2008 ISDE in Greece - let the show begin!

[tooclose racing]

Helloooo!  Let me just first mention that I broke my pinky metacarpal on a rope swing (into a lake...please don't ask how this foolishness REALLY happened).  So..no CC or MX AHRMA for me for a month or so - I'm so bummed that I could not participate at the Hancock, NY event this last weekend.  Crappola! [B)]

But enough about me.  How about the 2008 ISDE Trophy Team!?!  Here's the You Tube link introducing the guys:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4z0m3AAQQM

I have such high hopes that THIS is the line-up that could...I don't want to jinx this thing....WIN an overall.  And or course there is Kurt Caselli himself (on the Penton, oops.., KTM 300).  What a tremendous competitor - he could also finally get what has alluded the Americans for so long - an individual Overall!! []

I'm not into the politics of GNCC or WORCS or whatever, but I am sooo grateful that the factories got their logo and marketing guys out of the way to ensure this line-up of guys could all make it.  This team now has the nucleas of the Jr Trophy team that won 1st place two years ago.  Yea, baby!  And how those 90 degree, dusty Greece conditions? Abbott, Dietrich, and Caselli must be pinching themselves!

I just thought it might be fun to have a thread following THE event that Pentons and KTMs have been such a big part of.  So post your thoughts, POGGERs.

GO USA!

[brian kirby]

Check out Caselli's shirt in this interview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j43cxQPZr88&feature=user

Brian

'73 Berkshire
Team d-Con
//www.d-conproducts.com America's #1 Rodent Control Brand

[tooclose racing]

OMG...it'a a sign, definitely a sign!

I'm gonna burn some Hi-Point oil at my little Penton toolbag/alter and call upon the gods  - John, Jack, Jeff, Tom, Dane, Carl, Billy, Dwight, etc....to look over our 2008 Trophy Team.

Hmm...I hope I didn't just put a curse on them!

[Ernie Phillips]

Day one results from Cycle News:

http://www.cyclenews.com/ShowStory.asp?HeadlineID=12884

Ernie P.
Chattanooga, TN

[tooclose racing]

Great! I guess we're doing okay, considering Nathan Wood's day...Go Kurt Caselli, go Ricky, go team! Catch those French Fries and I-talians and show them how The West Was Won.

BTW - I get all misty-eyed/patriotic when I see the blue helmets with the white stripes.  It's my goal (wish) to find a decent open face, do it up in the colors, and then get as many of the 73 Trophy team guys to sign it as I can find.  Of course, I also hope I can kick Ernie P's butt in an Intermediate 125 Classic class one day, but fat chance of that happening...[]

[brian kirby]

If you look real close it looks like Caselli's shirt is signed by JP too. That is really good to see a current world class rider giving JP his proper respect.

Brian

'73 Berkshire
Team d-Con
//www.d-conproducts.com America's #1 Rodent Control Brand

[checkcrew]

Brian, just a note, these shirts are in the KTM hardparts catalog and all of them have JP's signature, regardless it is way cool that Kurt has the Penton shirt on !!, GO TEAM USA !! thanks, Mike G. from Jersey.

Mike Gallagher, Camden County, NJ.- 69, 70 + 71, 125 Steel Tankers, 72 Berkshire, 72 x 2, 73 x 2, 125-6 Day's, 74-6 Day, 73 Jackpiner, 75 - 250 H/S, 74 1/2 Mint 400

[skiracer]

Nice pool in the back ground!  The landings from the diving must be tuff!

[tooclose racing]

I was looking thru special test results for Day 2.  The Yanks were having a great day thru Test 5... BUT Kurt must have dropped some points or time between tests 5 and 6.  He went from +25 seconds to 2nd overall, to -49 seconds and about 5th overall.  Woods wons a special test and Ricky D, Woods, and Abbott continue to perform strongly. If you can find the "live" link, they post each of the test results (along with individual overall..kinda like WRC stage stage) during the day.  

http://www.isde2008-live.gr/

Cycle News should have something up in a bit.

[Jeff D]

Cycle News reported that Kurt was penalized one minute in a test for "cutting the course", but you can read Kurt's version of it there, too.  The US Team is appealing the penalty.  Hopefully it will be overturned and he will be back on top where he belongs!

Jeff DeBell

[brian kirby]

Caselli is out with a concussion.

http://www.cyclenews.com/ShowStory.asp?HeadlineID=12897

Brian

'73 Berkshire
Team d-Con
//www.d-conproducts.com America's #1 Rodent Control Brand

[tooclose racing]

I'm CRUSHED!! No Caselli...no chance for...wait, this just in: this team is still kicking major butt without Caselli - that's how strong they are.  Still third overall after Day Three, and Dietrich is running fourth overall individual and the Yanks WON 3 of the 6 special tests on the day.  

We shall overcome.....

[firstturn]

Very Exciting:

OFF-ROAD - Race for the World Trophy Podium
By Jean Turner
Race for the Podium 9/5/2008  

At our time of publishing the Day Five race report from the ISDE in Serres, Greece, the U.S. Team actually didn't know they had been trumped for third in the World Trophy standings. They weren't very happy to hear the news upon returning to the hotel.

"It's amazing that after five days of racing between ten guys, it all comes down to less than three seconds," Destry Abbott said.

The team has every reason to be confident going into tomorrow, as the Americans have dominated the motocross test all week, but they're definitely feeling the pressure.

Tomorrow's motocross test will consist of two motos per class with around 30 riders in each race. The start will be staggered with four riders off the line at a time and be a total of eight laps.

Keep an eye on CycleNews.com to find out if the American team can pull off a podium finish in the 2008 International Six Day Enduro and if Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ricky Dietrich can come away with an overall podium finish.

Go Team USA!




Ron Carbaugh

[Rocket]

How about Fredette, how is he doing?
Rod

[tooclose racing]

Thanks for the update on how Day 6 works, Ron...I had totally forgotten.  It certainly isn't a processional, huh?  Man, Ricky D's having a great ISDE.  

Just checked the official site - must be 3 PM over there (or so), but no moto results are posted yet.  The tension!  How cool is it going to be to check the internet today!?!

Either way, this team has done great this year.  You can argue that this year's conditions were going to favor our western riders, AND that we may have missed our BIG chance to rock the ISDE world.  But I think that - with the strength of GNCC, OMA, WORCS, and other series, we are building a great "bench" and that we can make adjustments if we needed to for more "eastern" conditions in the future.

Having said that, I still have always underestimated the value of the "speed" or motocross special tests.  Evert's one-time appearance AND OVERALL really brought this home.  Yes, in an exaggerated kinda way -and I probably not giving the guy enough credit all-around...