Charlie Mullins got back on top of the podium at this weekend’s Cajun Classic Enduro, round four of the Rekluse AMA National Enduro series in Forest Hill, Louisiana. After suffering a mechanical problem and finishing a disappointing 11th at the previous round in Texas, the FMF/KTM rider was anxious to make amends and turned in a dominating performance in Louisiana which saw him win all six tests and top runner-up finisher Russell Bobbitt by over two-and-a-half minutes in wet and muddy conditions.
Thunderstorms overnight left the Kisatchie National Forest where the race was held wet and muddy, but that didn’t deter Mullins, who was fast from the get-go, taking the slippery opening test by 37 seconds over Bobbitt. At that point everyone else was racing for second place as Mullins cruised home with his third win of the series.
“I was really happy to be able to get a win after the last race; and especially to win all of the tests,” said Mullins. “It was difficult conditions but I felt good on the bike and I just rode my own race.”
Bobbitt set the second fastest time in four of the six tests and finished out the day in the runner-up slot. The factory Husaberg rider pushed Mullins in the fifth test, finishing just five seconds behind the KTM rider, but it was not nearly enough to mount a serious challenge for the win.
Radiant AirGroup Racing’s Nick Fahringer grabbed his third podium of the season and second consecutive with a third place finish, putting his Husaberg on the box with a time that was just under a minute-and-a-half off of Bobbitt’s time. Factory Husaberg rider and eight-time champ Mike Lafferty edged ahead of Fahringer early in the race, but a strong final push by Fahringer solidified his third place status.
Lafferty ended the day in fourth overall, despite being second fastest in the third test. Meanwhile, Am Pro Yamaha’s Jesse Groemm rounded out the top five after sitting third after the first two tests.
Grant Baylor chose to run a trials tire in the first two tests, and finished 11th and eighth, respectively. However, he jumped up to third-fastest and second-fastest in tests three and four when he went back to a conventional knobby. Despite the slow start, the KTM rider from South Carolina finished sixth overall.
Arkansas rider Josh Weisenfels was seventh on a two-stroke Yamaha, while Texas winner Andrew DeLong struggled with the conditions and ended the day in eighth.
Colorado KTM rider Ian Blythe and Obermeyer Yamaha/Raines Riding University/Offroadvikings.com’s Brad Bakken rounded out the top 10.
With four rounds in the books and six to go, Mullins holds an 11-point lead in the series standings over Bobbitt, 100 points to 89. Fahringer sits in third with 83.
The Rekluse AMA National Enduro Series takes a short one-week break before resuming action at West Point, Tennessee, for the Rad Dad Enduro on April 28th. For more info on the series, check out www.nationalenduro.com.
Results
1. Charlie Mullins (KTM)
2. Russell Bobbitt (Hsb)
3. Nick Fahringer (Hsb)
4. Mike Lafferty (Hsb)
5. Jesse Groemm (Yam)
6. Grant Baylor (KTM)
7. Josh Weisenfels (Yam)
8. Andrew DeLong (Hsq)
9. Ian Blythe (KTM)
10. Brad Bakken (Yam)
