» Electric Start
» Adjustable Power Valve
» Dual Map Selection
» Hydraulic Clutch
» Automatic Oil Injection
» Easy Access Air Filter Box
» Sachs ZF Forks with Tool-less Adjustability
» Off-Road Light & Meter Package
» Similar Weight to 125 model but with added Torque
2O23
2-Stroke - 200
PG 32 - ZEROBS TRIALS SCHOOL
PG 22 - CAJUN CLASSIC
PG 62 - NEPG DRAGON'S BACK
PG 86 - USSE HIGH VOLTAGE
PG 44 - NATC IN COLORADO
PG 72 - GNCC HOOSIER
Steph Vetterly ADVERTISING
Steph Vetterly
stephanie@onthepegsmagazine.com
Abigail Buzzelli
Brian Pierce
Seat Time
Bernie Schreiber
Scott Williams
Tom Trantow
Shan Moore
Kayla Bolton
Ken Hill
Allie Spurgeon
Mack Faint
The Mecatecno factory has been producing the Dragonfly electric trials bikes for over a month now with deliveries to many countries. The bikes are working very well, as my test/demo has been since I received it last November. The bike is very light (132 lbs) and easy to ride with the option of three modes of power that will suit the requirements of any rider. The clutch, if needed, is very soft and the battery will provide five hours of moderate speed riding with a 2.5 hour re-charge time. Retail price is $11,299, not including shipping to your destination. The first container of 24 bikes is due to arrive at my warehouse around May 24th. They are almost all sold out, so contact me to order and for any further information.
www.midwestmototrials.com
• The T-18 Dragonfly is direct-drive from the motor to the rear wheel
• An easy-pull diaphragm clutch for maximum control and traction
• New M4 39mm Aluminum AIR FORKS are the lightest on the market
• Linkless Ohlins shock direct to the swing arm
• 5 hour+ quick change and fast charge battery
• Weight 132 pounds
• Seat can be added for trail riding comfort
With the start of the 2023 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship fast approaching, GASGAS is excited to be getting a little more involved in the HEWC series by officially supporting the Women's Hard Enduro Performance Award. Starting at round one in Serbia, and running throughout the championship, at each of the series’ seven stops one worthy female competitor will have her efforts recognized and be awarded with a super-cool trophy.
The goal of the new award is simple – to highlight the place of women in motorsport, promote and develop female participation, while
encouraging more women to take part. Not focused exclusively on the highest finishing female competitor at each event, the Women's Hard Enduro Performance Award will consider all outstanding female performances.
Together with the HEWC series, GASGAS is fully committed to helping push female participation in hard enduro sport to an exciting new level. Who knows, we might soon see a rider capable of matching the incredible successes of GASGAS Brand Ambassador Laia Sanz!
GASGAS Head of Global Marketing:
“GASGAS is all about encouraging all riders to join in the action and especially on two wheels! We're thrilled to be involved with such awards that will hopefully encourage more riders to join the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship and support the new Women’s Hard Enduro Performance Award. In the HEWC, the women race alongside the men and we have seen some incredible performances from GASGAS Brand Ambassador Laia Sanz over the years, we hope this new award will attract more talented racers to the series and support the growth of the sport.”
FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Manager:
“With the Women’s Hard Enduro Performance Award supported by GASGAS we want to provide a platform to highlight and promote the extraordinary performances of our female competitors. Especially as they compete on a level playing field with their male competitors in the Hard Enduro World Championship. Riders like Laia Sanz, Sandra Gomez, and Jane Daniels have achieved great things, but ultimately, we want to see more and more female riders compete on a regular basis. With this award, we hope it will help us work towards that goal and make a positive and proactive step forward in Hard Enduro.”
courtesy of BETA USA
Beta USA starts construction on their new USA distribution center and business offices in Paso Robles, CA. This new facility will include all departments under one roof including spare parts, motorcycle warehousing, an office complex, technical and race team departments, as well as a stateof-the-art dealer technical training center.
“It is a dream for us to start the build of our new facility! Our company has seen steady growth in the USA that revolves around a quality product and a service after the sale that we take pride in. Beta customers are not part of our 'Market Share' but rather part of our family. We have an amazing group here in the USA loaded with talent. This new facility will allow us to operate
much more efficiently and expand the capabilities we are able to offer our customers and dealer network. The new headquarters will also contribute positively to our entry into the motocross market as well as aid the expansion of our off-road and trials business. It has been a pleasure to work alongside all of our dealers nationwide and I can't wait to see what the future brings.” said Tim Pilg, Beta USA President.
Beta is one of the largest growing manufacturers
of high-quality on and off-road motorcycles. Beta USA has been distributing Beta motorcycles in the USA since 2007 and has more than 200 dealerships in the United States. Beta USA’s parent company is based in Florence, Italy, and has been owned and operated by the same family since 1905.
The most unique off-road sprocket available on today's market, Sunstar's WORKS Z is a stainless steel rear sprocket for most 125cc and up applications. This sprocket is up to three times more durable than standard steel & could last up to 10x longer than aluminum! Thanks to the self cleaning, off-set tooth design, this sprocket helps keep the entire drive system more clear of mud, dirt, and debris extending
the life of the sprockets and chain. It is made from SUS410db stainless steel and is 100% heat treated. Hardware kit included. Perfect combination with our 520XTG offroad sealed chain & power-drive countershaft sprockets.
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Extended cover for maximum protection of the disc and the brake caliper to protect them from mud, stones and debris. Designed for the best resistance to impacts. Made from carbon fiber. Air intakes designed to ensure airflow to the braking system. Easy and intuitive assembly. Mounting bracket included! Fits 2013+ RR & 2014+ RS/RR-S & 2021+ RX.
Current Price: $205.99
New Ride Eng. 20.5mm & 22mm offset split triple clamps for Beta. Ride Eng. split triple clamps have been designed with four goals in mind. Optimize body position, Flex, Improve the handling with a new gull wing design, and the top clamp has flex pockets and that lowers vibration with 4 polyurethane cones. These are available for the 250/300 (AB-22260) as well as the 125/200 and all 4 strokes (AB-22261).
PART # AB-22260 AND AB-22261
Current Price: $899.99
Earlier this year, we introduced a new initiative from Abigail Buzzelli called the 10x12 Challenge, designed to get more people on the pegs, riding motorcycles. We're back to celebrate everyone who completed their second month's challenge - riding at least 10 days in the month of May
Beth Ali
Chris Bankston
Haley Bankston
Tyler Bankston
Keith Bell
Kevin Bobal
Heidi Brenner
Nick Bryant
Lara Burnett
Abigail Buzzelli
Chris Buzzelli
Michael Chrisman
Ellis Daw
Max Dracha
Brad Evans
Karl Faruzel
Norman Foley
Rob Fox
Bradd Fox
John French
Zackary Guelde
Kenny Gwyn* @kenny.
gwyn
Ash Harrison
Cheyenne Hawkins*
Brittney Hoy
Tommy Justice
Caroline Kent
Roman Lomaya
Mike Mazak
Don Mealor
John Montoya
Terry Ottinger
Annsley Owens
Will Owens
Wyatt Owens
Becky Owens
Josh Owens
Adam Partin
Toni Profer Roach
Jason Robb
Nicole Robinson
Michelle Robinson
Jimmy Sharpe
Martin Sturla
Tom Trantow
Seth Vorseth
If you don't see your name on the list, visit www.10x12challenge.com to see the challenge rules and get your May swag.
The race program Josh Toth has for 2023 is what most racers dream of! It’s even cooler to hear that he chose this route, knowing he wanted to have certain life experiences while he could; He doesn’t want to live a life of regrets.
Toth and I just finished racing the Black Buffalo National Enduro, so we had some VERY relevant thoughts on how awesome that race was. We also dive into his 2023 race program, and how he was able to put together such a cool program and schedule with Enduro Engineering, GasGas, and other sponsors.
It isn’t easy to jump back and forth between Hard Enduro and more
traditional dirt bike racing, so it was cool to hear Toth’s perspective on the different disciplines. He even breaks down the differences for him between two strokes and four strokes, which I really enjoyed.
words BRIAN PIERCE // SEAT TIME
When I think of words to try and describe the 2023 Cajun Classic 100 Mile Enduro, the first word that comes to mind is attrition; the act of wearing down by friction. 100 miles of single track in the Piney Woods of Louisiana is a rough and grueling day on a dirt bike. As riders, we were needing to push back against the deterioration of the body and bike that accumulated as the miles rolled over. As racers, we were needing to grit our teeth, forget the previous miles, and control the chaos of a deflecting motorcycle.
