Red Bull KTM Off Road Team rider and current leader of the '08 US Grand National Cross Country series David Knight has made the difficult decision not to compete in the '08 edition of the world famous Erzberg Rodeo, staged in Eisenerz, Austria. Following discussions with the Red Bull KTM Off Road Team after the sixth round of the US GNCC series it was decided that due to increased testing commitments it would be best for Knight not to compete in the word's toughest one-day extreme race.
Although more than 40 pints ahead of his nearest XC1 Pro class rival in the '08 US GNCC series Knight is focused on claiming the best results he can in the three events that remain before the championships two-month summer break. Heading to Austria on Monday, May 19 for several days of testing Knight would have next to no time to prepare himself for the Erzberg event.
David Knight: "My goal this season is to successfully defend my US Grand National Cross Country title, which is why I have decided not to compete at Erzberg this year. Things are going extremely well for me in the States at the moment and I have a 41-point lead in the XC1 Pro class championship, which is largely due to having spent many, many hours practicing, training, testing and racing on my 450 XC-W. The down side of all this time spent riding my 450 is that I have had no time to prepare for Erzberg, where I planned on riding a 250cc two-stroke.
"I was looking forward to racing at Erzberg but to compete when I'm no where near properly prepared for the race is pointless. The fact that the world's biggest, one-off, extreme race falls right in the middle of the US GNCC series makes it hard for me to do both. I have more testing scheduled for the week before Erzberg, before I head back to the States in preparation for The Spartan GNCC.
"I will be back at Erzberg - it's a race I've enjoyed competing in, but for now my priority is trying to extend my sizeable points advantage at the top of the GNCC championship before the series' summer break."
http://www.knighter.net