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DAY 4 UPDATE – Caselli tears up special tests!

dick.lague — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:51:59 +0000

Kurt Caselli is tearing up this new day 4 course with overall wins in Special tests 1, 3, and 5. He also placed 2nd in test 6 by .04 seconds behind Juha Salminen!

He was 3rd in test 2 and 8th in test 4. Seems like this course is to his liking.

Overall he is in 4th spot behind the 3 Fins, Remes,Salminen, and Tarkala, but the spread between 4th and 2nd is only one minute.

Kurt Caselli tears up special test.

Final results for the day are not in, but with this performance there is a good chance the US will eat into Spain’s position ahead of them….stay tuned.

ISDE 2011 Finland USA Team

jefflague — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 22:09:10 +0000

The AMA announced the ISDE Team that will be representing the USA at the 2011 International Six Days Enduro in Kotka, Finland August 8-13, 2011. Be sure to stay tuned to ISDE.tv for all the latest ISDE news and daily video updates. Keep reading to get the official release on this years team.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is pleased to announce the U.S. riders for the World Trophy Team that will contest the 86th International Six Days Enduro (ISDE). For 2011, taking on the best off-road racers in the world, Aug. 8-13, in Kotka-Hamina, Finland, are: Destry Abbott, Russell Bobbitt, Kurt Caselli, Jimmy Jarrett, Nathan Kanney and Colton Udall.

“It’s no secret that Europe is home to some of the best off-road racers in the world, and the U.S. ISDE team is looking forward to facing these riders on their home turf,” said AMA Off-Road Racing Manager Chuck Weir. “The Trophy Team is a mix of new talent and veteran experience. These riders know and respect each other, and will work together to put Americans on the podium at this storied international competition.”

The World Trophy Team is one of three premier teams that represent the United States at the ISDE. The other premier teams are the Junior Trophy Team, which fields four riders younger than 23, and the Women’s Trophy Team, which fields three riders. In addition, several club team members represent the United States at the event.

The AMA Team USA Junior Trophy Team will include Brad Bakken from Powhatan, Va.; Ian Blythe from Sedalia, Colo.; Cory Buttrick from Logan, Ohio; and Andrew DeLong from Morgantown, Pa. While individual classes are still being determined for the Junior Trophy Team riders, Bakken will ride a KTM 250, Blythe will compete on a Honda, Buttrick will field a KTM, and DeLong will race a KTM 250.

The AMA Team USA Women’s Cup Team will include Nicole Bradford from Avon, Colo.; Amanda Mastin from Whitehouse, Ohio; and Kerrie Swartz from Moore, Okla. Bradford will compete on a KTM 250 in the E2 class. Mastin will race a Husqvarna 250 in the E1 class, and Swartz will ride a KTM 250 in the E2 class.

The U.S. ISDE team has also designated a Senior Club Team of veterans from the club team members. This year, the club team will feature Dennis Decker from Pleasant Valley, N.Y.; Motorcycle Hall of Famer Jeff Fredette from Beecher, Ill.; and Jake Vainio from Park City, Utah.

Riders at the ISDE compete in one of three displacement classes: the E1 class, which features 100cc to 125cc two-stroke and 175cc to 250cc four-stroke motorcycles; the E2 class, which features 175cc to 250cc two-stroke and 290cc to 450cc four-stroke motorcycles; and the E3 class, which features 290cc to 500cc two-stroke and 475cc to 650cc four-stroke motorcycles.

The U.S. Trophy Team is anchored by five ISDE veterans, along with the rookie Udall. It is led by team co-captains Abbott and Caselli.

Abbott, from Peoria, Ariz., contests the AMA Racing National Hare & Hound Championship Series for Monster Energy Kawasaki. The 38-year-old five-time AMA National Hare & Hound Champion is a five-time ISDE Gold Medalist and will represent the United States on the Trophy Team for the seventh time. Abbott is competing on a Kawasaki KX450 in the E2 class.