The roots you encounter deep in the Kisatchie National Forest are a special breed. They’ve been crafted over years of controlled burns and two wheeled adventures to withstand all manner of assault. The aging roots proudly display their structure and lineage, mocking every
rider, demanding their attention. This act puts the rider in a false sense of control, as it’s less about the roots you can see, and more about the ones you can’t. The sniper roots are smaller, and stay hidden away, awaiting a rider’s inflated confidence for their chance to pounce. Just as the pronounced roots jack hammer a rider’s wheels, sending shock waves through the body, the sniper roots are Louisiana black ice, silently awaiting their chance to send a rider flailing off into the brush.
The week leading up to the race brought just enough moisture to bring thoughtful consideration to whether we were going to have perfect dirt, slot car ruts, or that middle ground that dances the edge of a certain kind of crazy.
The long transfer sections throughout the day reminded us that this enduro wasn’t only going to be about the time accumulated during each test section. As soon as we checked out of each test, we had to find a trail pace that would allow us to recover, but also keep us moving forward to check-in to the next test section on time. This created a transfer speed typically unseen in more traditional Enduros of the day.
The first third of the race was
was perfect dirt, slick roots, and ruts. The trail was that certain kind of crazy that made you realize you made the correct decision by taking on this daunting competition.
Rolling into the first gas stop, having accrued 33.1 miles, was almost a false sense of security. The body and mind we’re still in a feeling of wonderment, excited for what we’d accomplished so far, fueling the flame of over-confidence for the 68 miles that were laid out in front of us.
I was on row 23 with some extremely fast racers. It was a
technical, with just enough of what the day would bring thrown in to keep us racers on our toes; There
pleasure to watch them ride away from me at a pace that I haven’t tried to touch in over ten years. I do have to give a special shout out to Jerry Gibson! This young man is in the 45+ A class and he hauled the mail!!! I had the best time trying to stay on his rear wheel. Test Three and Six were the two tests where I stayed on his rear wheel till the end, and those moments were some of the most fun from the day. Thanks to Jerry, I found myself riding a fine line between scared shitless and focused attack.
If there is one moment from the event that I’ll think about for a while, it was the way I rode the 13.1 miles of transfer between the short course cut off and the second gas stop. The friction of the day had set in, and I was feeling it from pushing myself to keep Jerry’s rear wheel splattering me in black soil. The pace I kept was one tick above a
Sunday stroll, and mentally I wasn’t attentive enough to remember that the gas stop was the place to rest. As I pulled into gas two at mile 67.7, I saw I had three minutes to go before my row went off, which meant I had a decision to make. I could rush the gas stop by splashing gas in the bike and skip refueling my body to start Test Four on time. Or I could slow down for a moment, top off the bike and refuel the body, so I could keep pushing at a relatively high pace for the next 33.3 miles. I chose the latter, leveraging the time to take a few deep breaths, refill my bike, reload my hydration bladder with my prepared mix, and high five some friends. As I rolled to the line, Jackson Davis was awaiting his row of 28 to roll over, which meant I was starting Test Four just under five minutes late. Game On.
Test Four was 5.1 miles long, which I rode decently, but I needed to catch
up on time. Once I crossed the green and white flags to check out of the test, there was no time to gather my thoughts. The next 11.4 mile transfer section was a blur of piney wood single track. I knew that if I couldn’t catch up to my row before they set off into Test Five, the rest of my race was going to be playing catch up. With about four minutes to spare, I rolled up to the start of Test Five at mile 84.3, stopped the bike, closed my eyes, and took in a few excited deep breaths; I made it. As I opened my eyes, Jerry rolled up to the line. I gave him an enthusiastic head nod, letting him know I was ready to follow him into battle.
Test Five was the longest test of the day at 6.3 miles long, and it ended in a dramatic fashion. Since the woods we were racing in are an old WWII military base, there’s loads of abandoned concrete structures and roads. At some point in time, a sadistic trail boss thought sending the trail through a broken concrete jungle would be a fun way to end a test section. When I came up on this obstacle, there were a few racers waiting for the perfect line. Knowing that I wanted to finish strong, I just drove straight into the piled up concrete pieces. As my initial momentum began to wane, the fight to keep moving forward brought out
the dreaded dog paddle. I was far beyond thinking about looking good for the camera, but luckily WinPic was there to capture the moment.
The last test of the day was 4.8 miles, and if we had been better at doing math, we would have realized this race wasn’t going to end right at 100 miles. The test started at 96.3 miles in, and Jerry and the boys had a pace that was the most fun of the day. I was excited to be close to the finish, elated to still be collecting roost from Jerry’s rear wheel, and ready to begin bench racing. When the 100 mile marker came and went, I was first excited, then confused, and then depressed; there was more ahead. Now I knew, I didn’t know where we finished. What I did know is that I needed to keep racing. I stuck to Jerry unlike I had done throughout the entire day, remembering the words Cole had given me about aggression and using every piece of trail to move myself forward. When the 101 mile marker passed, I twisted the throttle that much deeper into its rotation on the handlebar; I was going to finish strong.
Crossing through the last checkout of the day at mile 101.1 was amazing. I revved the bike, I highfived anyone who had their hand up, and I made all kinds of awkward sounds from my dry and depleted throat. I knew what I had just accomplished can’t be done by
very many people. While the sport of Enduro has evolved away from long technical miles, the world at large has gravitated toward comfort and safety. It’s days like today that make me feel truly alive. Finding ways to put every ounce of physical and mental energy into something leaves me depleted of energy, but also fulfilled in my soul.
The Brian of years passed would relive that 13.1 mile transfer section for days, maybe even weeks. Beating himself up for making such a simple mental mistake, which led to him giving up almost five minutes of his day. The Brian of today knows that that’s racing, and it’s all part of the journey of learning and growth. There is no such thing as perfect, even though we tear ourselves down constantly by trying to achieve it.
All in all, I ended my day 31st Overall and 8th in the 40+ A Class. As I’ve seen in every race I’ve competed in this year, I have a level of endurance others don’t. This was true today as well, as I had my best test of the day in Test Six, finishing 22nd Overall and 4th in my class. The summer is coming up quickly, and family time will take priority over racing, but that’s ok. The memories are made, and the precedence is set. Dirt bikes are awesome and I’m excited for the next chance I get to grow and push myself.
Thank you to everyone who put this event together. We need more
Enduros like this to come back to the forefront of the sport. The National Enduro Series is fun, but it’s just different. We need to get uncomfortable, we need to challenge ourselves, and we need to find growth in more battles of attrition.
it took me 30 minutes to slowly get out of my gear
April 22-23
June 24-25
July 15-16
September 9-10
October 7-8
November 11-12
Trials have always been my passion and my livelihood. Throughout the years I have learned so much and I became a 6x National Champion and then a Teacher, I love sharing all of my Knowledge, Techniques and experiences as well as riding trials and meeting new people to encourage and help them become a better rider whether you ride a Trials Motorcycle, Enduro motorcycle or any type of motorcycle. I just enjoy supporting the motorcycle community and their Clubs. I have been perfecting my trials schools over the past 35 Years teaching all around North America. My Trial Schools cover every Trials Technique needed to become a CHAMPION, I will be covering over 20 Techniques that are extremely well broken down, methodically taught, instructed and demonstrated. It is a step by step process working your way from the basics to the most advanced techniques. I will watch you perform each Technique taught and critique you so you get a better understanding of the technique and performance. Ryan Young's Trials schools have produced many National Champions in many different classes over the years. I'm looking forward to teaching the next champion!
Young
words courtesy of BERNIE SCHREIBER
photosby
SCOTT WILLIAMSWorld Champion and Scottish Six Days Trial winner Bernie Schreiber conducted his ZeroBS two-day Masterclass on May 13 & 14 in Tulsa Oklahoma at Tulsa Mountain Trials. Schreiber, being the most successful Trials rider ever from the USA, shared his experiences with participants attending from 8 nearby States. The event was hosted by one of the oldest clubs in America, (N.E.O.T.T.) North Eastern Oklahoma Trials Team, founded in 1969 by Mike McCabe, who became the first American to compete at the Scottish Six Days Trial in 1972.
Schreiber first discussed the event with his long-time friend, Kirk Mayfield of Oklahoma who competed in the 1973 Scottish Six Days Trial on a Mick Andrews factory Yamaha. Mayfield and Schreiber competed together in the Turkey Creek U.S. National in 1975, an event that included many of the best riders in US history.
