a left-hand pivot at the end. I didn’t like that one. The rest of them were sweet. There was definitely some parts where I hit my header out there today. So it was tough. A lot of little Carl’s Diner type stuff, almost tailings. But they’ve ran the race a couple years now on those same tailings, so it’s pretty burnt in and nice. The top guys can get a flow through there. I enjoyed myself for sure. I was kind of afraid that first lap how hard we were pushing if I was going to make it or not, but once I got a gap on Colton I just pushed really hard for the whole rest of that lap and about half that second lap. Just put a charge on to get ahead and cruised it into the finish. n
RONNIE COMMO TALKS ABOUT HEART RATE AND RACING
During the race, I really tried to work on my heart rate, keep it down and monitor it as I was riding. A couple times I looked down it was 190 (bpm), so I knew I had to back it off a little bit. Keep it around 170 for the day.
I try to keep it between 155 and 175. That’s a comfortable zone for me. If I get up over 175 I’m really overdoing it. So what I’ll do is I’ll ride smooth in-between the sections and then really put a lot of effort into the hard spots and really focus. I don’t care how much energy it takes to make it as smooth as possible. Then in-between sections ride as smooth as possible and really conserve and bring your heart rate back down. It seems to be working. That’s what I tried to do at King of Motos and it seemed to work really well, so I tried to just implement that again today. Fantastic. It worked out. n
ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA’S COLTON HAAKER IN ONE OF THE SLIPPERY RAVINES.
TOUGH LIKE RORR PHOTO GALLERY
PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE VETTERLY
THAT TIME CODY
WEBB WAS A TRIALS RIDER
MOST OFF-ROADERS CONSIDER CODY WEBB TO BE ONE OF THE TOP EXTREME OFF-ROAD RACERS IN THE WORLD. HOWEVER, MOST PEOPLE IN THE SPORT FORGET (OR NEVER KNEW) THAT CODY STARTED OUT AS A TRIALS RIDER. AND, IN FACT, HE WAS THE 2010 US NATIONAL TRIALS CHAMPION. ON THE PEGS GOT A CHANCE TO SPEAK TO CODY AT TOUGH LIKE RORR TO TALK ABOUT HIS ORIGINS IN THE SPORT.
How did you get started in trials?
I got started riding because my dad grew up and started riding at about twelve years old. He grew up in Nor Cal also and the neighbors had Yamaha TY’s. So my dad grew up as a trials rider. He kind of had the same aspirations for me, obviously. My first bike was a PW50 then a Honda 50, but I just rode trials events on it. So I only rode trials forever. My mom said that motocross bikes were dangerous, so I wasn’t allowed to ride moto bikes. So I just basically rode trials forever because my dad did it. He finished fourth in the nation I think four times. He never won a national, but he got second I know behind Ryan Young in Kentucky. It was like a mud event. My dad was always known for being tough. That was the closest I guess he ever got.
My dad always worked full time and just rode for fun. I grew up basically just riding with him and it got to the point where he wouldn’t even go ride anymore. He would just cut out sections for us to work on. That was before minders were allowed to help riders at events. Now, we have our mechanics, our minders in the pro level, but it was only for pros back then. So he would sign up in the Expert class and he would just barely walk the section. Just go as fast as he could and get around and catch me when I would start in the High School class, which was support only back then. So at the time when I started riding nationals I was ten. I was the youngest person at the time.
At what point did you start really getting serious about trials?
I’d say when I was ten. We started doing all the nationals. We had really no idea where I was. That first year we were just riding a Beta 200 or 125 or something. Then the next year GasGas and Geoff Aaron had that team ERE deal. So it was me, Keith Wienland, I think Wilson Craig was on it. So I was on basically my first year riding. Then I got gear out of it, too. For a kid who I didn’t even know who Geoff Aaron was when I started riding the nationals, because I grew up watching the same two VHS tapes from 1990. It was the Arizona and the Vancouver world trials championships. Jordi Tarres and Doug Lampkin. Doug Lampkin was young at that time for those videos. I watched some of those. I grew up with all the old school trials guys. I was on ERE for a while, and then I think I won the High School championship before I went to high school. Then I moved up to expert that next year and won that championship. Then at the end of that year I moved up to Pro. I still couldn’t even really hop. I just had such strong fundamentals and basics from what my dad taught me.
