Mark Kariya | August 28, 2017
2017 France ISDE Day One Results – The U.S. World Trophy Team will have to wait until next year in Chile to challenge for the win after Thad Duvall injured his left wrist in a crash in the very first test of the very first day of the 92nd International Six Days Enduro in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, August 28.
2017 France ISDE Day One Results
A member of last year’s victorious U.S. World Trophy team, he explained, “I tried to ride it out [after the crash]. I don’t know; the more I rode, the worse it got.”
Duvall is now scheduled to board a flight home Tuesday morning so his regular doctors can determine the extent of the injury and how to treat it. DuVall is currently leading the AMA Enduro National Championship and locked in a close duel with leader Kailub Russell in the GNCC Championship.
He added, “Don’t get me wrong⏤I’m super-disappointed in an injury, but I’m more disappointed in letting the team down and letting a lot of people down that support it.”
With Duvall sidelined, it’s impossible for the U.S. to challenge for the win since there are no throwaways in ISDE Trophy competition anymore.
The good news?
If there’s anything, it’s that last year’s fastest overall individual, Taylor Robert, is in the hunt to repeat that feat as he trails Christophe Nambotin of the leading French World Trophy team by 6.19 seconds in both the overall standings as well as in the E3 class (500cc two-stroke/650cc four-stroke).
“It’s definitely disappointing, but in one sense, it’s less pressure on [the three of] us [still going] because now all we really have to do is focus on ourselves, and if we mess it up for ourselves, then it’s all on us,” Robert said. “We don’t have to worry about wrecking it for the team so we can just leave it all on the table.”
2017 France ISDE Day One Results
Teammate Ryan Sipes, the fastest overall individual at the 2015 ISDE in Slovakia, is fifth in E1 (125cc two-stroke/250cc two-stroke), while Kailub Russell sits a disappointed ninth in E2 (250cc two-stroke/450cc four-stroke) after a series of mistakes in the second test. French World Trophy riders Jeremy Tarroux and Christophe Charlier lead E1 and E2, respectively.
France established its lead immediately and grew it throughout the day over Finland and Australia. The U.S. Is 16th of 19 with Chile, Japan and Belgium also losing one rider apiece.
Sweden, last year’s Junior World Trophy Champion, has a slim 28.85-second lead over Italy followed by France (32.48 seconds behind the reigning champs) and the U.S. (53.38 seconds back).
Of the three U.S. Juniors (for riders under 24 years old), veteran Grant Baylor put in the best day, finishing 10th E2, perhaps his best opening day ever despite having to pass a number of slower riders in the tests, some of whom weren’t eager to let a faster rider pass.
Josh Toth and Layne Michael (who replaced Sipes on the U.S. World Trophy team at the last minute last year after Sipes got hurt the day before flying to Spain) put in respectable rides, finishing the day 13th and 14th in E1, respectively.
Led by rally and observed trials star Laia Sanz, Spain leads the Women’s World Trophy category over four-time reigning champion Australia. The U.S. threesome of Kacy Martinez-Coy, Brandy Richards and Becca Sheets is third, 3:05.13 behind the leader. Though Sheets suffered a mechanical problem that caused her to DNF the day, only two of the three scores are counted so she planned to re-impound and rejoin the race tomorrow. Richards enjoyed the best day, finishing fifth in class while Martinez-Coy was ninth.
2017 France ISDE Day One Results
The SRT Off-Road trio was the best of the American teams in the three-man Club teams division. Unofficially dubbed “Team Too Tall,” the Ben Kelley/Ty Tremaine/Cody Webb team ended the day fourth out 167 behind teams from France, Italy and Great Britain.
The FIM announced that a 50-year-old British rider, Michael Alty, passed away while competing in the first day. According to a release, it is suspected that this was as the result of an acute medical condition. Alty was attended to immediately by the event medical team. Despite their best efforts to resuscitate him, he sadly passed away at approximately 5:30 p.m. local time.
2017 France ISDE Day One Results