AMA ANNOUNCES 2007 ISDE TEAMS
PICKERINGTON, Ohio (August 13, 2007) - The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) isproud to announce the riders named to represent the U.S., at the 82nd International Six Days Enduro(ISDE) will be held in La Serena, Chile on Nov. 12 - 17, 2007.
This year's U.S. Trophy Team features Kurt Caselli, Jordan Brandt, Fred Hoess, Jimmy Jarrett,Ron Schmelzle and Rory Sullivan. Caselli, Hoess and Brandt are slated to ride the E3 class, Jarrettand Sullivan are expected to run E2 and Schmelzle is scheduled to run E1.Caselli was a member of the Junior World Trophy team (for riders under 23 years of age) thatgave Team USA a surprise victory last year in New Zealand. Caselli says he thinks the U.S. Trophyteam could surprise some people in Chile.
"This year's team has a lot of guys who have raced ISDE before, so we have a good level ofexperience," Caselli said. "The key is to eliminate mistakes. I think if we can do that we can earn agood finish. A lot of our guys have been riding really well in qualifiers and you like to have thatconfidence going into the event. We've got to work together as a team. That's very important with thelevel of competition in the ISDE."
Caselli thinks the desert surroundings in La Serena could help the U.S. team."For the most part the Europeans favor more forested and wet conditions," he explained. "Mostof our riders have good experience in the desert. That's what I ride every day. That's one area wherewe could have an advantage, you never know."
Finland is the defending World Trophy champion. The U.S. is seeking its first victory in theprestigious international competition.
The U.S. Trophy team has a mix of youth and experience. Fred Hoess is the senior member at40. He has 12 ISDE Gold Medals to his credit. Hoess is glad that new blood is coming into ISDEcompetition for Team USA.
"Ron [Schmelzle) and I are the veterans of the team," said Hoess, who was first named to theU.S. Trophy team in 1991. "I'm 40 and Ron's in his late 30s, but the rest of the team is in their 20s and that's great because it is a young man's sport. The terrain should be good for some of the guyson our team, so that's a real positive."
Hoess commented that the team also has riders with experience in various racing series."My background is National Enduro and ISDE Qualifiers," he said. "And we got guys who havea lot of Hare and Hound and Hare Scrambles experience, so everyone has their strengths. Everyoneis trying to do well individually, but the little things that we do together as a team can really make amajor difference. Things like walking the special tests together, sharing information, having teammeetings, waiting for teammates in case they need some help with anything, or helping them on thetrail even, whatever it takes."
Hoess would love to see the team shoot for a top-five finish.
"Of course you want to win," he said. "I don't know if that's possible yet, but with some of theyoung talent we're bringing in I can see a top-five and maybe working for a top-three would be great."The Junior Trophy Team of Russell Bobbitt, David Kamo, Cole Kirkpatrick and Ben Smith havebig shoes to fill after the awe-inspiring performance by the U.S. Junior team last year. The team willlook to Bobbitt for leadership as the only returning member of last year's Gold winning squad.The ISDE will mark a major milestone in this year's competition when it has the first Women'sWorld Cup Team. The USA squad, backed by GoFasters.com, is made up of Nicole Bradford, LacyJones and Amanda Mastin.
In addition to the Trophy, Junior and Women's teams, the U.S. will also send over a strongcontingent of club teams. Team Oregon: Eric Cleveland, Jim Conner, John Yates; Lubbock TrailRiders: Don Hogan, Cooper Bailey, Jordan Chambliss; Trail Riders of Houston: Jeff O'Leary, BrianStorrie, Wes McKnight; Missouri Mudders: Lars Valin, Michael Jolly, Daniel Janus; JAFMAR Racing:Jeff Fredette, Bill Rush, Dennis Decker; Sugar Mama Racing: Troy Swettenam, Joe Giordano, JohnMaier; Merced Dirt Riders: Brian Hasslen, Scott Bright, Matthew Bucher; Carter Engineering: RobertHeinzerling, Paul Reschke, Steve Gordon; Boise Ridge Riders: Bert Bradford, Annell Allen, RichLibengood; Desert MC: Kevin Hutchinson, Lucas Comeaux, Bryce Bingham.
This is a first for a major manufacturer outside the motorcycle industry to show its support forthe U.S. ISDE team and is a credit to Mazda North America. The fund-raising truck will be a 2007Mazda B2300, and it will be on display at Tracy Mazda, 2680 Auto Plaza Way, Tracy, Calif.Donations can be made conveniently over the Internet via Paypal at www.isde4teamusa.com with asuggested donation of $30 per chance or two for $50. All proceeds will be used to help send America's World Trophy and Junior World Trophy teams to Chile for the 82nd ISDE. Additionally, aportion will be used to help pay for transporting the 40-foot container that holds the bikes, spares andtools to La Serena--only the second time in history that the event has been held in South America.