(Sardinia, Italy, October 1, 2013) – Day two at the International Six Days Enduro in Sardinia, Italy, was an eventful day for the American squads and when all was said and done, the US World Trophy Team lost a bit of ground to the leading French team, however the Yanks maintained their second overall status and actually gain ground over the third place Australian team and the fourth place Italians.
As for the Junior Trophy Team, a rookie mistake cost team front-runner Kailub Russell a two-minute penalty, and a nagging injury slowed Andrew Delong down a bit late in the race. Due to those problems, the US squad dropped one position to fourth overall after two days, but still has a fighting chance for a podium with four days of racing left.
Taylor Robert was once again the top American on the World Trophy Team, finishing the day in fourth overall and third in the E2 class. Meanwhile, Charlie Mullins was sixth overall and fifth in the E2 division. The hero of the day, however, was Mike Brown (pictured above), who amazingly finished 11th overall despite having a mechanical problem. Brownie burned up a clutch in the opening special test of the day and was forced to change it on the trail. The FMF/KTM rider was terribly late on time by the time he got the problem fix and no one gave him any chance of making the next check without accruing trail points, but the Tennessee rider turned in a herculean effort making up time, barely making it to the next check with one second to spare.
“Day Two was a little bit tougher for us but we actually pulled it together in the end,” said U.S. team manager Antti Kallonen. “We had some hiccups here and there but all of the riders came through with good test times. We had a couple of close calls, Mike Brown was almost late to a check, but we are still in second and we are putting some distance on the Australians. Right now, though, it looks like France is running away, but there are still four days left and a lot can happen between now and the finish.”
As for the Junior squad, Kailub Russell was at the same check that Brown was having problems at and in all the commotion, the KTM rider forgot to enter on his minute and was given a two-minute penalty. Russell would have placed third among the Junior riders had he not received the penalty. Yesterday, he was the top performer in the class.
As for DeLong, the FAR Husqvarna rider broke his wrist several months ago, and the constant pounding of Six Days competition is taking its toll. He was going to visit the team doctor this evening to get a massage on his forearm and to ice down his hand.
After two days, France leads the Junior Trophy division followed by Italy, Great Britain and the United States.
Results After Two Days
World Trophy Team
1. France
2. United States
3. Australia
4. Italy
5. Spain
6. Sweden
7. Great Britain
8. Argentina
9. Estonia
10. Austria
Junior Trophy
1. France
2. Italy
3. Great Britain
4. United States
5. Sweden
6. Australia
7. Portugal
8. Chile
9. Finland
10. Czech Repubic
