Aaron wins 10th national trials title
Story and photos by Shan Moore
Geoff Aaron claimed an unprecedented 10th national trials title with
a 4-5 performance at the final two rounds of the AMA/NATC National
Trials Championships held near Providence, Rhode Island.
But while Aaron's steady performance nailed down the title, it was
16-year-old Patrick Smage of Wisconsin who stunned the competition by
winning both days of the event in extremely tough and slippery
conditions. The wins were Smage’s first in Pro-class competition. The
Sherco USA-sponsored rider had not finished better than seventh in any
of the previous six rounds.
 On
Saturday, Smage (left) looked confident on the slippery and challenging
moss-covered rocks and topped Florida Gas Gas pilot Chris Florin by two
points for the win. Round six winner Cody Webb put his Sherco into third
place, another three points behind Florin, while Aaron, who wasn't
taking any chances on DNFing the event, coasted in for a safe fourth.
On Sunday, Smage led the event from the start and ended up winning a
squeaker over Webb by two points. Florin dropped to third, while Sherco-mounted
Bruce LeRiche finished fourth, ahead of Aaron.
Aaron came into the event with a healthy points lead and only needed
to finish to clinch the title, while behind him LeRiche and Webb were
locked in a tight battle for the runner-up position in the final
standings. Webb edged LeRiche with his 3-2 performance, while LeRiche
settled for third, after going 5-4.
© 2006, American Motorcyclist Association
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