Schreiber treated the 30 participants to his structured format based on lessons learned in becoming a World, National, and Scottish Six Days Trial Champion, but also basic techniques from his book “Observed
Trials” by Len Weed and other sports such as golf, where direct comparisons become involved. Mastering the sport, hands on riding and the all-important Mastering the mind were covered in great detail.
Schreiber said, its not just skills and hard work. Everyone at the top level has great techniques. Your mindset is what makes you the winner or the loser. That’s the only difference.
“Practice doesn’t make you perfect. Only perfect practice does.”
He continued to focus on the competition successes and practicing with purpose by design. The best way to practice is prioritize on the things you need to practice, and knowing which tasks should get top priority, then act to get maximum returns. Progressing consistently in a way that lets you maintain present skills, but also allows to move to the next level continually is a priority, while keeping yourself motivated and maintain focus so you can stay in the best possible state of mind for achieving results.
The sit-down classroom setting began first before feet on the pegs riding, by covering the most important aspect of motorcycle trials, the proper stance. Motorcycle trials has always been a very unique form of off-road riding which requires certain techniques that do not always apply to riding a “normal” dirt bike, especially when
it comes to the fundamentals. Many aspects were demonstrated during what Schreiber calls “Impact Zones” throughout two full days of instruction.
Schreiber also covered what gave him an advantage over his rivals, that being the technique which he introduced and perfected, the floating front wheel turn. Also known as the “Pivot turn”, Schreiber used this to great effect in winning the World Championship and showed exactly why this technique is just as effective today.
During each day of the school, each individual student was given one on one instruction on the techniques of this challenging sport and an insight into what actually makes a World Champion, the attention to detail, leaving no stone unturned.
For more information contact Kirk Mayfield at: kirkmayfield@gmail.com
When you want to do bigger obstacles and hill climbs, you will need more gas. But building up more energy in the engine with higher RPM’s, can produce anxiety. As an intermediate rider and above, there comes a time when you will need more stored flywheel energy to get up certain obstacles. Getting up creek banks, rock ledges, hills, elevated logs using a variety of techniques like ride up, zap, and splatter all require more throttle than you might be comfortable with.
If you are like me, then you have done your fair share of half hearted efforts of not making it up something and then you try to add more power when you are half way up. This often results in losing traction and slipping back down. The answer is simple, more RPM’s at
the bottom. However, simple doesn't mean easy and it’s not easy to get over the anxiety that is produced by a screaming engine.
There is a certain healthy fear that we all have when engines are wound up and the energy potential is extremely high. All it takes is a lack of clutch control and you might feel like your bike could take off from underneath you and result in a terrible loop out. While this possibility is true, more often than not, it is our own lack of experience with higher RPM’s that causes us to not rev up the bike as much as is needed at the bottom of an obstacle. When something is unfamiliar, it can be scary. However, the more regular and normal something is, then the less anxiety it produces.
When it comes to going up larger obstacles, you will need to get over the anxiety that often accompanies higher RPM. In order to do that, in this month’s article, I am offering you a few drills and a video to help you normalize the top half of your RPM range. Now, before you begin
these, make sure your engine is warmed up and you are taking good care in your overall maintenance of your bike. These drills are not intended for beginner riders or those who are still developing basic clutch control.
Just getting acclimated to how far you have to twist the throttle and how loud the engine will get, I suggest just standing with your feet on the ground and revving up your bike. You can 1st do this with the engine off to get a feel for how far around the throttle tube will spin. Then do this with the engine running in neutral or in gear with your finger pulling all the way in on the clutch. I like to rev it up and then after reaching the desired RPM, barely slip the clutch with both brakes applied to return the RPM back to idle in less time. (see video link for more explanation). At 1st, aim to get to 25% of full throttle and then let the bike return to idle. Then twist the throttle to about 50%. Keep trying these percentages until you are consistently getting to that amount of RPM and it starts to feel more normal. Then crank it up to 75% of full throttle. The sound of the engine is really going to start humming and this can start to bring out more of your own internal fears. If you are
game, crank it up to 100%. Now, when I 1st did this, I thought the bike was going to explode. My own inner fears were telling me to stop and go back to drills like simple figure 8 drills and stop being so mean to the engine. Now, you will probably not need this much RPM for any of your current moves, but the goal is to get the sound and energy of the engine to begin to normalize so that you are not afraid to apply the appropriate amount of throttle that is needed for those bigger obstacles that you desire to conquer.
In 1st gear, roll along just about at idle, pull in the clutch, rev the bike up to 25% and hold it there, dip your knees towards the front axle and gently let out the clutch. Repeat with 50%, 75% and even 100% throttle as your skills and comfort allow. The goal is not for a wheelie, but rather for you to get accustomed to higher RPM’s and to know that when the engine is wound up, you can still control the motorcycle.
Same as above, but start from static balance. These reps will really force you to let that engine sing before you let out the clutch. This will really get you more comfortable with these higher RPMs.
Find a short steep hillside that you can climb and approach it in a variety of ways. The goal is to get all the RPM that you need at the bottom of the hillside and not “cheat” by applying more throttle halfway up the hill. With the clutch in, rev up the engine, dip your knees and let out the clutch to climb the hill.
To start, roll straight into the hill, applying enough RPM’s to easily make it up the hill.
Repeat but start by coming down the hill and then turn 180 degrees to head back up.
Finally, try this from static balance about a bike length back from the bottom of the hill. You can start even closer to the base of the hill to increase difficulty.
Most often when it comes to going bigger, our own insecurities hold us back. I have heard it said that it's better to give the bike too much gas, than not enough. It is very easy to pull in the clutch and slow the power to the engine as needed once you are up the obstacle or hillside. The above drills can be seen in the linked video for greater depth of detail. Stay safe out there and let ‘er rip.
2023 AMA NATC National Mototrials Championship Series presented by Trial Store USA
Round 3 & 4 Cañon City, Colorado
May 27-28, 2023
FactoryONE Sherco’s Pat Smage added another pair of wins to his roster in Colorado at the second venue of the 2023 AMA NATC National Mototrials Championship Series, with GasGas’s Josh Roper hot on his heels.
After a freak snowstorm forced the cancellation of last year’s national, the Rocky Mountain Trials Association (RMTA) was bound and determined to make their vision of hosting a national round a reality. Thankfully, Mother Nature was on their side this year, and the third and fourth rounds of the 2023 national series were successfully held at Stock Ranch in Cañon City, Colorado. Short, three- and four-mile loops took riders up the surrounding mountains to take on the western terrain, with the crowd being treated to a Pro Shootout event after Saturday’s competition. The seven Pro riders would be challenged with four completely unique sections, separate from the day’s 12 normal sections. Each section would be ridden twice, and would serve as the rider’s third loop on the day.
Within the first few sections of Saturday’s competition, it was clear that scores were going to be low, and the stress of a single dab dropping a rider numerous positions was going to be very real.
With the battle between Smage and Roper evident from the opening rounds a few weeks back in Florida, the pressure was on. Smage made the first move, turning in a clean card for his first loop, with Roper taking an unfortunate single dab in section 6. FactoryONE Sherco’s Will Myers turned in a four-point card, putting him in a solid third-place position, one that he would hold for the second loop as well.
Both Smage and Roper turned in clean cards for their second loop, keeping the pressure on one another as the riders readied themselves for the crowd-pleasing Pro Shootout sections. With the top three rider positions solidified, the remaining riders battled for top 5, changing positions nearly every section. Beta USA’s Cole Cullins, still working through learning the challenges of the Pro line, found himself lacking some much-needed hydration, and decided to remove himself from the competition when the altitude and heat became too much. Later, a trip to the ER revealed a combination of heat stroke, dehydration, and elevation sickness, which caused a lot of muscle degradation.
“In the morning, I felt really good,” explained Cullins the next day. “I thought everything was going great the first couple sections, then just all of a sudden started feeling crappy, kind of sick. My body wasn’t doing what I was telling it to. I just felt more and more crappy as the day went on. By the end of the day, I could barely hold on. I was riding terrible and couldn’t explain what was going on. As soon as I got back to the pits and got off my bike, I was immediately light-headed and super nauseous. I felt really cold, which isn’t good when it’s hot out. I was super spacey; couldn’t hold a conversation. I spent a while on the floor pretty upset that I wasn’t able to ride. They said I should go to the doctor, so I did.
[Up until then,] I highly enjoyed the difficulty [of the sections]; they were right on the edge. They were cleanable for me, but they were difficult. A few of them were twice as long as they needed to be; I’d get halfway through one of them on a clean, feeling great, my dad would yell that I had 20 seconds left, and then all of a sudden I’d have to paddle my way out just to get to the end. I did that a lot, which I think wasn’t really helping my sickness, just working that hard carrying the bike through.
