Damon Huffman has had an impressive ISDE debut
Story and Photos by Steve Berkner
Team USA’s World Trophy Team moved up one position in the International Six Day Enduro being held in Figueira da Foz, Portugal, today, when Finland dropped three positions to 6th place after one of their riders, Simo Kissi, had to finish Day-four with a severely broken finger. The US Trophy Team is now in 5th place behind France, Italy, Australia and Sweden.
The Finnish team, like the American team, has been riding one rider short of their original six rider trophy team when one of their riders, Juha Salminen, retired on Day-three with mechanical problems. The US Trophy Team lost Trophy Team rider Ricky Dietrich on Day-one.
US Trophy Team rider Kurt Caselli commented on his teams advancement, “Our team has pretty much been locked in place for a couple of days now. Even though we’re getting faster, so is everybody else. Sometimes it takes something like somebody else having problems to make things happen. Like I said earlier this week with Ricky (Dietrich) going out on Day-one, that’s part of racing and when it happens, it is what it is.
“We’ve been fighting along everyday and we’re doing everything we can to finish with the five guys we have (each teams top five rider’s scores are counted each day.) If it takes another team having problems for us to move up then so be it, that’s part of Six Days.”
Caselli’s efforts once again lead the way for Team USA as he finished the day again in 7th place overall and 4th place in the E3 class. Fellow US Trophy Team riders Destry Abbott, Nathan Kanney, Timmy Weigand and Damon Huffman helped the US Trophy Team improve their scores as well, as all of them moved up in class or tied their overall and class finishes from the day before.
Nate Kanney has struggled to get his finishes where he feels they should be.
Kanney said, “It’s been a struggle all week. I’m pushing myself yet I haven’t crashed (in a test) yet. That’s either good or bad depending on how you look at it. Maybe I should push a little harder. Maybe I’m as fast as I’m going to be with crashing all of the time. Either way I feel my scores aren’t where they should be.
“The hardest part so far has been the killer sand whoops. I mean they go on forever. Something like an hour of non stop whoops. And these things are huge and if you don’t attack them you’re in trouble. Then in the afternoon you do them again.”
In the Junior Trophy Team division the American team finished the day again in third pace between 2nd place France and 4th place Italy. Spain leads the 23 and under junior division.
Us Junior Team rider Jamie Lanza said of his teams Day-four finish and his first ISDE, “My tests time are getting better as the week goes by but I’m not really gaining any ground. It’s been a lot of work this week and it’s crazy how fast the time has gone by. I guess I’m doing alright, my bike holding together and I’m not real sore anymore even though the last two day’s sand whoops have been gnarly.”
US Women's World Cup racer Maria Forsberg
The US Women’s World Cup Team finished again in 4th place behind France, Sweden and Australia. US Women’s Cup rider Lacy Jones said, “I hit a cement post in one of the trail sections with my front wheel and lost my front brake. That made the day long. I got it fixed at the end of the day but I just didn’t want to take any chances.
This is my third Six Days and to be honest it hasn’t been my toughest other than the dust and the sand. It makes it hard to have to stay on time. Sometimes you have to take chances and other times it’s just not worth it just to stay on time.”
Rory Sullivan maintained his top US club rider status finishing in third place, and on Gold medal status, in the C3 class again after Day-four. US club riders Fred Hoess, Jordan Brandt, Brian Sperle and Nick Fahringer maintained their Gold medal status as well.
Team Carter Engineering is still the top finishing US club where they are in 13th place.
Jordan Brandt works his way up a hill during Day-four of the ISDE