Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128406
the bomb went off, it was Knight with the apparent lead as they headed into the woods. However, when they emerged in the next ravine, it was former Baja 1000 winner Jimmy Lewis with the lead. "My desert experience paid off," Lewis said. "We spent a lot of time walking the start, and we spent a lot of time in a ravine, cutting branches and stuff, and it paid off." Knight, however, qUickly took control of the race and led Lafferty, KTM-mounted Billy Russell and Lewis for the next 10 miles. By the end of the second lap, Knight had established a five-minute lead over Lafferty, with Yamaha-mounted Justin Williamson moving into third. Kanney was putting in a steady ride after a so-so scart and had moved up into fifth, just behind ISDE veteran David Kamo. After two laps and 80 miles of grueling trail, the riders were given a one-hour break to install lights and prepare for the nighttime segment of the race. Any rider finishing more than an hour behind the leader was eliminated, which ended up leaVing only 18 to start the final two laps. With the sun easing down in the west, Lewis again grabbed the holes hot, as the 18 qualifiers headed onto the moonlit course for 60 more miles of trail. Knight once again displaced Lewis for the lead and, by the first really tight section, he had pulled a small gap over Lafferty, with Russell, Williamson and Lewis in tow. (Right) Nathan Kanney toughed it aut ta an impressive second-place finish. (Below) A crash held back AMA National Enduro Champion Mike Lafferty. He still got on the podium with a third-place finish. Briefly... The format for the event called for four elimination stages (one lap each), which narrowed down the 88 original riders into the final 18 that would start the final two laps, which comprised the night segment. Only 200 riders, representing off-road racing series from across the country, were invited. The first two "daylight" laps were 40 miles long, while the course was shortened to 30 miles for the two night laps, which were run in reverse. The start was a side-by-side, bomb-run-type start, which kicked off the first two laps. After two laps, a one-hour break allowed the 18 qualifiers to install lights for the night segment. David Knight, who was also in the states to ride next week's EnduroCross in Las Vegas, reported that he may be spending more time in the United States. ':Actually, my contract calls for me to replace Juha [Salminen) in 2007 for the GNCC Series. That's 50-50 right now." The KTM-backed rider rode a GNCC event last year and expressed an interest to the factory to ride the series for a full season. Former Baja 1000 winner and Dirt Rider magazine editor Jimmy Lewis rode a KTM 200 with a Dunlop trials tire mounted on the rear in an effort to get better traction in the rocky terrain. The tire evidently didn't hinder his starts, as he nailed both hoieshots. The Red Bull Last Man Standing event was filmed by Chet Burks Productions and is scheduled to air as a one-hour highlight show on Speed Channel. The show will air four times as the "Off-Road Spectacular." Scheduled air dates are December II from 3-4:00, December 13 from 2-3:00, January 6 from 2-3:00, and January 8 from 6-7:00, Eastern Standard Time. Seven sections of the course, known as "elements," were designated as spectator areas, and shuttles transferred spectators between these areas and the pits. Large generators powered hanging lights that illuminated the elements during the night segments, making the event a very unique experience for the spectators. The Red River Dirt Riders, led by president Archie Taliaferro and KTM's Josh Whitaker, were charged with setting the course, which was held on the 2Soo-acre Red River Motorcycle Park, near the Oklahoma-Texas border. The club approached Red Bull with the idea of putting on this event and utilized more than ISO volunteers in the course of the project. "I think we gave the riders a challenge, and that's what they want," Taliaferro said. "On this 4O-mile course, we had maybe 20 obstacles and used over 20 miles of course-ribbon tape, two truckloads of stakes, and 5000 day and night [reflective) arrows." The 88-rider tumout was less than the 200 that Red Bull had expected, but the promoters expect a larger turnout next year as word of the event hits the printed page. The payout for the event was $18,000, with $10,000 going to the winner. CYCLE NEWS • NOVEMBER 30, 2005 27