I thought I’d be fine here – I’ve ridden at much higher altitudes. I’ve always done good in Colorado. I felt really good until I didn’t.”
Going into the Pro Shootout sections, the rider with the highest score was first to attempt, meaning that Beta USA’s Alex Niederer, with only 17 points, was first up. Making easy work on the first section, only Smage, Roper, and Niederer were able to get through without taking a single dab. FactoryONE Scorpa’s Alex Myers took an unfortunate 5 when his rear tire broke through the boundary tape, dropping him to the bottom of the leaderboard. Despite being able to clean the remainder of the Shootout sections, the costly mistake left him no opportunity to move back up the ranks, and he finished the day with 21 points. GasGas’s Daniel Blanc Gonnet also found the first section to be the
most difficult, taking a 5 in his first attempt, but cleaning up his second attempt with only a single dab. After cleaning the rest of the Shootout, he found himself tied with Myers, not only on overall points (21), but also on number of cleans (25), and on the first dab taken on the day (both riders dabbed once in section 3); the tie was finally broken on the number of single dabs, Gonnet’s three single dabs to Myer’s two.
Niederer was able to improve a few places throughout the Shootout, while impressing spectators with an outstanding splatter technique on his way to cleaning section 3 in both attempts. He finished the day with 19 points and 23 cleans in fourth place. Despite taking a 5 in
the opening section, Will Myers was able to keep hold of the final podium position, taking only three single dabs throughout the rest of the Shootout sections to finish the day with 17 points and 22 cleans.
Smage remained clean on the day throughout the Shootout sections, and with Roper taking another single dab in the final section, Sherco’s win was solidified.
“Today was pretty good,” explained Roper. “The sections were actually pretty easy. I had one mistake on the first lap and then I had another mistake in the Pro Shootout in the fourth section, so I ended with two total. Pat [Smage] stayed clean the whole entire time, so congrats to
him, that was a really good ride. I can’t really be too bummed about my riding because I know it’s right there, I just need to keep putting all the pieces of the puzzle together. Tomorrow’s a new day and we’ll start fresh.”
“My ride went really well,” said Smage. “I felt like I was riding pretty solid, for the most part. The sections were on the easy side, but they had some length to them, so that added a different style of difficulty – more endurance and physical aspect of it. There were a couple [sections] where I got pretty close on time, but I just tried to manage and take some breathers where I needed to, control my breathing and just try to finish
strong. That’s what I was able to do. I was able to clean the morning sections; I didn’t have too many close calls, maybe one or two where I didn’t quite hit my line exactly and had to hop out of it. With the new bike being so light, it actually really helped –when I was off-line and falling, I just did a quick pivot turn and was able to save myself.
Going into the Shootout, I didn’t have much room to work with; Josh was riding awesome, and I just had one point on him. There was no room for error – he kept the pressure on for the Shootout. I was riding last, so watching him clean everything. Some of the other guys had some great rides as well. All the pressure was on me and I was able to perform well enough to take the win, so you’ve got to be happy with that. To keep it clean, no matter how hard it is for a national day is no easy task.”
“The ride today was pretty good,” said Will Myers. “Sections were a little on the easy side, but they were also technical, so I guess that’s better than going out to Colorado and just hitting big walls, which they’ve done in the past. I rode well. I didn’t feel like I quite had the confidence that I could’ve had on some of the sections, I felt a bit shaky, but it was enough to get a third place. I’m super happy to come out with a third. It’s my second time ever being on the box and it feels really good to keep my head in the game throughout the whole day until real late, because we had the Pro Shootout today. We were out there until 6:30 battling it out. We got the bikes working great. I’m super happy that
I was finally able to put a solid ride together on my Sherco.”
“Well, the morning started a little weird,” explained Niederer. “After we walked the Pro Shootout sections yesterday, we were all expecting the trial to be a little easy. I think we were all a little concerned about the length of the sections after we had walked the Shootout sections. I did have a sketchy 3 in one section where we had a really tight entrance. We were squeezing between a rock and a tree, and I snagged my footpeg; I ended up breaking the rock. It stopped me
really really violently, so I had to find a different line, and only barely made it out of the section in time. So I went from an 11 point to a six point, which put me in sixth place, which I wasn’t really thrilled about going into the Shootout.
For some reason, I seem to just love Shootouts. I cleaned section 1 both times, took a silly 1 in section 2 the first time through, but I’d rather take a 1 than tear the tape or jump over it or something like that. I cleaned section 3 both times. Section 4 on the big splatter, everyone was just kind of standing around, so I
figured I’d hit it. It was good for the spectators, good for the show, and really helped show the option of both lines; there were points taken in both lines. Two points shy of third place. Pro podium, so I’m ok with that. It would’ve been nice to be third, but I made up two positions in the Shootout, so I’m really really happy with that. I’m really proud of my riding, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
I’m really happy with my riding. The bike’s working great; it doesn’t really even feel like I’m at elevation. Beta really provides me with a top-notch machine and top-notch service. The whole team did a really nice job –Tom on point all day. One down, one to go.”
Coming back Sunday for another solid day, a single pivotal section helped finalize the podium positions. While the other 11 sections remained fairly dry and grippy in the Colorado heat, section 12 was a technical muddy mess that showcased those riders who have put in the time riding sloppy terrain. Only Smage and Niederer were able to get through the section successfully, with Smage only taking a single dab, and Niederer taking two points on his first attempt, but unable to make it through on his other two attempts.
With Roper on only a single point going into section 12, three failures in the mud set him back to 16 points on the day behind Smage, who finished with only two points. Alex
Myers was able to dial in his riding to keep a solid hold on third place, narrowly escaping yet another tie with Gonnet; he finished with 19 points to take the final podium position over Gonnet, who finished with 20 points.
In fifth place with 39 points and 20 cleans was Niederer, with Will Myers only a point behind in sixth.
“Today went waaay better than Saturday,” said Alex Myers. “I feel like my riding hadn’t really changed that much; I was still riding at a pretty high level, but I just stayed away from those big, costly errors that kept me back yesterday. I was only four points off the podium on Saturday, so going into Sunday, I
knew the riding was there; I knew that I had what it took, but I just needed to piece it together. So I just went out and rode one section at a time and had fun. The bike worked amazing today. The team over at Sherco really did a good job. We worked really really hard adjusting the new bikes to the altitude. It’s the first time we’ve ever taken them up this high. It was a lot of work, and I’m glad it paid off. To see Pat win both days, and me and my brother split third place is good results for the team. Hard work definitely paid off for sure.”
In the Pro Women’s class, GasGas’s Maddie Hoover had some tight competition with Trial Superstore’s Kylee Sweeten. On Saturday, Hoover Kylee
was able to keep single-point loops, going 6, 4, 1 for a total on the day of only 11 points; this also put her first on the blue Expert Sportsman line in comparison with the rest of the competitors, with FactoryONE Sherco’s Max Glueck taking second with 14 points. Sweeten kept consistency in her scores, going 10, 10, 8 for a total of only 28 points. For Sunday, scores were much tighter between the ladies. Hoover went 2, 8, with only a single point lead over Sweeten going into the final loop with her 9, 2 scores. With her head down and sights set on a win, Hoover was able to completely clean the final loop and solidify the win for GasGas. Kylee would only take two single dabs on the final
loop, having repeat issues with sections 1 and 5.
“My riding started off really strong,” said Hoover. “I had a really low first lap. Second lap, I unfortunately made a rookie mistake and five points today was quite a few. I knew I had to pull it together for the third [lap] and ended up with a clean lap, which I don’t get often, so that was exciting. The sections were a bit tougher today than yesterday, but I think everybody was awake and brought their A-game. It was super tight with Kylee [Sweeten] today, which was fun. I always love to have some tight competition. I think the girls really enjoyed the trial. The difficulty was good. I’m excited to
Maddie Hooverdo Oregon, because it’s a completely different style.”
“Overall, my weekend was pretty good,” said Sweeten. “Definitely today was better than yesterday. Both days were actually pretty easy – low scores, so no room for mistakes. Normally, that’s really difficult for me, but today I was pretty happy with how I held it together and dialed it in. Yesterday, I definitely had more points than I would like. Overall, I didn’t feel super comfortable with the terrain, but I had a blast.
I think the dry slick and the sand is what I don’t really like here. The style of the sections ends up just
being awkward and not so flowy. Oregon will be dry next weekend, and I like that. I think just being at altitude, I was not very confident with my bike (2023 GasGas 250), not feeling very powerful.
