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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1542352
Holbrook, AZ
J'
AMA"/NATC
u.5. National
Trials Seri€s
eigning
U.S. National
Trials
Champion
Geoff Aaron
laid
the
groundwork for an
unprecedented
lfth National
tle in 2006
by winning the
opening
two rounds of the
AMAy'NATC
National Trials Series
held at
Holbrook,
Arizona.
Aaron,
who also claimed
his
7fth and Tlst career
National
wins at the
Arizona rounds,
8ot
off to
great
starts
each day on the large and
grippy rock,
leading both
events
from start to finish.
The fact that different
riders llnished
second
and third each
day allowed Aaron
to
8ain
eveo more
ground lhan usual
in
the championship.
On Saturday,
Aaron's
ERE/Gas
Gas teammate
Keith Wineland
finished second,
while Sherco
USAs Cody
Webb
finished third. Then on Sunday,
it
was Gas Gas USAs Chris
Florin
in the
runner-up
position, with South Afri€an
Bruce LeRiche finishing
third on a Sherco.
After the two
rounds, Aaron sits
l0
poins
ahead of
Wineland in the series
stand-
ings
(5040)
with six
rounds to
go,
while
Florin
and LeRkhe are tied
for third
place
with 38
pctnls
each.
Webb is in fifth with 36.
"l
definitely wanted to start
off the sea-
son strong,"
Aaron said.
''We've
been real_
ly busy doing shows
and demos, but
I have
been fortunate to be
able to
practice at the
Trials Training Center
in Tennessee, and
I
think that helped me out,
because
I was
able
to stay on
the bike all winter long."
On Saturday,
Aaron logged
only nine
points in 12 sections while negotiating
the
first lap, compared
to
l5
points
for
LeRiche,
15 for Wineland and
17 for
Webb, Aaron's
only difflculties
came in sec-
tion five, where
he dropped five
marks.
"Section
flve
had a series of
tricky off-
cambers which
ended with a downhill
launch into an
undercut rock
that was
about
six
feet high," Aaron said.
"l
was
just
having trouble
gening over the
final rock. I
fived it on the
first lap so I tried a different
line on the second
lap, and that didn't
work
either.
Finally, on
the last loop lclicked
it
up
into third
gear
and
got over it."
Aaron's final
lap was nearly
perfect,
as
he needed only a single
dab to finish
the
course,
giving
him a
total of 22
points
for
the day. Wineland carded three
marks
on
his
final lap and ended
the day with 30.5
for second, while
Webb
tumed
in a nine-
point tally on his third
loop for a total of
37
points
and third
place.
Sunday
was a textbook
day for Aaron.
The organizers had tightened
up the sec-
tions
ro make them
a little more difflcult
for the competitors, but
Aaron usually
shines when
the sections
are the toughest.
Aaron
started off Sunday's event
with
a bang by
postin8
the only
clean ride of
the
flrst lap in
the opening section,
He
then finished the lap with
only two
marks
lost,
compared to
l0 for Florin, 12
for
Webb and 13 for LeRiche.
Houroox,
ARrzoNA
REsulrsr APH! l
-2,
2OOb
(RouNos
I
/2
or I
OFF.ROAD
Roundi
l-2
Ap.il r
-2,
2006
Mf
Aoron 6wapn
rhe opening
round
oI the Notionol
T ols
Series in
Arizono.
Florin came back strong
on
lap two
and dropped
only a single
dab, compared
to six
points
lost by Aaron, but
Aaron still
held a three-point
advantage
over Florin
going into the
linal lap.
On the final lap, Aaron
rose to the
occn-
sion and
finislrcd all
12 sections without
taking a single
dab, something that
is rarely
seen in National
competition.
Florin man-
aged
the lap with
five
points,
while LeRiche
finished with one
point less.
When the score
cards were counted,
Aaron
took win number
7l wath a total
of
eight
points, while
Florin frnished second
with
l5 and LeRiche claimed
third with 23.
"These
sections suited
me-" Aaron
added.
"They
were dry and
grippy rocks
and that is similar to
where
I
Practice
in
Southern California.
I wanted to come
out swin8ing,
so I tried not to
make any
mistakes early on.''
C
PRo:
l. GeofiAarcn
(22)i
2. Keith
Wioeland
(10.5):
3.
Cody
webb
(14:
4. Erure Le&(h.
'40):
5. Chri,
Fl6r,n
(40)i
6.
Brent LeRi.he
(50):
7. hr.kk
Smare
(66).
Ex:
l. Ray Pets
(2);
2.
will lbsen
(ll)i
3. TEVE
Fot
(16)i4.
cory Pincock
(
lB)r 5. Sean 8i.d
(21).
Ex SFoRTs:
L Hd Nel$n
(5)i2.
Derek
flanins
(8)i
t. oL6rn
L"rd
(8):4-
REid o&is
(10)i
5. Chu.k
s1fion
(18).
WOIIEN
E* l- Louie Forsley
(21):
1 Chn./
Wllm!
(3s).
HS:
L Ba,ley Tud€r
(
I 8); 2. Caleb I'rizell
(21
5): 3. D&ier
Al€n
(2{)i4.lci,h
MizEll(24)i 5. l'lichael
wer8er 25).
SP:
l. Dudn Alen
(9);
2.
r'lan
Banon
(20)r
3. Geofi
Chain
(25):4.
Adnb Lewit
(l
l)r 5.
La