In the E3 division, David Knight  continues to reign surpreme. The Manxman topped Friday night’s Super Test and went into the weekend with the upper hand. Gas Gas rider Christophe Nambotin was able to edge him out for top honors on Saturday by a mere two seconds, but Knight returned fire the following day and topped Sunday’s E3 competition by nearly 30 seconds………..

Check out the full story at Cyclenews.com

Nearly 1200 riders representing eight countries attended the series opener, which saw no less than five different riders hold the lead at one point or another in the highly competitive XC1 division.

At the drop of the green flag, it was defending series champ Paul Whibley taking the $250 Motorcycle-USA.com Holeshot Award on his Am-Pro WR450F. Meanwhile, Strang was at the back of the pack after his bike failed to start on the first kick. At the end of the first lap, however, it was last year’s River Ranch winner, Charlie Mullins, holding a lead the Obermeyer/Am-Pro Yamaha rider eventually turned into a 45-second advantage. And at the midway point of the race, Mullins looked to be well on his way to his second-straight River Ranch win, however he eventually fell victim to one of the waterholes that littered the rough and sandy 14-mile course…..

Check out the full story at GNCCracing.com

David Knight: “All things considered I’m really pleased with the way the event went. Really it was a case of getting on and racing the bike in an enduro to find out what areas of the bike need to be worked on, and I know exactly what I need to do now. A better result on day one would have been nice, but the important thing for me was that I was able to make changes to the bike and improve the bike during the event. Having only had a few weeks on the Kawasaki I knew that the bike wouldn’t be set-up properly for enduros straight away. The few small changes that we made after the first day resulted in a big difference on day two – I know what areas I need to work on, and what direction to go in, now.

“I struggled a little on the first day do get the power down on the special tests. I was also riding a little bit too smoothly. There wasn’t any time to change anything so it was just a case of sticking with it. Third isn’t brilliant but both Edmondson and Wakely were riding well. I learned a lot about the bike, which was the most important thing for me. I changed the gearing and softened the suspension for the second day and it was better straight away. As the tests dried out the bike was awesome. Everything is heading in the right direction, which I’m pleased about it. My riding improved as well. Paul Edmondson is still one of the fastest riders in the world on slippery, grassy conditions so to beat him on the second day is good. I know what direction I want to go in now and what stuff I want to test. I really enjoyed both days, had a good laugh, and learned a lot about the bike, which is what I wanted to do.”

Results – ’09 BEC Rnd 2, Knighton Enduro

Day 1
1. Paul Edmondson (Suzuki)
2. Si Wakely (Husqvarna)
3. David Knight (Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team)

Day 2

1. David Knight (Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team)
2. Paul Edmondson (Suzuki)
3. Greg Evans (KTM)

Dietrich, the AMA’s Racer of the Year in 2008 thanks in part to his outstanding performance in EnduroCross, returns as the defending champion. But the racer who won the most main events three was his teammate, Huffman. The former supercross star ended up losing the title when a crash and broken finger at Columbus Ohio kept him out of that main event. Dietrich and Huffman will no doubt again be the favorites to vie for the EX Pro class championship, but will certainly have their hands full when you look down the registered rider list……..

For the full story check out Racer X Online

In addition, Timmy Weigand will replace the injured Nathan Woods on the U.S. World Trophy Team, which will contest the World Trophy Team Championship. Woods was injured while competing in round six of the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS).

“We’re thrilled that these world-class riders are joining the ISDE effort as part of Team USA,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “Campaigning the ISDE takes skill and dedication. It’s not only six days of the toughest motorcycle racing on the planet, but months of preparation to get there. The AMA members who have stepped up to race for America at the 85th ISDE rank among this country’s most-talented riders and we look forward to supporting them in Portugal this October.

“We’re also happy to welcome Timmy Weigand to the U.S. World Trophy Team and wish Nathan a speedy recovery,” Dingman added.

Weigand, who will be representing the United States at the ISDE for the first time, rides for Johnny Campbell Racing, primarily in the AMA-sanctioned World Off-Road Championship Series. The other members of the U.S. World Trophy Team, which was announced in March, include Destry Abbott, Kurt Caselli, Ricky Dietrich, Jimmy Jarrett and Nathan Kanney.

“Kurt called me a week and a half ago and said I was in the running, then Johnny (Campbell) called me the next day and said I was selected and that he would be fully supporting me,” Weigand said. “This is going to be a lot of hard work, but a great experience and a great time. The team is solid. We got a podium last year, and we hope to do better than that. I’m the new guy, but hopefully I can ride smart. I have some good teachers in Kurt and Johnny.”

Weigand says the focus right now is getting the bike ready to ship to Portugal.

“I’ll be riding a Honda CRF250 in the E1 class,” he said. “Right now it’s a mad dash to get it ready. The bike has to be on the container in Portland in two weeks. As for setup, we’re definitely going for reliability. The bike is going to be pretty much stock so it can last the entire six days without a ton of work. I’m just happy to be going. It’s great to ride for your country at a major event like the ISDE.”

The U.S. Junior Trophy Team fields four riders 23 years old or younger. Led by five-time ISDE veteran Team Captain David Kamo, the Junior Trophy Team also will include defending AMA/Rekluse National Enduro Champion Russell Bobbitt, Grand National Cross Country racer Cory Buttrick and WORCS racer Jamie Lanza.