I haven’t competed pro in five years now, since 2015. But even then, all the younger generation would be busy hopping and wasting all this energy. I was just efficient. Now that I’m an enduro rider, I basically transferred over those same techniques where it’s strong basics where you’re just more efficient on the bike. It worked out, I think. My dad just really instilled that in me.
Talk about those years before and during your 2010 champion year. In 2008 and 2009 I rode the four-stroke Sherco 320 or whatever that thing was. That thing could wear you out. It was a little temperamental. I definitely struggled those two years. I kind of just got over it. Maybe it was the age of my life where I was just like, “Whatever.” I think I was working a little bit then maybe too. I started working as a steam cleaner and heavy equipment. So I just had a lot of other things going on.
I kind of started one day to realize I was overweight for what I should have been. I was just struggling on that four-stroke. I literally couldn’t make any splatter if there was no kicker. Everyone was just trying to tell me it was me and not the bike. Then I basically signed with GasGas in 2010 and I was like, this is going to be a make-or-break year. I was getting pretty deep in all the prerequisites for engineering and school, and my dad with a little bit with EnduroCross but he just rode the enduro bike for fun.
I just put in a valiant effort. At one point I was about 225 pounds and I got down to about 180, under 180. It started in ’09. I started losing weight, just because I was eating a little cleaner. Then I went on a summer trip. We’d do the teen camp and everything with Sherco every year. I had a small salary so I was just poor and cheap compared to the other kids. So I was just eating off the dollar menu - I was just eating less food. Then I got home and I probably lost well over 15 pnds in a couple months. I was like, this is easy. I can keep doing this. Then I just started eating really clean and I would run a lot before I kind of screwed up my feet. Now I don’t run at all anymore. It just hurts.
In 2010 I was like, this is my make or break year. I dominated pretty hard at the trials. I definitely got in Pat Smage’s head because for a while there he was riding so strong. I still think he was capable of beating me that year, but I just rode so good. Mentally it was just on it for me. At that point, I was doing pretty decent with EnduroCross too just because I was a lot fitter then. The last EnduroCross race of the year, I just had a random magazine bike GasGas gave me just for EnduroCross, because it was for fun for me and I podiumed the last race
of the year.
Then I signed with Beta to do trials and enduro. Slowly I just kind of started fading out of the trials thing. I was still doing the nationals, riding the pro level. I was kind of bummed because I had won at least one event every single year until 2015. I almost won the last one of the year because Pat wasn’t here. Andrew Putt got me. So I’m a little bitter about that. Again, I was on the four-stroke Honda. There was one splatter without a kicker and I fived it. It was in Wyoming. Every single lap I fived the same section. I lost by like two points. So fifteen extra points in one section that I watch him fly right out of. Just wide open for like five seconds. Tony Bou is a freak for riding so good.
His bike’s a freak, too.
I had a pretty good one, too, I rode the stock Honda. They built a bike in Spain. It was the first time I ever actually had factory suspension. I actually had built Showa stuff on there. It was really nice. That was really good suspension on the bike. I think it was a bigger motor, like a 280 or something. So it was a super fun bike to ride. I really enjoyed it. For some stuff, I thought it was better, but the splatter… I don’t know what it is.
It was just like a flat wall.
It was undercut too, a little bit. Not even big. Just couldn’t get the lift. With trials, it was just kind of always what I did. I still dabble in it here and there. It’s super fun. It’s all you do. I don’t know if you remember Max Malsbury. He grew up super close to me and we’d ride every weekend. Even Stevie Darrow. We’d ride on weekends with Stevie before he stopped. He stopped earlier than Max. Max was really good. He won the High School championship the year after I did. We called ourselves the California Power Team for a while. Max went away for school. He had a knee injury. I kind of was just riding by myself. I just felt like I lost that progression. Then I started riding the dirt bike when I was riding for Beta and it was like every time I rode I felt like I saw improvements. That’s kind of when things started changing for me.
