Wait, What? ISDE Results Reversed, Australia Wins Six Days
Two months ago, it appeared Team Australia's bid for a first-ever World Team Trophy at the International Six-Days Enduro had ended in controversial fashion. The Aussies led the majority of the event, and then pulled an even bigger gap when several riders from rival teams missed a check point and were disqualified. A few protests were filed by the federations of the teams that were DQed.
The protests worked, as just after Day Five, the DQs were overturned, and a few teams, notably France, got a huge boost in their scores. France rocketed to the top of the rankings, and the very short Day Six program left Australia without time to make up ground. France won the event, and the Australians, in protest, walked to the top step of the podium before walking away from the stage altogether--they refused to even stand in the second place position.
Well, how about this? The FIM released a PR today saying it was reversing the reversal! The DQs now stand, and the French team lost a ton of points, and now Australia has retroactively won the event! Italy and Finland now take second and third. Here's a snippet from the FIM press release:
The CDI rejected the Appeals lodged by the Fédération Française de Motocyclisme (FFM), the Real Federación de Motociclimo (RFME) and the Auto-Cycle Union (ACU) against the decision of the International jury disqualifying eight riders who missed a Route Check. The disqualification will therefore stand.
The first place in the rankings for the FIM World Trophy therefore goes to Australia, with Italy in second place and Finland in third. Australia is therefore the FIM World Trophy team winner of the 2015 FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE).
Well, belated congrats to the Australian team of Josh Green, Daniel Milner, Matthew Phillips, Beau Ralston, Lachlan Stanford and Glen Kearney. Good on ya' mates!
