Welcome to Weekly Dirt, your place to find the latest in off-road news in a nutshell. Sit back and enjoy your serving of dirt for the week!
Kurt Caselli will lead the U.S. World Trophy Team in Germany this year. Photo courtesy KTM Images
This week, the AMA announced the riders who will represent the United States at this year’s the 87th International Six Days Enduro in Saxony, Germany, on September 24-29. The U.S. World Trophy Team will consist of Russell Bobbitt, Mike Brown, Kurt Caselli, Robert Garrison, Charlie Mullins and Taylor Robert. Meanwhile, the Junior Trophy Team, which is made up of riders 23 years old and younger, will include young guns Steward Baylor, Travis Coy, Andrew DeLong and Thad Duvall.
This year’s team is managed by KTM off-road team manager Antti Kallonen, and according to Kallonen, the lineup includes several ISDE rookies. But despite the fact that these riders are new to Six Days, they have all proven their speed in U.S. national series.
“This year’s Six Days will have some of the stiffest competition we have seen in years, but with our team, we have good chance to be on top,” says Kallonen. ”Our Junior Trophy Team is made from pure speed. The riders selected are among the top riders in the country, and even though they are new to the Six Days, I expect them to do well and be on top. We have a good support program for our Junior Team riders to guide them so, again, the riders can focus on racing.”
The U.S. Women’s Cup Team consists of Rachel Gutish, Mandi Mastin and WMX competitor Sarah Whitmore.
The U.S. ISDE team has also designated a Senior Club Team of veterans from the club team members. This year, the Senior Club Team will include Billy Burns from Dorset, Vt.; Jeff Fredette from Beecher, Ill.; and Ron Schmelzle from Colorado Springs, Colo.
Riders at Six Days compete in one of three displacement classes: the E1 class, which features 100cc to 125cc two-stroke and 175cc to 250cc four-stroke motorcycles; the E2 class, which features 175cc to 250cc two-stroke and 290cc to 450cc four-stroke motorcycles; and the E3 class, which features 290cc to 500cc two-stroke and 475cc to 650cc four-stroke motorcycles.
This year’s World Trophy Team Captain will be longtime ISDE competitor Destry Abbott (who is not on the team this year), for his many years representing the United States at Six Days. According to the AMA’s Chuck Weir, “Destry will go to Germany as a pre-rider and will provide invaluable intelligence to our riders this year.”
Photo by Krista Shaw
This year’s Snowshoe GNCC at Snowshoe Resort in West Virginia, the crowned jewel of the Grand National Cross Country Series, was won by New Zealander Rory Mead, who put his trials-riding background to good use on the rocky and extremely slick and treacherous 20-mile course.
Mead passed early leaders Paul Whibley and Kailub Russell during the first hour of the three-hour race and was never headed on his WMR-backed KTM 300-XC two-stroke.
Russell put on a charge during the later stages of the race, and pulled to within sox seconds of the eventual winner, but it was too little too late.
The win was Mead’s second of the series, while Russell ended the day in second overall, ahead of Jason Thomas and Paul Whibley. —Shan Moore
Moving up the Gas Gas for Dakar Rally 2013
Photo courtesy Gas Gas
Whenever lack least for the big event and continue with the process of evolution of the Gas Gas raids motorbike with which we’ll face the Dakar Rally 2013.
We are working with the 450cc engine in which Ivan Cervantes is contesting the World Enduro Championship and a reinforced chassis specifically created for the toughest race in the world. A powerful machine driven by Laia Sanz, Marc Guasch and two more riders, yet to be confirmed. With 25 years of experience, the assistance will be given by Epsilon, in a project where you can join us.
Photo by Jimmy Lewis
Though there is mostly doom and gloom on the fight to keep lands open for OHV, here is some good news. A big props to all of the people who work behind the scenes to fight for your riding areas.
In a recently completed agreement between the two sides in this controversial lawsuit, the State was able prevail and only pay some minor costs of the lawsuit, only a small portion of the fees that the petitioners are now responsible for.
In September 2009, two environmental organizations, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, filed an action against California State Parks and the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division, alleging violations of state laws regarding water pollution at Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area. This action was filed in the Superior Court in Alameda County. No request was made by these organizations to the Water Boards to address any of their concerns. That mistake ended up being a significant one, since the Water Boards, and not the courts, have jurisdiction in these cases. Following a ruling by the Court in this case, the Appellate Court overturned the decision for that very reason.
OHV staff had been working closely with Water Board staff for several years, preparing the appropriate studies and documents necessary to receive regulatory permit coverage from the Water Board. The two agencies continued to work on the project with the court action still in the background.
In August, 2011, the documentation was completed and approved by the Water Board. At that time the OHV staff filed for permit coverage as a non-traditional Small MS4 system (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems). Each regulated MS4 is required to develop and implement a stormwater management program (SWMP) to reduce the contamination of stormwater runoff and prohibit illicit discharges. The problem that was encountered at that time was that the State Water Board’s MS4 permit program had expired in 2008. The boards had the ability to approve permit coverage under the expired program, but they decided that, since this case was already being reviewed by the courts, that they would wait for the new permit to become available. That permit program is expected to become available in the Fall of 2012.
As a temporary measure the Central Valley Water Board worked in conjunction with park staff to make use of one of their regulatory tools, called a Cleanup and Abatement Order, to supply the park with temporary permit coverage. That was issued in February of this year. We can finally say that the Carnegie Lawsuit has been dismissed “with prejudice”, meaning that it cannot be re-filed.
2013 King Of The Motos Motorcycle Survival Race
Photo by Adam Booth
There should be an announcement very soon but Dirt Rider has learned that the entries will be opened up to any rider who wants to try and finish for the 2013 event and there are even rumors of a team competition too. After a successful first running, the $10,000 winner-take-all extreme race is looking to become a motorized festival with the motorcycle race kicking off the week-long Ultra-4 King Of The Hammers. The date is set for the first weekend in February and will be held at the Johnston Valley OHV area near Lucerne Valley, California. —Jimmy Lewis
That’s all for this week, check in next week for more off-road news.
