With the GNCC series on its summer break, Red Bull KTM Factory rider Nate Kanney headed across the pond to round five of the 2008 World Enduro Championship in Wales for some enduro practice before heading to Greece to represent the USA in the International Six Days Enduro.
“With so much effort being put into making a good team for the ISDE, I felt that I should put in at least as much effort to get myself ready. That meant making the trek to Wales and competing in the special test format enduro there,” said Kanney.
Day one was an absolute mudfest, as an entire day of rain had turned the course into a virtual ice rink. Kanney, who normally excels in muddy, technical conditions, struggled with bike setup for the majority of the day.
“I brought over my GNCC suspension and it was definitely not setup for the smooth, flat grass tracks in Wales. Unfortunately it took four crashes and the majority of the day for us to get the bike sorted out.”
Kanney ended day one in 10th place in the E3 class. The rain held off for day two, but riders were met with a very challenging and difficult course. Again, Kanney was left making bike adjustments in a race that was so difficult it had many factory riders showing up late for the time checks.
“It was a very tough race, you had to come out of the special tests and go quite fast through the woods to be able to make the checks. Usually you can just cruise through the woods, but I really had to put the hammer down to not be late,” said Kanney.
Day two ended for Kanney with yet another 10th-place finish in the E3 class.
“Even though 10th may not sound that great, I was very happy with my finish. The course was very tough and the riders in the class are very, very talented. Day two went much better, as I cut the time between myself in the leader to a mere two minutes. Overall it was a great weekend and I’m glad I made the trip. We learned some valuable things about bike setup that should be very beneficial for the ISDE.”
Kanney will now return to his home in New York and begin preparations for the 7th annual Fun Enduro in Valle de Bravo, Mexico.