Tell me how you think trials has helped your big bike riding. I wouldn’t say it’s helped me much at the GNCC, but for this hard enduro stuff, or even I’ve ridden a national enduro before. My first time ever riding an enduro bike I rode with a local A-level guys and I was right there with them and I had
never even ridden a dirt bike in my life. I rode with Scott Summers. He had the BMW deal for a year or two.
The very first time I ever rode was Brad Baumbert of RYP, he had an ’05 Suzuki 250F and Scott set it up for me. I like to think that Scott was impressed. It just makes everything so much easier. I just feel more efficient. You don’t have the aggression, but all your basics, your clutch control, brakes, throttle control… You always know where the rear tire and when to give it gas or when to not.
I think one of the most important things you guys learn from trials is traction, how to get traction.
I honestly feel like I have a direct link to the rear tire. Even today we went out pre-riding a little bit with Thorn Devlin and Max Gersten was there. I did something that was super tricky, a bunch of rocks in a row, kind of getting slicker and slicker as we rode it. I was kind of just trying to help coach Max through it. He’s a really good rider, but he lives in Arizona where there’s endless traction. Here I was like, you have to know where the rear tire is. You can’t just give it gas in the wrong spot. When it gets to that point you have to be so precise. That’s what trials is. It’s just precision. n
USA DEALERS
Dirt Riders West///Mike Carlton///602.370.7546///Phoenix, AZ
Lewisport USA///Adrian & Mandy Lewis///209.785.6878///Copperopolis, CA
Balance Trials Supply///Bill Haskell///720.207.7715///Arvada, CO
Trial Store USA ///Alex Niederer///941.404.0757///Bradenton, FL
Aloha Trials///Clayton Oshita///808.822.2706///Kapaa, HI
Hawaii Rides ///Sam Bird///808.621.6686///Wahiawa, HI
Jack’s Cycles ///Stuart Preston///207.337.1274///South Berwick, ME
Mossy Rock Trials///Dan Larson///406.930.0227///Big Timber, MT
Competition Wheels///James McKenzie///704.906.3238///Concord, NC
HVC Cycle///Brad Obidowski///402.817.4795///Lincoln, NE
Miller Ranch Trials///Aaron & Andy Miller///607.765.8362///Corning, NY
Adroit Engineering ///Jon Rentschler ///440.668.3207///Chardon, OH
Gran Prix Cycle///Gary & Robyn Byers///541.926.3139///Albany, OR
Trials Training Cntr. Charlie or Carey///423.942.8688///Sequatchie, TN
Frank’s Motorbikes///Frank Kergil///425.603.9000///Bellevue, WA
ALIENauTOpSy
CODY WEBB’S SHERCO SE300 EXTREME BIKE
While we were at the recent Tough Like RORR Extreme race over the Fourth of July weekend, OTP had a chance to talk to FactoryONE Sherco factory mechanic Cody Richelderfer, where he gave us an exclusive look at Cody Webb’s extreme racing Sherco SE300.
Here’s Cody R going through Cody W’s bike for us:
So, this bike is the same bike Cody raced at King of the Motos and it’s a 2020 SE 300, although we’ve updated the Rekluse clutch; we’ve got some newer, better parts for the clutch.
So, from a box stock bike to here, the biggest changes we did to it are the
Rekluse clutch, which is better for heat. It’s a manual Torque Drive.
The Ride Shop has setup the suspension for us. It’s got A-kit forks and shock. The stock stuff actually works just about as good, to be honest. Not the valving, but if you valve the stock stuff it works pretty well. But this stuff looks prettier.
We’ve got an FMF full exhaust on it. This bike actually comes with an FMF, so we just changed the silencer. It’s a factory finish pipe, which was built especially for the team.
