Smage, Roper Split Wins In Oregon
F
actoryOne Sherco's Pat
Smage and GasGas's Josh
Roper split wins at rounds five
and six of the NATC National
Mototrials Championship series
in Tillamook, Oregon, June 3-4,
causing a nail-biter of a season
as the final rounds draw near.
Beautiful weather greeted
riders on Saturday at the Cedar
Creek OHV for the start of com
-
petition. With 12 sections situat-
ed in the woods of the Tillamook
Forest, the Columbia Observed
Trials Association showcased
what the Oregon terrain had to
offer. Sections were set a bit on
the easier side to get everyone
started, but in comparison with
the previous weekend's rounds
in Canon City, Colorado, the
setup was more technical than it
was focused on big hits, and the
loose terrain and moss-covered
rocks proved a worthy challenge
for most riders, while the tree-
covered mountains provided a
beautiful backdrop.
Roper and Smage both ended
with a single point on the day,
with the deciding factor be
-
ing when that single point was
taken. Since Roper took his
point during the first loop, the
win went to Smage. FactoryOne
Scorpa's Alex Myers rounded out
the podium in third with only 13
points.
"Today went well in the end,"
said Smage. "Obviously, it was
very low scoring, so there wasn't
much room to work with. Josh
rode awesome and only had one
point. I did see him take [the
point] on the first loop, and I was
hoping that wasn't going to be
the decision-maker. I just tried to
continue on and clean the first
loop. I had a one on the second
loop and didn't really feel all that
great on the first two loops, just
with confidence and timing, and
certain things weren't clicking. I
don't think I was able to warm up
enough this morning, so it took a
bit to get going. The third loop I
finally felt like I rode like myself,
WIND
IN THE
P50
Josh Roper closed out
the weekend in Oregon
with Sunday's victory.
Roper and Pat Smage
tied on points at the end
of both days.
PHOTOS:
STEPHANIE VETTERLY