“We have the team we wanted to have,” said Kamo, who’s currently leading the points for the 2009 AMA Racing National Hare & Hound Championship. “It’s a strong team. We have an enduro racer, a WORCS racer, a GNCC racer and a desert racer. Russell is super fast, Jamie will never give up, and Cory, as well as he’s going in the GNCCs this year, he deserves to be there. As for me, I’m just happy to be on the team and, honestly, I hope those guys ride so well that I’m our drop-out rider. If I’m the drop-out rider, that just means everyone else is riding strong.”

Current plans call for Lanza to race the E1 class, which features 100cc to 125cc two-stroke and 175cc to 250cc four-stroke motorcycles; Bobbitt and Buttrick to race the E2 class, which features 175cc to 250cc two-stroke and 290cc to 450cc four-stroke motorcycles; and Kamo to ride the E3 class, which features 290cc to 500cc two-stroke and 475cc to 650cc four-stroke motorcycles.

The U.S. Women’s Trophy Team finished second in Greece last year to the French team, a year after winning the Women’s World Cup in Chile. The team will include veterans Maria Forsberg, Mandi Mastin and Lacy Jones.

“I am extremely excited to be going to Portugal this year representing the United States Women’s Trophy Team,” Mastin said. “This will be the eighth ISDE that I have competed in and the third since the Women’s World Team was created. I consider it a great honor to be involved in the race and look forward to going to Portugal healthy and ready to bring home the trophy again this year. Maria proved last year in Greece that she has what it takes to compete with some of the fastest women in the world, and Lacy is also a returning member to the team with two ISDE experiences. The three of us plan on working as hard as we can to win the Women’s World Trophy again this year.”

While the Trophy Team, the Women’s Trophy Team and the Junior Trophy Team are a critical piece of the U.S. effort, they are a small part of the entire U.S. contingent that makes the trek to the annual event. Dozens of club team riders will also represent the U.S. at the 2009 ISDE.

The following riders were selected as club team members: Toby Atkins, David Booth, Jordan Brandt, Joel Burkett, Billy Burns, Nick Fahringer, Jeff Fredette, Don Grahn, Nick Hamill, Fred Hoess, Zach Lipana, Brent Martell, Garrett Mayer, Shawn O’Leary, Ryan Powell, Ben Smith, Brian Sperle, Rory Sullivan, Troy Swettenam, Lars Valin and Chilly White.

America’s motorcyclists can help support Team USA, and looking good while doing it, by buying an official Team USA ISDE T-Shirt. All proceeds support the massive effort to transport the riders, bikes and crew to and from Portugal. To buy a shirt, just visit AmericanMotorcyclist.com, click on Gear, then select Apparel.

For more information on the ISDE and Team USA, please see AMARacing.com.

TROPHY TEAM
Destry Abbott
Kurt Caselli
Ricky Dietrich
James Jarrett
Nathan Kanney
Timmy Weigand

JUNIOR TROPHY TEAM
Russell Bobbitt
David Kamo
Jamie Lanza
Cory Buttrick

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TEAM
Lacy Jones
Mandi Mastin
Maria Forsberg

JAFMAR RACING (Laura Claypoole, manager)
Jeff Fredette
Chilly White
Don Grahn

MISSOURI MUDDERS (Jay Hall, manager)
Lars Valin
Toby Atkins
Billy Burns

TONY AGONIS (Bob Agonis, manager)
Fred Hoess
Nick Fahringer
Ben Smith

DESERT MC
Shawn O’Leary
Joel Burkett
Nick Hamill

GO FASTERS.COM (Steve Berkner, manager)
Brian Sperle
Ryan Powell
Jordan Brandt

NW CLUB TEAM
Rory Sullivan
Troy Swettenam
Zach Lipana

CLUB TEAM 2
Brent Martell
David Booth
Garrett Mayer

Defending GNCC champion Knight who just recently left a BMW ride in Europe to make this GNCC trip possible,  took home the $10,000 overall win prize, as well as an additional $1000 for topping the XC1 class. The big-purse Snowshoe event, the only off-road race of its kind to take place at a ski resort, also paid a $5000 bonus  to Whibley and $3000 to Kanney.

GNCCRacing.com

It’s hard to believe but just six months into their debut season together David Knight and the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team have got their separate ways. Joining the team for his return to the World Enduro Championship following two triumphant seasons in the States that saw him earn two GNCC titles and an EnduroCross title, the enduro world waited with baited breath to see what the Manx/German union would deliver in ‘09.

For the full story go to CycleNews.com

Having joined the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team at the beginning of this year with the goal of bagging another WEC title, Knighter was plagued by bad results, allegedly caused by his failure to gel with the BMW motorcycle. A quote from the Manxman says it all: “I simply felt that I couldn’t move forward with the bike. My performances weren’t what I, or the team, hoped they’d be, which I think everyone could see. The bike simply didn’t suit my way of riding, it’s as simple as that. Like I said the team worked hard to give me what I wanted but in the end I felt it was best that I walked away. I’d like to wish BMW all the very best for the rest of this season….”

For the full story go to DirtRiderMagazine.com