Welcome to The Weekly Dirt, the place to go each Wednesday to catch up on the latest happenings in the realm of off-road motorcycling. This week we’re covering details of the 87th International Six Days Enduro in Finland, the Unadilla Pro Motocross and the announcement of this year’s U.S. MX of Nations team.
Ryan Villopoto went 1-1 at Unadilla. Photo by Shan Moore
Ryan Villopoto gained a bit of breathing room in the 2011 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Series overall standings after going 1-1 at the latest round at Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New York. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider pulled big leads in both motos after passing new American Honda recruit Justin Barcia in the first moto and KTM rider Mike Alessi on the second moto. With just three races to go, Villopoto holds a seven-point lead over Dungey in the series standings.
Justin Barcia was a surprise third in Unadilla. Photo by Shan Moore
American Honda borrowed GEICO Powersports Honda rider Justin Barcia to fill one of the factory 450s vacated by injured riders Trey Canard and Josh Grant. Barcia surprised everyone, including himself, by grabbing the first moto holeshot and leading Villopoto for seven laps. At the end of the day, Barcia went 3-3 for third overall, and gave Ryan Dungey a run for his money in moto two. Dungey spent the entire race trying to get around Barcia and finally did on the final lap when the two collided over a jump. Barcia went down while Dungey stayed on two wheels, giving Dungey second and Barcia third.
Kurt Caselli won the Enduro 2 class in Finland. Photo by Jake Miller/G2S Media
After leading the division all week, Kurt Caselli emerged from this year’s ISDE in Finland as the top rider in the E2 division. Dominating the E2 class throughout the six-day event, Caselli finished close to two-and-a-half minutes ahead of his nearest rival in the class. The FMF/KTM rider was also top American and the joined forces with Destry Abbott, Russell Bobbitt, Jimmy Jarrett, Nathan Kanney and Kyle Summers to finish third in the final World Trophy Team standings.
The American four-man made up of Cody Schafer, Ian Blythe, Cory Buttrick, and Andrew DeLong finished fourth overall in Junior Trophy Team competition.
Ryan Villopoto, Ryan Dungey and Blake Baggett make up the 2011 U.S. MX of Nations team. Photo by Shan Moore
The U.S. Motocross of Nations team was announced at the Unadilla round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships, and first-timer Blake Baggett will join Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey in representing the United States at this year’s event on September 17-18, in Saint Jean D’Angely, France. In addition, Motorcycle Hall of Famer Roger DeCoster will once again manage the team in its hunt for a record 22nd Motocross of Nations Championship.”It’s going to be a lot of fun to go over there and we’re going to have a huge target on our backs,” said Villopoto. “I think we have a strong team but we need to have three good motos when we get over there. Mistakes can come from any one of us so we need to be sure we’re smart about it.”