Prepping for Oregon, obviously we need to re-jet the bikes because we’re going to go back to maybe 2,000 feet, but other than that, I have to book it home, do some work, get the parking lot organized because I’m doing all the admin side of things for the nationals, so I just have to make sure everything that I need to do is done and ready and then try to get some practice in.”
SATURDAY RESULTS:
1. Pat Smage (SHE)
2. Josh Roper (GG)
3. Will Myers (SHE)
4. Alex Niederer (BET)
5. Daniel Blanc-Gonnet (GG)
6. Alex Myers (SCO)
7. Cole Cullins (BET)
SUNDAY RESULTS:
1. Pat Smage (SHE)
2. Josh Roper (GG)
3. Alex Myers (SCO)
4. Daniel Blanc-Gonnet (GG)
5. Alex Niederer (BET)
6. Will Myers (SHE)
7. Cole Cullins (BET)
SERIES STANDINGS:
1. Pat Smage (SHE)
2. Josh Roper (GG)
3. Alex Myers (SCO)
4. Will Myers (SHE)
5. Daniel Blanc-Gonnet (GG)
6. Alex Niederer (BET)
7. Cole Cullins (BET)
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words and photos by SHAN MOORE
2023 Magna1 Motorsports AMA National Enduro Series presented by Moose Racing
Round 4
Arrington, VA
May 14, 2023
Craig DeLong got off to a quick start in the first three tests and then maintained a steady and consistent pace in the final three to grab his maiden win in the Magna1 Motorsports AMA National Enduro Series presented by Moose Racing.
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider won the first three tests, building a substantial lead over the competition before cruising to victory in Virginia.
“I started off really well the first three tests,” said DeLong, who posted the fastest time in all three. “It was just really similar to how it is back home in Pennsylvania. Just kind of slick, red clay, a little rooty, which is the kind of conditions I like. So, I just kind of felt at home in the beginning of the day. I built up a good lead in the morning but in the afternoon, I was just a little bit off.”
DeLong still managed to win the event by 25 seconds over AmPro Yamaha’s Ricky Russell,
although he almost threw it all away in the final test.
“I about blew it,” added DeLong. “I got stuck on a log and had a couple tries at it. I was kicking myself in the butt for that one, but pulled it through. It feels good to finally get a win.”
Russell, who is quickly adapting to national enduro competition, came out on top of a three-way battle for the runner-up slot ahead of Coastal Racing GasGas’ Ryder Lafferty, who finished third, and Enduro Engineering GasGas’ Josh Toth, who was fourth. Russell went 1-2-3 in the final three tests to top Lafferty by just three seconds.
“I started off kind of slow,” said Russell. “It was slick and I was maybe a little bit overly cautious because I just wasn’t feeling the traction and was sliding all over the place in the roots. It was more just the roots. You couldn’t see them. But Craig just killed us so much on those first two tests. He was on it. He came in prepared and was on it for that slick stuff. From there, I knew I needed to put my head. I was probably fifth after three tests and I was able to win I one test. I was right there for two. I gained a lot of time and moved into second. Going into the last test, me, Josh and Ryder were eight seconds apart between three of us. I knew I just needed to ride like I did the last few. I thought I blew it. I had a huge, huge moment,
but I somehow didn’t crash, but I hit my head on the bars and there was sweat all over my goggles. I had to throw the goggles, but I was able to get to the finish.”
Another strong contender for the title is Lafferty, who was a bit disappointed in his third-place finish.
“I’m kind of over these thirds and seconds and stuff like that,” said Lafferty. “I felt like I fought hard for it all day. I had some sketchy moments and a couple little getoffs, but all in all, I feel like I rode the wheels off of it my 250.”
Toth ended up in fourth, a mere eight seconds behind Lafferty, making for an exciting finish. The Connecticutnative won the fifth test to close the gap on Lafferty and Russell, however it was too little too late.
Fifth went to Babbitt’s Online/ Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Grant Baylor, making for the first time the South Carolina rider has been off the podium all year. Meanwhile, Beta USA’s Evan Smith had his best ride of the season with a sixth overall.
Bonecutter GasGas’ Thorn Devlin won the NE Pro 2 class with a seventh overall finish, topping second place in the NE Pro 2 class by almost two minutes.
“The first section was a lot more slick than the rest of the day and I had a little bit of a get-off in section
one, so I kind of had to get up and dial it back down a little bit and ride smooth and just keep it on two wheels.” Devlin won three of the six tests in the class.
Tely Energy Racing/Rocky Mountain
ATV/MC KTM’s Steward Baylor is still fighting the Epstein Barr virus, but still managed a credible eighth overall.
“The day was rough,” said Steward. “I’m still not 100%, but I notice it here more than GNCC, which is weird. I think in national enduros you just have to be so sharp and when you’re not 100% here, you notice it a lot more just being a little bit slow to react. It was just one of those days where I just kind of knew that I didn’t want to go any faster. I felt like I was making mistakes any time I did. So, I just rode my race.”
FMF/KTM’s Ben Kelley is still building his speed after breaking his femur in February and finished ninth, while Beta USA’s Jonathan Johnson was second NE Pro 2 rider and rounded out the top-10 overall.
“The class is stacked this year,” said Johnson. “I’ve had a slow start for sure, but hopefully we’re headed in the right direction and we can keep it up here from now.”
Enduro Engineering GasGas’ Mackenzie Tricker, who hopped a plane back to Australia right after the event, won the Women’s Elite division, winning two of five tests
and topping Trail Jesters Racing KTM’s Korie Steede by 52 seconds. Steede won the opening test of the day to take the early lead, but then battled the remainder of the day with Over and Out GasGas’ Rachel Gutish, who won two tests, for second place. Steede ended up beating Gutish for the runner-up spot by 26 seconds, while Jocelyn Barnes (Hsq) wound up in fourth.
Dylan Dela Cruz (KTM) topped the AA class ahead of Jhak Walker (GG) and Neil Enman (KTM). Zack Toth (KTM) won the Open A division over Cameron Harris (GG) and Cameron Sisk (Hon).
OVERALL:
1. Craig DeLong (HSQ)
2. Ricky Russell (YAM)
3. Ryder Lafferty (GG)
4. Josh Toth (GG)
5. Grant Baylor (KAW)
6. Evan Smith (BET)
7. Thron Devlin (GG)
8. Steward Baylor Jr (KTM)
9. Ben Kelley (KTM)
10. Johnathan Johnson (BET)
Eastern Series – Rounds 1 & 2 March 25 & 26
Webster, FL www.floridatrials.net
Western Series – Rounds 1 & 2 May 27 & 28
Canon City, CO www.rockymountaintrials.org
Western Series – Rounds 3 & 4 June 3 & 4
Tillamook, OR www.cotatrials.com
Eastern – Rounds 3 & 4 July 29 & 30
Exeter, RI www.ritrialsclub.com
Next Gen Youth Trials Fri & Sat at each event presented by OSET
2023 YOUTH NATIONALS
Western Youth Nationals, Kingman AZ (CAT), June 16‐18
Eastern Youth Nationals, Trials Training Center, June 30 - July 2
words courtesy of KAYLA BOLTON
photos KEN HILL
Round 6 - Hoosier
May 7, 2023
IRONMAN RACEWAY
Crawfordsville, IN
The Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship (GNCC Racing) saw completely different conditions on day two of the AMSOIL Hoosier event. The rain fell overnight causing muddy, slick conditions on Sunday morning, but as the sun came out throughout the afternoon hours the mud was becoming tacky for the afternoon racers.
When the XC1 Open Pro class took off it was Magna1 Motorsports/ Husqvarna’s Jordan Ashburn
earning the $250 All Balls Racing
XC1 Holeshot Award. The battles
were on throughout the duration of the race. Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/ Tely Energy KTM’s Steward Baylor would hold the early lead, but Ashburn would take over the lead on lap three and hold it for the next couple of laps. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue would take him out of the running on the fourth lap.
Baylor would once again take over the lead, but he would have company from both FMF/KTM Factory Racing riders, Ben Kelley and Jonathan Girroir. As the two-lap card came out it would be Girroir leading the way with Baylor and Kelley running second and third. Girroir would continue to push throughout the last lap and come through to earn his first-ever overall XC1 Open Pro win, making him the sixth different winner in six races.
Baylor would come through to earn second overall on the day, while Kelley would hold on for third in the XC1 class and fifth overall as Witkowski and Draper of the XC2 class would finish third and fourth overall on the day.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig DeLong would battle back-and-forth throughout the day to earn fourth in the XC1 class. DeLong would start back in fifth on the first lap and fall as far back as sixth for the next couple of laps. As the race wore on, DeLong continued to push forward to make his way up to fourth for the final three laps.
