Charlie Mullins will be carrying a two-race win streak into this weekend’s round of the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series – the Rad Dad National Enduro in West Point, Tennessee – and the FMF/KTM rider is hoping to leave town with win number three under his belt.
Among the riders hoping to stop Mullins’ win streak is Mike Brown, who will be making a rare appearance at a National Enduro. Brownie, a Husqvarna Factory Racing-backed rider, is one of the top EnduroCross and ISDE racers in the world and this Sunday he’ll test his single-track skills against the best off-road racers in America.
Joining Brown in his attempt to halt Mullins’ streak at two wins is KTM support rider Grant Baylor, and Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Andrew DeLong. Baylor and DeLong are hot off of podium finishes last month at round two of the series in Blackwell, Texas, where Baylor claimed a personal best runner-up finish and DeLong finished third.
Eight-time National Enduro Champ Mike Lafferty has a good record at the Rad Dad and will be another rider to watch, in addition to AirGroup Racing’s Nick Fahringer and Maxxis/Klim/DirtWise KTM rider Jesse Groemm. KR4’s Shane Hufford also had a personal best in Texas, and his fourth place finish at that race should give him plenty of momentum heading into the Tennessee round where racers will not only be competing for championship points, but also a big chunk of the $3000 Pro Purse offered by Enduro Engineering.
And for all you AA riders, the Rekluse Expert-AA class pays $100 for first, $75 for second and $50 for third. Plus, the Expert-AA Class Champion will earn $1000 from Rekluse, if he runs Rekluse Clutch Components. Be sure to check out the Rekluse website for exact details.
The Expert-AA class was created to give these talented young riders a stepping-stone to achieve their goal of becoming pro riders. The NEPG is encouraging these riders to push their limits in a highly competitive class where the top five are separated by mere seconds, just like the pros. The NEPG will keep these riders grouped together for the rest of the year.
On Saturday, the day before the national, KTM will host a Family Enduro, as well as a spaghetti dinner on Saturday night, so there will be plenty of family oriented activities to enjoy. You can also walk around the pits and check out the factory bikes that will be on display. Teams representing the KTM, Husqvarna, Yamaha, Suzuki and Beta factories will be set up in the paddock area starting Saturday morning, so there will be lots of opportunities to get autographs and talk to riders, team managers and mechanics.
As far as the racecourse, this year’s event will feature three miles of transfer before the first test to give the racers a chance to warm up a bit before diving into race mode. As usual, the course will offer a mixture of tight trail with some faster sections thrown on, all on a nice Tennessee clay surface. Kenda recommends its Washougal tire for the Rad Dad since it works great in intermediate conditions.
In addition, the six tests will be arranged so that the first one is relatively short and then they will get longer as the race progresses. There will also be two brand new test sections that haven’t been used for years.
For more info on this race or the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series be sure to log onto www.nationalenduro.com
