AMA announces final teams for 2008 International Six Days Enduro
PICKERINGTON,
Ohio-The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is pleased to announce
the rosters for the world championship-defending U.S. Women's Trophy
Team, the U.S. Junior Trophy Team, the U.S. Senior Team and the members
of the U.S. club teams that will help carry the banner for American
off-road racing honor at the 2008 International Six Days Enduro (ISDE)
in Serres, Greece, September 1-6.
"As always, we are very proud
to call these world-class riders part of Team USA for the ISDE effort,"
said AMA Off-Road Racing Director Chuck Weir. "It not only takes a
great deal of riding talent, but enormous dedication, to race the ISDE.
These riders answered the call and stepped up. We look forward to
supporting them in Greece this fall."
The U.S. Women's Trophy
Team claimed the Women's World Cup in Chile last year, and brings back
two riders from that championship-winning effort for '08. Nicole
Bradford and Amanda Mastin will be joined by ISDE rookie Maria Forsberg.
"I'm
really excited about it," Bradford said. "I've ridden with Amanda in
three other Six Days, and having an opportunity to ride behind Maria at
the last qualifier, I have no question that she will be a strong rider.
We will have a great team."
Bradford, who will be riding a KTM
250XCF at the ISDE, says the mantle of defending champions does create
some additional pressure.
"This year, we will have to step it
up to win," she said. "Because it's in Europe, more European countries
will be able to field strong womens teams, and since we won the
inaugural Women's World Trophy, it inspires other countries to try to
take that away. But we have three very strong riders. We used to go to
the Six Days to finish. Now, we don't go there just to finish. Now, we
go there to be the best in the world."
The U.S. Junior Trophy
Team, which won the Junior Trophy Championship in 2006, fields four
riders younger than 23-years old. Led by four-time ISDE veteran Team
Captain David Kamo, the Junior Trophy Team also will include Joe
Giordano, Joshua Morros and Ryan Lee Powell.
"I'm honored to be
on the Junior Trophy Team. It means a lot to me to go against the best
in the world," said Kamo, who plans to ride a KTM 300XCW at the ISDE.
"The best advice I can give our other riders would be that Six Days is
a six-day race. You have to save your body. You have to save your bike.
You can't win it on day one."
The most experienced U.S. ISDE
rider of all-time, Jeff Fredette, returns for what he's "pretty sure"
will be his 10th trip with the U.S. Senior Team-and his 28th
altogether. Fredette will be joined by Dennis Decker and Eric Jordan on
the Senior Team.
"Every year seems about the same anymore, but
I'm looking forward to riding in a new country, Greece, and from the
sounds of it, it looks like they're going to put on a pretty cool
show," said Fredette, who will ride a KLX450 at the ISDE this year.
Fredette says he will tell the less-experienced riders to "be ready for
anything and everything. The best tip is to listen to what everyone has
to say, but take everything with a grain of salt because it may happen
that way and it may not."
These teams join the U.S. World
Trophy Team, which will contest the ISDE World Trophy Team
Championship. Announced in March earlier this year, the Trophy Team's
riders are Destry Abbott, Kurt Caselli, Ricky Dietrich, Jimmy Jarrett,
Nathan Kanney and Nathan Woods.
While the Trophy Team, the
Women's Trophy Team, the Junior Trophy Team and the Senior Team are a
critical piece of the U.S. effort, they are a small part of the entire
U.S. contingent that makes the trek to the annual event. Dozens of club
team riders will also represent the U.S. at the 2008 ISDE.
The
following riders were selected as club team members: Annell Elaine
Allen, William C. Burns, Dan Capparelli, Jim Conner, Mason Harrison,
Fred Hoess, Kevin Hutchinson, Nolan Irwin, Kyle Kubitschek, Justin
Lipana, Luke McNeil, Ben Smith, Rory Sullivan, Sean Sullivan, Dennis
Sweeten, Lars Valin, Sean White, Chilly White.
Of course, the
ISDE program couldn't happen without a solid group of dedicated
sponsors. Companies that are making Team USA a possibility in 2008
include Arai Helmets, Spectro Lubricants, Kenda Tires, Bob Lamphere's
Beaverton Honda Yamaha, MSR/Tucker Rocky, Mountain Glass and Fly Racing.
America's
motorcylists can help support Team USA, and looking good while doing
it, by buying an official Team USA ISDE T-Shirt. All proceeds support
the massive effort to transport the riders, bikes and crew to and from
Greece. To buy a shirt, just visit www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com, click on Gear, then select Apparel.
For more information on the ISDE and Team USA, please see www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com