Earning fifth in XC1 at the sixth round was Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Josh Strang. Strang would have his work cut out for him as he started back in seventh for the first half of the race. Strang would make his way to fifth on the sixth lap of the race and remain there for the remainder of the day.
After a great start to the day, AmPro Yamaha’s Ricky Russell found himself up in third and second for the first couple of laps. Unfortunately, right after the halfway point of the race Russell would fall back to sixth and remain there until the checkered flag flew.
Ashburn would suffer a mechanical issue after running at the front of the pack, and ultimately be scored seventh in the XC1 class, as Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/ Kawasaki Team Green’s Grant Baylor was able to earn eighth in the XC1 class after only being able to battle for two laps in Indiana.
As the XC2 250 Pro line took off it was Liqui Moly Beta Factory Racing’s Jonathan Johnson grabbing the $250 XC2 Steel City Men’s Clinic Holeshot Award. It wouldn’t take long for Phoenix Racing Honda’s Michael Witkowski and AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper to get to the front of the pack and battle for that lead position.
Witkowski would hold that number one spot on the opening lap, but Draper would soon make the pass for the lead and hold it for the majority of the race.
However, on the last lap of the race Witkowski would maneuver around Draper when a lapped rider was unable to get out of their way. Witkowski would cross the line .953 seconds ahead of Draper to earn his first XC2 win of the season. Draper would earn second on the day in Indiana. Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cody Barnes would round out the top three XC2 finishers as he made his way into third at the halfway point.
In the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am it was FXR/X Brand Goggles/6D Helmet’s Dakoda Devore leading the majority of the race and crossing the finish line first to earn his first XC3 win of the season. Liqui Moly Beta Factory Racing’s Jason Lipscomb would battle with Devore for some part of the race, even holding the lead on the second lap of the day. However, Lipscomb would be unable to make another run for the lead as he came through three minutes behind Devore to earn second.
After a good start to the day by earning the $100 Lojak Cycle Sale’s XC3 Holeshot Award, Beaver Creek Cycles/Bells Electric/Wossner Piston’s Toby Cleveland would
find himself having to make a long pit stop to work on the bike and battle back from ninth place on the opening lap. Cleveland would put his head down and push, making his way into third by the time the white flag was flying. Unfortunately, Cleveland would be unable to make a push for the front, but with a
consistent finish, he continues to hold the lead in the points.
The Top Amateur honors went to Nicholas DeFeo who finished 16th overall on the day, while Joseph Cunningham came through 17th overall. Bolton Beroth rounded out the Top Amateur podium with a 19th overall finish on the day.
1. Jonathan Girroir (KTM)
2. Steward Baylor Jr (KTM)
3. Benjamin Kelley (KTM)
4. Craig DeLong (HSQ)
5. Josh Strang (KAW)
6. Ricky Russell (YAM)
7. Jordan Ashburn (HSQ)
8. Grant Baylor (KAW)
1. Ben Kelley (129)
2. Craig DeLong (124)
3. Steward Baylor Jr (123)
4. Ricky Russell (86)
5. Grant Baylor (85)
6. Jordan Ashburn (80)
7. Josh Strang (79)
8. Ruy Barbosa (71)
9. Jonathan Girroir (69)
10. Cody Barnes (65)
words from press release courtesy of ALLIE SPURGEON photos KEN HILL & MACK FAINT
Another weekend of opposite conditions had us on our toes for the women racing the 2023 Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship. Round 6 kicked off with Micros and ATVs on Saturday in stellar conditions at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, IN for the AMSOIL Hoosier event. After a thunderstorm blew through on Saturday night, the motorcycles had all new circumstances to compete with. Here's how things went for the female athletes at the Hoosier...
By the time Sunday rolled around, a massive thunderstorm had rumbled through Ironman Raceway overnight
with torrential downpours, making for wild conditions for the WXC Bike class at the Amsoil Hoosier. The female athletes lined up their motorcycles in the standing water and mud Sunday morning ready to battle. As Ricky Towery waved the green flag, Korie Steede would add another Trail Jesters holeshot to her count on her Trail Jester KTM Racing 250F.
The top three in points soon found themselves in the lead of the pack battling head to head. AmPro Yamaha's Rachael Archer made her way to the lead before checking for lap one with Rachel Gutish in 2nd just a few seconds back on her Over and Out Moto GasGas, and Steede in 3rd close behind. Archer was able to widen her gap to three minutes by the end of lap 2, Gutish moved into 2nd place, and Steede just 45 seconds back. By this time, the racers are covered head to toe in mud, the ruts are deep, and bottlenecks of lappers are plenty. Lap 3 proved to be troublesome for Gutish as she found herself buried in the mud. Archer built on her lead, Steede moved to 2nd, and WXC rookie, Kayla O'Neil, who was in 4th had closed in just 5 seconds behind Gutish.
On the final lap, Steede tried to tighten the gap and closed in by a minute, but it wasn't enough as Rachael Archer reached the checkered flag with six and a half
minutes to spare to take her fourth WXC win of the season. Korie Steede raced in for 2nd place, and tensions rose as the crowd waited to see who would take the final spot on the WXC podium. Rachel Gutish knew by this point that her bike was on its last leg after sucking water in a creek crossing. She rode just ahead of V3 CDR/Garrison Tree Service's Kayla O’Neill. About a mile and a half from the finish, Gutish's machine gave in. O'Neill would make it to the checkers for her career first WXC podium. It was a moment to remember as her eyes lit up seeing the number three on the board when she reached the checkpoint. She'd had no idea!
A mention-worthy display of sportsmanship was shown during the WXC race by Korie Steede. Racing behind Rachel Gutish, Korie saw her heading into a hectic bottleneck of lappers on a hill when there was a smooth line around that had to be entered before. She knew she'd be stuck there if she continued. Steede stopped and yelled for Gutish until she got her attention to turn around and take the line with her. Korie said, "We're all in this together you know, and I want to have a quality race between us all. I was just trying to be a good person and hope others would do the same for me." Rachel said, "that was the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me during a race."
The top three WXC racers had their chance to chat about the race on the podium:
"It was pretty wet the first couple miles," Archer said. "I was soaked after about four miles and had no tear offs left. I got past Korie and Rachel, I guess they overshot a corner or something and I was able to get in the lead. A guy from Sportsman A caught up to me and we just rode together for a while. I got back past him and then I was just on my own trying to get through the lappers. It was super slippery the second and third lap so that was tough trying to navigate through them. But we got here and we're on the box!"
Korie Steede on her well-deserved 2nd place finish said, "I got off to
a good start, me and Gutish had a little lead built up, then, I'm not sure what the confusion was but we got to an intersection, and we went right and apparently it was the wrong way. Archer and a couple of the Sportsman A guys got around us, and we were just riding behind them the first lap so that was a big bummer. That last lap the track was tacky and good, and it was finally fun that final lap! It was gnarly, probably the roughest mud race I've ever ridden. All the lappers were in the main line and stuck in the main line, so we were just paddling trying to get to a line to get up a hill and get around the course the best possible. We made it!"
An ecstatic Kayla O’Neill on her first podium chatted about her experience and said, "That was
awesome! I'm so excited! My heart fell to my butt when I saw that number 3, I was so excited. Usually when I come to the finish line no one is standing there, and there were so many people there! I went through scoring, and it said three, and I was like 'are you serious?!' I was so excited. I'm so pumped. It's my first time on the podium and I've never been so excited. It was tough, the first lap was a lot of fun, but I knew as soon as it stopped raining it was going to be that stuck mud. My tires just looked like chocolate donuts. I was slipping and sliding everywhere. It got to the point I was just so tired when I'd fall and pick up my bike, it was so heavy. I tried to stay up on two wheels as much as possible and pick the smartest lines."
The WXC classes aren't the end of the female athlete showing at GNCC Racing. With multiple youth girls’ classes, Women's classes, and even Women's Vet classes, there's room for everyone to show their skills and aspire to be at the top one day.
In the Girls Supermini Bike class, Zoey Kimble would take her first win of the season in the mud after a streak of seconds. Maddison
"MadDog" Harmon took her first second place of the season, and points leader, Addison Harris, was able to make it to the 3rd place spot on the podium after a tough mud race.
Avery Collins has chosen to try her hand against the boys in the ATV Youth race in the YXC2 class this season, and it's paying off! Collins took her second win in a row at the Hoosier to make it three for the season and take over second in points.
