Mark Kariya | August 31, 2017
2017 ISDE France Day Four Results – Day Four of the 92nd International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, provided welcome relief for the field. Not only did riders have 223 kilometers of new trail and five tests to look forward to, scattered showers overnight promised to minimize dust and—even more welcome—drop temperatures a good 20 degrees (Fahrenheit, no less) from what they were on Monday.
2017 ISDE France Day Four Results
Spanish small-bore specialist Josep Garcia took the day’s overall for the first time, giving him the cumulative lead as well after former leader Christophe Nambotin of France had an off day. However, France still leads both World Trophy and Junior World Trophy. Photos: Mark Kariya
France continued to lead in both the FIM World Trophy and Junior World Trophy while Australia appeared to be en route to a record-tying fifth straight Women’s World Trophy victory.
Since all four scores count in the FIM World Trophy class, losing Thad Duvall to injury in the very first test of the week meant switching goals and for the three remaining riders—Taylor Robert, Kailub Russell and Ryan Sipes—to concentrate on winning their respective classes if not the overall.
Of the three, Robert—last year’s overall individual winner—is coming closest as he remains second overall, though now to new leader Josep Garcia of Spain. Despite the new leader, Robert finds himself a little farther behind, the gap now 8.40 seconds. The good news is he now has a healthy lead over former individual leader Christophe Nambotin of France. Sipes was fifth E1 for the day and is fourth for the week while Russell’s times don’t reflect his improved outlook after figuring out what was keeping him slightly off pace in the first half of the week. He claimed 10th E2 for the day and is seventh for the week.
In Junior World, Josh Toth rebounded from the mental lapse that saw him go into a check slightly early and being hit with a one-minute penalty that dropped the team from first to third. He finished 10th E1 for the day, one position and about 10 seconds behind Layne Michael’s solid performance. Grant Baylor placed 15th E2 for the day, fourth Junior in the class.
2017 ISDE France Day Four Results
Six Days veteran Geoff Ballard came out of retirement to race his 1981 Maico 490 in the second Vintage Trophy’s C82 class. He finished second in both of the day’s tests to Frenchman and C82 rival Simon Romieu, those two beating the newer Evo86 entrants as well. Australia’s Ballard, of course, is a former AMA Hare Scrambles National Champion and also rode for the U.S. World Trophy team twice.
While Women’s World Trophy appears to be safely in Australian hands for a fifth consecutive year, the three newcomers on the U.S. team are showing good speed and consistency as the team holds down a solid second place.
Though the battle for first in class belongs solely to Tayla Jones of Australia and Laia Sanz, the only surviving Spanish representative with Jones ahead todahy, Brandy Richards once again proved to be the best of the rest. In fact, she even beat Sanz in finishing the day’s first test second to Jones.
Becca Sheets was only slightly slower in fifth for the day, less than eight seconds out of fourth, while Kacy Martinez-Coy ended up sixth. That’s the kind of consistency that wins these things; all that’s needed is a little more speed.
Ben Kelley led the way again for Americans in the huge Club team field, finishing the day eighth Club rider with SRT Off-road teammates Ty Tremaine 13th and Cody Webb 16th.
Of the rest of the American Club team riders, newbie Justin Morgan continued to draw attention by getting better every day. The desert racer on the 18th –place Eric Cleveland Memorial team is now up to 44th.
2017 ISDE France Day Four Results
