K Russell has taken some kind of penalty (7 minutes?), and his test times for 2 thru 4 are way off. Sipes, Roberts, Duvall kicking serious butt right at the top of Overall, Brown is tough, and Sutherlin (who points were previously being dropped) is usually landing in the Top 50, but...
Our WT effort has been mortally wounded. DAMN.
http://www.fim-isde-live.info/
Yes but three Americans in the top five overall! With one more test to go.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/ISDE-TEAM-USA/284867158195?fref=ts
Pete Petrick
175 Jackpiner
Slow but Good
I agree and didn't mean to diminish what the others are doing. Sipes is KILLING. And Taylor Roberts and Thad Duvall have turned it up huge on Day 3, truly amazing, but...
UPDATE: it is as I feared, didn't see Kailub's name in results for Tests 5 and 6:
http://enduro21.com/index.php/component/k2/item/3168-usa
Between Russell being out and Gary Sutherlin being a long ways back from the 5th Aussie overall, WT ain't gonna too pretty.
It gets worse...I think the USA, GB and France are screwed:
From KTM Press Release:
"While the eight riders in question were finally declared disqualified, the teams involved were planning to submit protests
and these may not be resolved until Saturday. Late on Wednesday evening organizers headed back to another meeting and
decided that disqualified riders would be able to compete while protests were being resolved."
Pete Petrick
175 Jackpiner
Slow but Good
And then it got worse:
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10153196203398196&id=284867158195
Taylor Robert was having a fantastic day, but from my peanut gallery seat WE WERE SCREWED as soon as Kailub had to drop out. Our #6 rider on WT is just too far back relative to the other contending WT teams. He's not enjoying Slovakia for whatever reason.
My Op-Ed: I think our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and we loaded up both teams thinking we could win WT and JT when we should have put ALL our money on WT this year.
See you in 2016 USA WT!
Maybe next year. Meanwhile - go Ryan Sipes!! Go Grant and Stu! And go Rachel!
Wow, I really thought this was our year. Of all people KR wrecks out. A guy that has been absolutely dominant in everything he's raced for the past couple of years. Plain bad luck.
Ed Barth
'73 Penton 125 Six Days
'73 Yamaha DT3 250
'04 KTM 125 SX
'06 KTM 250 SX
'13 KTM 250 XC