The ATV Schoolgirl Sr. class was stacked with 18 racers! Isabella Gouker grabbed the top spot for the fourth time this year to extend her points lead. Madison Luckadoo followed up a tough race at Camp Coker with a 2nd place at The Hoosier, and Grace Bender took her first podium of the season in 3rd.
Annelisa McAlinney took her first win of the season in the Women's bike class! Ellie Winland led most of the race, but would grab 2nd, and Carly Lee 3rd.
Malia Crump makes The Hoosier her fourth consecutive win in the ATV Women's class leading from start to finish. Makenna Bruderly takes another podium for 2nd, and Alexis Keyes rounds out the podium with her first race of the season.
No matter the conditions, the incredible women of GNCC showed up and showed out at the Amsoil Hoosier GNCC for round 6.
1. Rachael Archer (YAM)
2. Korie Steede (KTM)
3. Kayla O'Neill (KAW)
4. Rachel Gutish (GG)
5. Prestin Raines (YAM)
6. Elizabeth Perez (HSQ)
7. Kaitlyn Lindsey (HSQ)
1. Rachael Archer (170)
2. Korie Steede (140)
3. Rachel Gutish (135)
4. Prestin Raines (100)
5. Kayla O'Neill (93)
6. Elizabeth Perez (81)
7. Kaitlyn Lindsey (80)
8. Shelby Turner (75)
9. Megan Barnes (36)
10. Sheryl Hunter (28)
US Sprint Enduro Series Presented by Moose Racing
Round 7
May 27-28, 2023
Diliner, PA
FMF/KTM’s Johnny Girroir dominated the High Voltage US Sprint Enduro in Dilliner, Pennsylvania, round seven of the US Sprint Enduro Series Championship Presented by Moose Racing. Girroir won 11 of 12 tests and topped RPM Racing’s Angus Riordan by 51.5 seconds to get the “W”.
“Definitely the Pro 2 guys were ripping,” said Girroir. “I made a little bonehead suspension adjustment today and went backwards. That was my bad. That’s why I’m a rider and not a mechanic. But we straightened it out and ended the day good. I crushed the last cross test and crushed the last woods test. Good weekend. Wish I could have gone 12 for 12, but that’s racing.”
Barbosa was the lone rider to take a test win away from Girroir but finished the weekend in fourth overall and third in the Pro 2 division after having an off day on Saturday. The Chilean came back and finished second on Sunday
behind Girroir and first Pro 2 rider.
RPM Racing’s Angus Riordan took advantage of Barnes’ and Barbosa’s mistakes to take second overall behind Girrior and win the Pro 2 class, stealing the class victory when Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cody Barnes threw away Sunday’s class win in the final test. Barnes ended up third overall and second Pro 2 rider.
“I was able to win yesterday and then I got second today by .9 to Ruy,” said Riordan. “It would have been good to get the win just for the championship points, but it is what it is. I crashed today in the enduro test in the woods. That threw it away for me. That hurt me. Didn’t even see it coming. Just washed the front.”
The Pro 2 class as a real dog fight and there was a lot of back and forth between the top three riders. A simple slip of the front wheel in the final test cost Barnes enough time to lose runner-up slot.
“Day one struggled with the cross test,” said Barnes. “Angus and Ruy were going really good out there. Just tried to learn kind of what to do. I was able to make up some time in the enduro test, but Angus got me on day one. Then was looking good going into the final enduro test today. I was leading. I had like a two-second gap, or something like that, and threw it away like an idiot. Tucked the front out there. So, really
frustrating. Today would have been a good points day if I would have been able to hang onto that, but no one’s fault but my own. We’ll take it into the last round.”
After a tough day on Saturday, Barbosa was on his game on Sunday.
“The weekend was difficult,” said Barbosa. “Yesterday I had two small crashes, one in the cross test and another one in the enduro test. So, I lost a lot of seconds and I finished third. Today I woke up with a different mentality. I rode a little bit better, especially in the enduro test because yesterday I was really struggling with the enduro test. Today my times in the cross test were really good. Today I get the win. Overall, I finished third in Pro 2, which is not the result that I want for sure because I always want to win, but today I win. So, I am happy about that.”
Top Pro-Am rider, Precision Offroad Racing’s Dominik Morse, beat out Magna1 Racing Husqvarna’s Jason Tino to win the class and finish fifth overall, while Tino was sixth overall.
“I was going really fast, just made a few mistakes. Dropped the bike. Had a fuel line come unplugged, but it was overall a really good day, good weekend,” said Morse.
Phoenix Honda Racing’s Mike Witkowski made a rare visit to the
sprint series since he was staying nearby and wanted to get used to the local dirt to prep for a race next weekend.
“It was slick. Made me push my limits, which I haven’t done. It’s a way different form than I’ve raced in a while,” said Witkowski.
Top Amateur Levi Elliott was first in the 250A division and eighth overall. To say that Honda had a good day might be an understatement as Phoenix Honda Racing team manager Heath Harrison finished ninth overall, while local Payton Feather, also on a Honda, was 10th, giving Honda five of the top 10 positions. Phoenix Honda Racing also has a Supercross team so the off-road team benefits from those resources.
“I had a much better day on Sunday than I did on Saturday,” said Harrison. “I guess it took me a day to get used to the track.”
Tyler Braniff (Yam) was the top Amateur, winning the 250A division. Pro Women’s division, Am Pro Yamaha’s Rachel Archer topped Over and Out GasGas-backed Rachel Gutish and her teammate Anna McKelvey, winning 11 of 12 tests. Gutish edged Archer by one second in the final test on Sunday when Archer ran off course and got tangled up in vines.
division. Sunday was a duplicate of Saturday with the order going Tokar, Boland and Chaney, once again.
Maddox Wiggins topped Daniel Falls and Donnie Ryan on Saturday to win the 65 Senior class. On Sunday, Wiggins got the win again, with Falls in second and Ryan again in third.
Lola Grozbean continued her domination of the Girls (10-16) division, taking a big win over Nicole Rupert and Josie Grozbean to claim Saturday’s event. On Sunday, Lola got the win again, but this time Josie was second ahead of Rupert.
In the 65 Junior class, Colt Chaney took another win, topping Ethan Tokar and Haden Payton on Saturday. Sunday saw Chaney win again, this time topping Gage Lane and Ethan Tokar.
Gavin Frazier won the Trail Bike class on Saturday ahead of Landon Bliss and Eli Kettering. Sunday was a mirror images of Saturday’s results with Frazier again getting the win ahead of Bliss and Kettering.
Maura Tsakanikas won Saturday’s round of the 50 Senior (7-8) division over Oliver Stewart and Ryder Bower. On Sunday, Tsakanikas repeated her win over Stewart and Bower.
Ryder Baricska took top honors on Saturday in the 50cc Junior division (4-6) class ahead of Carson Zink and Gracelynn Bunch. On Sunday, Baricska took another win over Zink with Landon Fox getting third this time.
“It was a really good weekend out at the High Voltage US Sprint,” said Archer. “I ended up going 11 for 12 test wins. I almost got 12, but crashed in the last test and lost one second. So, that was a little bit gutting, but I felt like I rode good. I was in 17th overall today, so I’m pretty stoked for that.”
Gutish was second with McKelvey in third.
In the Youth Divisions, Austin Tsakanikas dominated the Youth classes, taking the overall victory and winning first place in the Super Mini Senior (14-15) class, topping all six tests on Saturday. Caleb Johnson was second on Saturday, while Albert Lowe was third. On Sunday, Tsakanikas won five of six tests, losing the final cross test to Johnson. Johnson was once again second with Lowe again taking third.
Ryan Smith topped Mason Tsakanikas on Saturday to win the Super Mini Junior (12-13 division), with Kohen Bunch in third. On Sunday, Smith took the win again, but this time it was Colton Mochtyak in second and Kohen Bunch in third.
Colton Mochtyak came out on top of Wyatt Beck and Case Kight on Saturday in the 85 Sr (12-15) division. Case Kight took the win on Sunday, with Logan Shafer in second and Tanner Emmons in third.
Ace Tokar won all six tests to beat Brody Boland and Braxtyn Chaney to top Saturday’s round of the 85 Junior
1. Johnny Girroir (KTM)
2. Angus Riordan (KTM)
3. Cody Barnes (HON)
4. Ruy Barbosa (HON)
5. Dominick Morse (HSQ)
6. Jason Tino (HSQ)
7. Mike Witkowski (HON)
8. Levi Elliott (GG)
9. Heath Harrison (HON)
10. Payton Feather (HON)
words courtesy of KAYLA BOLTON
photos KEN HILL
Round 7
May 22, 2023
Millfield, OH
Round seven of the 2023 Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, (GNCC Racing) concluded in Millfield, Ohio with the second day of racing at The Wiseco John Penton GNCC. This series has seen seven different winners in just seven races this season as Magna1 Motorsports/ Husqvarna’s Jordan Ashburn would come through to earn his first win of 2023.