“Finland is going to be tough, but if we all go and ride our own race, we expect to get on the podium,” Abbott said. “We face Italy and France, two strong teams, and Finland is a team we always battle with, so with the ISDE being in Finland, it’s going to be a dogfight. I’m not real experienced with Finland, but I understand it’s gravelly, rocky, and there’s a lot of water. It sounds somewhat tight, but not like ‘gnarly tight’ Eastern U.S. trails, so our desert riders should adapt well.”

Abbott said that the ISDE is always a highlight of his season.

“I’ve always loved the ISDE,” Abbot said. “I started on a club team, got my experience and have worked my way up. It’s not easy. There are a lot of things that can happen on a bike for seven to eight hours a day, and you only have 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night, and it’s hard to understand how mentally tough it is. The transfer sections aren’t always easy, and if you lose your focus, you can find yourself off the trail. I love it, though. You have to be a great all-around rider. You have to be good at off-road, moto, working on the bike. It’s a real test.”

Although the details are still being worked out, Abbott says it appears that, with the exception of Udall in the E1 class and Kanney in the E3 class, the rest of the Trophy Team will ride 450cc bikes in the E2 class.

Caselli, from Palmdale, Calif., is returning to the team for the fifth time. The 27-year-old Caselli, who races off-road events for the KTM/FMF Racing factory team, has placed the ISDE near the top of his racing program the past few years.

Bobbitt, from Fayetteville, Ga., currently leads the point race in the AMA Racing Rekluse National Enduro Championship Series, presented by Moose Racing. He also competes in the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series. Bobbitt is a three-time AMA National Enduro Champion. In 2006, he was a member of the winning ISDE Junior Trophy Team. Bobbitt races for the KTM/FMF Racing factory team.

Jarrett, from Salem, Ohio, also brings several years of experience to the team. Jarrett races the GNCC Series for GEICO Powersports Honda. This will be the Ohioan’s seventh year representing the United States on the Trophy Team.

Kanney is another veteran on the team this year. He is currently contesting the GNCC Series for WMR/Planet Fitness/KTM. Kanney is an experienced ISDE and World Enduro Championship rider.

While the World Trophy Team, the Women’s Trophy Team and the Junior Trophy Team are critical pieces of the U.S. effort, they are but one component of the overall AMA contingent that makes the trek to the annual event. Club team riders also will ride on the team.

Club teams this year include GoFasters.com (Greg Gillian, Max Gerston and Brent Martell); Tony Agonis (Fred Hoess, Glenn Scherer, Cody Schafer), Missouri Mudders (J.D. Friebel, Caleb Wohletz, Morgan Moss), Carter Engineering (Chase Bishop, Bryan Petty, Michael Sanders). The Senior team of Decker, Fredette and Vainio also will compete with the club teams.

The AMA’s ISDE effort would be impossible without various companies that have stepped up to provide support. These include Arai, Spectro and Motion Pro.

America’s motorcyclists can help support the U.S. ISDE team, and look good doing it, by buying an official U.S. ISDE T-shirt. All proceeds support the massive effort to transport the riders, bikes and crew to and from Finland. To buy a shirt, just visit the AMA’s online store at AmericanMotorcyclist.com > ISDE Team Info > Buy An Official T-Shirt.

For more information on the U.S. ISDE team, please see AmericanMotorcyclist.com.

Day 5 and the US Teams Still Going Strong

jefflague — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 15:36:36 +0000

Team USA’s quest for International Six Day Enduro podium finishes, and individual gold, silver and bronze finish medals, officially has one day to go after Day-five concluded late Friday afternoon, in Morelia, Mexico, setting the stage for top finishing honors in the World Trophy Team, Junior Trophy Team, Women’s Trophy Team and Club Team categories.

Timmy Weigand in a special test - photo:Berkner

In the premier World Trophy Team division team USA’s hopes of that podium finish, at best, is an outside shot as their six-rider team, made up of Kurt Caselli, Destry Abbott, Jimmy Jarrett, Nathan Woods, Timmy Weigand and Mike Brown, appear to have come up short of making the podium. The US team sits in fourth place, 12 minutes and 28 seconds behind Finland, a virtual impossible amount of time to make up during the final mot test.