It’s more or less a production bike that Cody’s worked on quite a bit to get just a little bit more clearance underneath, a little more clearance to the radiators just to get the fit where he wanted it. So, we worked a lot on that. Same with the P3 skid plate. We did a lot of work with P3 to get it tight against the engine, tight against the frame so it doesn’t hold mud. Just the way we like everything to fit, bolt on, and ready to roll.
Same with XC gear. We use Mako XC Gear bar clamps. Cody really likes those. We weren’t sure when we first saw them because they looked big and we didn’t know
what to expect, but there’s a lot of cushion on them. They’re really forgiving. They actually look good. They’re really sweet. I’m a fan of them now.
The triple clamps are stock, built by Nekken. Basically the engine is stock, besides the clutch.
Don’t have any heat issues, so there’s no reason to modify the radiators. We have a stock fan, stock radiator, stock hoses, and stock water pump. It’s all stock.
The linkage is stock. For the P3 skidplate, we’ve got the linkage guard built into it.
Dubya made wheels for us with Talon hubs and A60 rims. This race will be our first race with the Nitro Mousses. They worked with us a lot to get a Mousse we liked. I drilled it a certain way for us. It’s sweet.
The rotors are stock rotors, although we do have Topar guards on them. We run the Topar rear guard.
We also have Moto Seat seat cover, ODI bars, ODI grips and a DID chain; and Oring chain.
Flo footpegs, and Bulletproof radiator braces are also on the bike. That’s a big one. Flo sprockets and foot pegs.
We changed the gearing for extreme racing. It’s got a 14/51 on it right now. Standard is 14/50.
For the rocky terrain here at Tough Like RORR, we are running the Kenda Gnarly rear tire. It’s his favorite one right now. It’s actually a shorter lug than the Ibex but he likes how it works really well. The front tire we’re running a Washougal, at least for tomorrow because it’s a little bit maybe easier or faster. Then probably for Sunday we’ll switch to the sticky tire, a Washougal sticky.
The levers are ARC levers.
I can’t forget Super B batteries; they are great and a big supporter. n
gOOd Old TImES blOg HUSQVARNA SPEAKS VOLUMES
by kENNETH OlauSSON pHOTOS: HuSQvaRNa
Between 1969 and 1970 the Swedes doubled both production and sales over a period of only one year. There were two main reasons for this success – the growing American market and a surge in demand for offroad and desert machines, which represented a huge market. By now, Husqvarna had won their first Baja 1000 and Mint 400 races and, after two motocross world titles by Bengt Aberg, the brand name was highly respected in Europe and all over the globe.
There is a wonderful story from 1974 when the Husqvarna factory rider Hans Hansson was to ride the famous ‘Onkel Toms Hütte’ enduro race in West Germany. “For the first time, I was to compete with the automatic gearbox 360-machine, which interested the technically minded Germans who wanted to know more about our concept,” Hansson said with a smile on his face. “They looked with astonishment as there was no clutch lever on the handlebars. Despite my poor German,
I managed to explain the system and that the centrifugal power resulted in the engine drive. Later that night, one of the German technicians phoned me at the hotel asking me to wrap up my engine with a solid protection in case the power plant would explode. “At least, do have a sack around it,” he said. Some genius came to the conclusion that my engine was dangerous and would have caused havoc when parts started to hit the poor spectators. Well, I was allowed to start the race and all the bystanders survived! Sadly, I broke down and had to retire when the chain collapsed.”
In the United States things were burning hot for Husqvarna. One great enduro victory would be followed by a big desert win. Not only was the brand attracted by top U.S. riders such as Malcolm Smith, JN Roberts, John Penton and Bud Ekins, but the famous film star Steve McQueen was also a true Husqvarna fan. He was often seen in the Mojave Desert, riding shotgun with his buddies Ekins and Swede Rolf Tibblin. The treble Swedish world champion was by now settled in the U.S. and lived in California. In San Diego, Tibblin set up a training centre for bike buffs. This
Husqvarna-sponsored camp was also held in the vicinity of San Diego and became very popular to a large young audience.