As the green flag flew it was a race to the first turn, but it would be
FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Johnny Girroir earning himself the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award to start out the day. When the pack of racers made their way to timing and scoring on the opening lap it was AmPro Yamaha’s Ricky Russell leading the way with Ashburn and FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley right behind him.
The race wore on and Russell would fall back to eighth for the next couple of laps. The lead would be taken over by Ashburn, who would soon face battle with Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/Tely Energy
KTM Racing’s Steward Baylor for
the remaining laps of the three hour race. Ashburn and Baylor would swap the lead position multiple times, but ultimately Ashburn would come through to take the win and making seven different winners at the first seven rounds of the GNCC season.
Baylor would continue to push and earn second overall on the day after he started at the back of the pack on the opening lap of the race. Girroir would battle on after earning the holeshot, and he would find himself in third overall when the checkered flag flew.
Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/ Kawasaki Team Green’s Josh Strang would run inside the top five throughout the duration of the race as he came through to earn fourth overall on the day. Rockstar Energy
Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig DeLong battled back to finish inside the top five in the XC1 Open Pro class and seventh overall on the day. Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/ Kawasaki Team Green’s Grant Baylor would come through to earn sixth in the XC1 and eighth overall at The John Penton GNCC.
After holding the early lead Russell would fall to eighth, but he would only be able to make his way up to seventh in the XC1 class. Kelley would have a rough day after starting third, and then making some mistakes that cost him a lot of time. Kelley would continue to try and
push but after running into some difficulties he would come through eighth in XC1.
When the XC2 250 Pro line took off it was FMF RPM KTM Racing’s Angus Riordan earning himself the $250 Steel City Men’s Clinic XC2 Holeshot Award. Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cody Barnes would battle throughout the day with AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper for the lead position. Barnes and Draper would swap the lead position multiple times throughout the race. As the white flag flew, Barnes would lead Draper and would continue to push through the last lap. Barnes would come through to earn his first win of the season, with just a one second lead over Draper. Phoenix Racing Honda’s Mike Witkowski would battle back to finish third in the XC2 class after starting his day back in the sixth place position.
In the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class it was FXR/X Brand Goggles/6D Helmet’s Dakoda Devore coming through to earn the class win in Ohio. After Kibuk Cycles Sales/TLD/Steel City Men’s Clinic/Yamaha’s Sawyer Carratura grabbed the $100 Lojak Cycles FMF XC3 Holeshot Award, Devore would make his way into the lead on the second lap and would not look back.
Liqui Moly Beta Factory Racing’s Jason Lipscomb would come through to earn second in the FMF XC3 class after holding the lead position on the opening lap. Current points lead, Beaver Creek Cycle’s/Bells Electric/Wossner Piston’s Toby Cleveland would battle his way back from a fourth place start to the day to round out the top three overall.
In the afternoon race it was 250 A winner, Gavin Simon coming through to take the Top Amateur honors with a 16th overall finishing position. Joseph Cunningham was second on the Top Amateur podium and in the 250 A class with a 18th overall finish. Third place in the 250 A and atop the Top Amateur podium was Cooper Jones who came through to finish 19th overall on the day.
1. Grant Baylor (KAW)
2. Craig DeLong (HQV)
3. Ben Kelley (KTM)
4. Jordan Ashburn (HQV)
5. Josh Strang (KAW)
6. Ricky Russell (YAM)
7. Jonathan Girroir (KTM)
8. Steward Baylor (KTM)
9. Benjamin Nelko (KTM)
10. Layne Michael (GAS)
1. Ben Kelley (113)
2. Craig DeLong (110)
3. Steward Baylor (98)
4. Grant Baylor (85)
5. Jordan Ashburn (80)
6. Ricky Russell (78)
7. Josh Strang (68)
8. Ruy Barbosa (58)
9. Angus Riordan (54)
10. Cody Barnes (50)
words from press release courtesy of ALLIE SPURGEON photos KEN HILL & MACK FAINT
The Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, returned to Millfield, Ohio at the Wiseco John Penton for round seven of the 2023 season. The women of GNCC had their hands full after steady rain Friday into Saturday to make for one heck of a muddy weekend! Here's how the female athletes performed after tackling the John Penton mud.
In the WXC bike class, eight of the fastest women in the world eagerly awaited the sound of Mikey Waynes' "ten second" call on Sunday morning. As Ricky Towery waved the green flag, it was GasGas/OverandOut Moto's Rachel
Gutish grabbing a big Trail Jester's holeshot into the second turn to lead the pack into the woods.
Defending champion, Ampro Yamaha's Rachael Archer would take over the lead before checking in for lap one with Rachel Gutish in second, and Korie Steede in third on her Trail Jester's KTM. At this point in the weekend, the John Penton mud was a sticky mess, causing bottlenecks and weighing heavy on the machines. On lap two, a battle for the lead ensued between Gutish and Archer. Gutish was able to take the lead and build a 35 second gap as she reached the checkpoint to begin lap three. Steede had unfortunate issues getting stuck on lap two, dropping back from the leaders quite a bit, but managed to stay in third.
After building her lead to close to a minute, it was a heartbreak of a race for Rachel Gutish as a mechanical took her out of the battle. Rachael Archer was able to inherit the lead, Steede moved into second, and Prestin Raines into third.
Rachael Archer reached the checkered flag with ample time to spare to take her fifth win of the 2023 season. Korie Steede rode a strong, consistent race after her second lap struggle to bring it in for 2nd. Prestin Raines proves she's a strong WXC contender, taking her first podium of the season in 3rd.
"The first lap was sick. I got a good start, I was second on the holeshot. Rachel Gutish crashed a few corners in and I was able to ride away and pull a bit of a gap. The second and third lap were so slippery and the mud was so heavy. I crashed one time and looked down and my heart rate was at 198 and I was dying. Me and Gutish went back and forth over 10 times that second and third lap. Her bike kept dying and I knew her bike was probably not going to make it. I finally got back out front and saw a pit board saying I had a big lead so I just tried to ride it in for the last lap. The track's actually sick now!"
"It was a solid points day, but man it was a struggle out there for me today. That second lap, I came up to a bottleneck and tried to go left up an off camber hill. I fell back and my peg got lodged into a root. It took me and three other guys to eventually get the bike out. After that I was just trying to keep moving forward. The whole KTM crew and my mechanic were out there pointing lines and they don't know how much that meant, it was a huge help."
"This feels awesome. It's been a struggle of a season this year, these girls are no joke. Just trying to figure out where I stand and I want to belong on the box. This was fun. Last race I told myself I wasn't a
mud rider and I sucked, and I needed to get better. I've been working hard on my mentality and just being able to ride in the mud. I had fun today..."
In the Women's bike class, Cate Nash took her first win of the season! Ellie Winland took second and Ruby Fustini third. In the Women's Vet class, Elizabeth Allen grabbed her third win in a row, with Valerie Horensky taking second, and Claudia Danielewicz taking her first podium of the season. Ellie Nash holds onto her Women's C class points lead with a mud race win at the John Penton, Kyleigh Fridley took second, and Megan Davis third.
The mud wasn't stopping the youth girls at the John Penton either! Addison Harris took her sixth win of the year in the Girls Supermini bike class, with Zoey Kimble second, and Calli Propst taking her first ever podium. The Girls 65 class has been so fun to watch this season, and round seven was no different. Baylee Arsenault tackled the mud to take her second win of the year, Paisley Harris took second to hold onto her points lead, and Auburn Boyer grabbed her first podium of the season.
1. Rachael Archer (YAM)
2. Korie Steede (KTM)
3. Prestin Raines (YAM)
4. Sheryl Hunter (HSQ)
5. Elizabeth Perez (HSQ)
6. Rachel Gutish (GG)
7. Kayla O'Neill (KAW)
DNF. Kaitlyn Lindsey (HSQ)
1. Rachael Archer (200)
2. Korie Steede (165)
3. Rachel Gutish (150)
4. Prestin Raines (121)
5. Kayla O'Neill (107)
6. Elizabeth Perez (97)
7. Kaitlyn Lindsey (80)
8. Shelby Turner (75)
9. Sheryl Hunter (46)
10. Megan Barnes (36)
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