OFF
THE
ENDURO
VOL. 50 ISSUE 42 OCTOBER 22, 2013
P97
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHAN MOORE
C
harlie Mullins put an exclamation point on
the 2013 Rekluse AMA National Enduro
season by grabbing his eighth win of the
year at the final round of the series at the Cross
Timbers National Enduro in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
After wrapping up the series title early at the
previous round in Indiana, Mullins came into the
race gunning for the $5000 Radiant AirGroup
Bounty offered to any rider that could win all six
tests of the race, and he looked fully capable of
collecting it after winning the first four tests of
the event. However, an "episode" in the fifth test
caused the FMF/KTM rider to back it down for
the remainder of the day and focus on the win
instead of the bounty.
"Today started off really good, I won the first
four tests which gave me a pretty comfortable
lead," said Mullins. "With the Bounty on the line
I was wanting to do what I could to try and get
it, but in the fifth test I just had one of those moments. It was on the downhill I hit a rock at the
top. I didn't go down, but it got me thinking. I still
have another series to finish and after that moment on the downhill I just didn't feel the same."
Things didn't get any better in the final test for
Mullins, as the FMF/KTM rider lost his rear brake
about two miles in and had to ride the final 10
miles of the race without it.
"At that point, I was afraid I might have lost
the race," said Mullins. "I knew I had a lead but I
wasn't sure how much time I was giving up riding
with no brake."
Despite the problems, Mullins finished the
race with 37 seconds to spare over runner-up finisher Russell Bobbitt.
"It definitely feels good to finish off the enduro
season with another win," added Mullins. "It's
definitely been an amazing season. The bike has
been great and it was good to win eight rounds
out of the 10."
Bobbitt won the final test of the day to put his
