conditions, then that takes
a lot of concentration.
Overall, I had a few more
mistakes than I'm happy
with, but I had some good
rides, too, so I have to be
happy overall."
Floridian Karl Davis Jr.
was the surprise of the
weekend. The Scorpa
USA rider has been busy
performing with Marvel
Universe Live and hadn't
ridden a national in almost
a year. However, after
brushing off the dust, Da-
vis finished a solid third on
Saturday and then backed
it up with an impressive
runner-up finish on Sun-
day.
Davis went 26-14-17 for
a total of 57 on Saturday
for third and then 21-28-28 for a
total of 77 on Sunday.
"I knew it was going to rain
on Sunday, so I jumped out in
front and tried to get through the
sections before the rain hit," said
Davis, who made it all the way
into the second lap before the
rain hit. "I wasn't really surprised
with my finishes because I come
into these events expecting to do
well, but it did take a few sec-
tions on Saturday to get in the
swing of things."
Gas Gas North America team-
mates Alex Niederer and Daniel
Blanc-Gonnet picked up where
they left off in the personal battle
they've been waging in 2018,
which has seen the two riders
swap positions at each of the
previous four rounds. In Tennes-
see, Niederer was second on
Saturday, while Blanc-Gonnet
was fourth behind Davis. How-
ever, on Sunday, Niederer edged
Blanc-Gonnet by a single point
to take third.
"It's crazy, but we just always
seem to be riding at about the
same level," said Niederer, who
was behind Blanc-Gonnet head-
ing into Sunday's final lap, but
managed to eek ahead of his
teammate by a single point.
Sherco USA's Sam Fastle fin-
ished fifth on each day, with Beta
USA's Andreas Niederer claiming
a pair of sixths.
Shan Moore
SATURDAY
1. Pat Smage (Shr) 8
2. Alex Niederer (GG) 55
3. Karl Davis Jr. (Sco) 57
4. Daniel Blanc-Gonnet (GG) 64
5. Sam Fastle (Shr) 80
6. Andreas Niederer (Bet) 87
SUNDAY
1. Pat Smage (Shr) 37
2. Karl Davis Jr. (Sco) 77
3. Alex Niederer (GG) 86
4. Daniel Blanc-Gonnet (GG) 87
5. Sam Fastle (Shr) 112
6. Andreas Niederer (Bet) 126
IN
THE
WIND
P38
Alex Niederer piloted his Gas
Gas to second on Saturday
and third on Sunday.
