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/414054
IN THE WIND P22 FRANCE TOPS ISDE— TEAM USA SECOND AGAIN F or matching their best overall performance at the FIM Inter- national Six Days Enduro, you'd think the American Trophy Team would be eager to celebrate, but a second-place finish was not what the U.S. racers were look- ing for in San Juan, Argentina, November 3-8. The Americans were looking to capitalize on the South American locale, since it not only meant familiar condi- tions for the U.S. riders, but it also meant the Euro-powerhouse teams did not have a home-court advantage. "We really thought this was the year," said U.S. Team Manager Antti Kallonen. "The excitement is not the same that we had last year when we finished second because we came here to win." Still, the second-place finish was commendable given the dif- ficult hand the U.S. Trophy Team had to play in Argentina. Ameri- can riders Mike Brown, Thad DuVall, Charlie Mullins, Zach Os- borne, Taylor Robert and Kailub Russell got out to a strong start in the first test of day one, but disaster struck not long after as Osborne suffered a mechanical failure during the second test. Down to five riders from the get go, the rest of the week was an uphill battle for the Americans. Another stumbling block came on day two when Charlie Mullins had a hard get off that left him coughing up blood. Remarkably, Mullins managed to stay in the race, however, and did his best to minimize the damage. Day three spelled more difficulty af- ter Taylor Robert's bike sucked dirt and quit running, but, once again, the Americans were able to overcome the problem while losing as little time as possible. After day three it was all about chipping away at the lead the French team had opened up, but in the end, the Americans had to settle for another second-place finish in the World Trophy stand- ings. "I don't want to say what-ifs, but I think we proved that we were the top country with the top riders," Kallonen said. "We've got to regroup from this and look forward to next year." The Argentine 2014 ISDE also spelled disappointment for the Women's Trophy Team, and most of the U.S. Club teams who all suffered losses in the dust of day three. But it wasn't all dis- appointment for the American contingent, as the Junior Trophy team went on to win with Grant Baylor, Steward Baylor, Trevor Bollinger and Justin Jones. The young Americans became the first U.S. team to win the class since 2006. The second-place American team shares the World Trophy podium with the Spanish team, and the French overall winners. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK KARIYA