U.S. ISDE qualifier round two draws strong field of racers
Wally Palmer continued his success at round two of the AMA ISDE Qualifier series,
which took place under perfect
conditions in the hills of southeastern Ohio. Palmer topped the E1
class.
But many of the riders generating a buzz at the qualifier were not
racers who had filed a Letter of Intent (LOI) proclaiming their
eligibility for a spot on the 2007 U.S. ISDE team.
U.K. native and Fun Mart
Cycles Yamaha rider Jason Thomas tallied the fastest times for Day One
in the E2 class. But KTM rider and defending AMA Hare Scrambles
Champion Robbie Jenks, not an LOI rider, bested the entire field on Day Two, and took home
the overall win.
Thomas finished just 13 seconds behind Jenks for
second place. The win marked Jenks’ third straight
McArthur, Ohio, qualifier victory.
 The talk of the weekend, however, was GNCC phenom Cory Buttrick on his KTM 250 XC.
Event rules require any rider competing for the overall win to follow
the same impound regulations as LOI racers. The 16-year-old would
have taken the overall if he had chosen to impound for the event.
“Cory
B” still garnered the top amateur award for his impressive ride. Team
Green Demon Motorsports Husqvarna backed Travis Green rounded out the
podium for the event.
In the E1 class, Palmer was followed closely by GAS GAS-mounted Nick Fahringer. Bert Bradford set
the pace in the E3 class with Texas native Mark Faulk in tow. KTM rider
Mark Hyde was fast all weekend taking the E4 (Senior) win, and Lacy
Jones put in a great ride to win the E5 (Women’s) division.
The qualifier was put on as a joint effort by the Enduro Riders
Association and Chillicothe Enduro Riders. It was the Enduro Riders’
50th
anniversary and Chillicothe Enduro Riders’ first national event.
Each
club laid out a day of the event and paid separate D-11 points for
Saturday and Sunday.
 Each day consisted of four
different terrain tests and two separate grass tracks. Many of the
trails used by the clubs for the event were run in cooperation with
private landowners. Veteran ISDE riders commented that the course
was very much like the Six Days.
TDI
Racing/GEICO Yamaha racer and E1 Gold medal winner J.T. Bennett said “the
trails were phenomenal.” One 2.9-mile grass track built by the
Chillicothe Enduro Riders received rave reviews in particular.
Following the series’ final event in Idaho City, Idaho, selections will
be made for the U.S. World Trophy and Junior Trophy teams. The 2007 International Six Days Enduro will
be held in La Serena, Chile, this year.
Click here for full results.
© 2007, American Motorcyclist Association
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