Destry Abbott on Day 5 - photo: Berkner

Abbott commented on the Day-six final moto and his team’s performance this week. “Six Days always comes down to the final moto and it looks like we are going to come up short. We brought the best six riders we could this year and we just came up a little short each day,” Said Abbott. “The Europeans are just so good at this type of racing that once you get behind it’s almost impossible to make up a lot of time, especially in one test. We’re all still looking forward to the final test tomorrow as we all love to moto.”

In the Junior Trophy Team competition Team USA has its work cut out for its remaining three riders in the four-ride 23 and under division where they are currently in third place behind Spain and Sweden, who are 8:22.78 and 1:53.24 seconds respectively ahead of the US team. Finland trails the US team by 2:28.94.

Scheduled to ride in the final moto test are Nick Fahringer, Ian Blythe and Taylor Roberts. Blythe said, “The whole week comes down to the last moto for us. We have something like two minutes to make up to move into second and about two minutes form dropping back (to fourth.) I’m actually an enduro guy but I still like to moto cross. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.” The fourth rider on the for the US juniors is Cory Buttrick who retired after Day-one due to injuries.

Nicole Bradford changing tires - photo: Berkner

The US women’s team of Nicole Bradford, Amanda Mastin and Kerri Swartz find themselves in a virtual lock on second place where they are one hour 10 minutes behind France and 5 minutes and 11 seconds ahead of Sweden, who are in third. Swartz retired after Day-four due to “houring out.”

Mastin said, “Trust me, nothing is for certain when It comes to Six Days, as anything can happen on your way to the final moto. I’ve been there, in New Zealand (in 2007) my bike quit running half way to the final moto which was only 5 miles away down a paved road. I eventually got my bike going but at the time I was thinking I just went through five days of hell and I’m going to have a little mechanical problem 5 minutes from the final moto stop me. No way.”

In the three-rider club team division the US Team of Fred Hoess, Andrew Delong and Wally Palmer, Team Tony Agonis Memorial, have all but lost their bid for a fourth place finish when Palmer was taken to the hospital at the end of Day-five with complications with his right leg where the US doctors feared a broken leg. Palmer injured the leg on Day-four but rode on to try and finish.

The GoFasters.com team of Brian Sperle, Nolan Irwin and Jordan Brandt are the next top finishing American club team who are in 5th place at the end of Day-five.

All 31 American riders who started Day-five finished with Palmers start on Day-six very questionable.

Day 4 Video: Nathan Woods

jefflague — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 21:24:50 +0000

Our cameras hitch a ride with Nathan Woods as he is headed to the parc ferme for the start of Day 4. Its a cold morning and hard to get the body warmed in time for the first special test of the day.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Day 4 Video: Brian Sperle

jefflague — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 21:09:06 +0000

USA Club Rider Brian Sperle is not having a great six days this year. He has been struggling and feeling sick all week, but is still in the race.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Day 4 Video: Destry Abbott

jefflague — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 18:54:35 +0000

Destry Abbott and his trusty Kawasaki are doing well in the 2010 ISDE in Morelia, Mexico. We talk with him on the cold day 4 morning before his start time.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Day 4 Video: Mike Brown

jefflague — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 18:41:15 +0000

KTM rider Mike Brown learned a few things in his first six days. The motocrosser, turned off road racer, turned six days rider takes some time before the start of Day 4 to talk to our cameras.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Day 4 Video: Jimmy Jarrett

jefflague — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:35:42 +0000

Jimmy Jarrett has been on the USA Trophy Team many times in years past. We catch up with him before the start of Day 4 at the 2010 ISDE and he gives us the scoop about how day 3 went and what the trails down Mexico are like.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Day 3 Video: Nathan Woods

jefflague — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 18:14:50 +0000

Its the half way point of the 2010 ISDE and our cameras caught up with Nathan Woods at the end of Day 3. Woods is racing in his 2nd ISDE event. His first one was Greece in 2008 and this year in Morelia, Mexico.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Day 3 Video: Ian Blythe

jefflague — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:30:02 +0000

USA Junior Trophy Team member Ian Blythe has been doing really well all week at the 2010 International Six Days Enduro. We catch up with him on Day 3 to get his take on his first six days.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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