By 1972 Husqvarna was done with their old crankcase design, which dated back to the 1950s. Now, the factory had developed a new power plant in two versions –a WR unit for offroad riding (Wide Ratio) and a CR outfit for motocross (Close Ratio). On top of it all, the Swedes also introduced a big five-speed 450 WR machine and a nimble six-speed 125cc bike. All these novelties were needed to satisfy the demanding Americans, who cued for the latest Husqvarna bikes. The directors in Sweden now had a five-year plan, aiming to sell 30,000 units yearly. In two years, sales were up by 240 percent and close to 15,000 units – already halfway to their future dreams. At this stage, there were broad smiles at the factory in Huskvarna.
In 1973 Husqvarna had two strong Six Days teams competing for the Silver Vase at the ISDT, now being held in the United States. The American team was led by Malcolm Smith and Dick Burleson while the leading Swedish men were Hans Hansson and Bengt-Olof Gustavsson. Sweden led over the United States until the final stages when Hansson drenched his machine in a ditch and was point-penalized. The victory went to the home team while the Swedes had to be content with second spot. But Husqvarna was the overall winner with two teams on the podium. The oil embargo from OPEC had a strong and negative impact on the Swedish brand. Just as things started to work out well in terms of production, sales slumped as restrictions were imposed for offroad riding in the United States.
In the mid-1970s Husqvarna worked hard to develop new machinery. In 1976 there was a 360 WR model. Two years later it was tuned to a 390 WR while the 430 WR came along during 1981. In 1974 an odd 175cc WR was presented. It was a killer in the woods where this featherweight bike had a little character from a 250cc engine. During a few years, it sold well in the USA. Also, the cross-country program with the XC-line for desert riding was now successful with good sales.
The strategy at the factory was to implement novelties in racing and see if it worked. Ideas were then developed and transferred into the production line. The offroad results in enduro and desert were unmatched during the 1970s, when the Swedish brand won a series of important trophies. In 10 years, Husqvarna won 14 Baja races in the 500/1000 classes. They also captured 10 AMA National Enduro Championships, of which the American Dick Burleson won seven titles. In 1979 the Swedish ace Steve Tell from Stockholm took the first overall Novemberkasan trophy on a 125cc Husky machine, which was a surprising achievement to everybody in the trade. Nobody expected such a tiny motorcycle, with so few horsepower, to be able to challenge the big guys on ‘stronger’ machines. n
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EE BRAKE PEDAL TIP
The EE Brake Pedal tip has been designed to be stronger than stock, offering maximum grip with an aggressive tread. Made in the USA out of high-grade stainless steel.
TRIALS TRAINING CENTER TRIALS TRAINING CENTER
2020 Schedule
February 23: CTC Fun Trial
(Following STRA Banquet on February 22)
March 28-29: Bicycle Event
April 4-5: Trials Training Days
April 18-19: Spring Splash Trial (STRA)
May 30-32: Southern 4WD Meet and Greet
June 29-July 1: Family Camp
July 2-4: East Coast Youth Nationals & Women’s Open
July 3: TDN Fundraiser Gate Trial
July 5-9: Invitational Teen Camp
August 14-16: 10th Annual Kenda TKO
September TBA: ITSA Vintage Trial National
October 17-18: 28th Annual 58K Fall Trial (STRA)
November 8: Bicycle Event
December 6: Toy Trial - CTC Winter Series Round 1
Due to Covid-19 restrictions in Spain, the 2021 Mecatecno Dragonfly production will be delayed until the first quarter of 2021. More information can be found on: www.mecatecno.biz
• A versatile trials or trail bike (with the addition of a removable seat)
• The T-18 Dragonfly is an adult electric trials bike featuring a real hydraulic clutch
• A 5 speed gearbox provides the best match of engine power to terrain requirements
• M4 39mm Aluminum AIR FORKS
• Special Ohlins shock direct to swing arm (Linkless suspension)
• 3 hr quick change battery
• Weighs in at 132 pounds
