Press Release | August 9, 2018
KTM sending powerhouse team to defend TKO title
This is a press release from Tennessee Knockout…
Sequatchie, TN (August 9, 2018) – KTM will have a strong team of riders aiming to take the 2018 Kenda Tennessee Knockout title. Cody Webb and Josh Toth from the FMF KTM Factory Racing Team will be joined under the KTM tent by Ben Kelley on the Trail Jesters KTM Racing Team mount. And the team will also host Germany’s Manual Lettenbichler. All four riders will be racing the KTM 300 XC-W TPI two-stroke. The TKO will take place on the weekend of August 18-19 at the Trials Training Center in Sequatchie, Tennessee.
Webb, the five-time TKO winner and defending champion is also the current AMA EnduroCross and FIM Super Enduro World Champion. He grew up competing in Trials events on the TTC property and has used that local knowledge of the terrain to fend off world-class talent that has included Graham Jarvis, Jonny Walker, Wade Young, Mario Roman, Kyle Redmond, and Max Gerston to win five straight Tennessee Knockout titles. A broken foot at the Erzberg Rodeo in June has kept him off the bike until this week so this may prove to be his most challenging TKO yet.
Toth is the defending GNCC XC-2 champion and he is currently tied for the lead in the 2018 AMA National Enduro championship. He has had a strong 2018 season with five GNCC XC-2 wins and his first National Enduro win at the most recent event. Toth has won extreme events including the 2017 Tough Like RORR so he will be an exciting rider to watch at his first ever TKO.
Kelley burst onto the TKO scene in 2016 with a fourth-place finish after qualifying through the Saturday amateur program. That combined with other strong results helped earn him the Trail Jesters KTM ride for 2017 and 2018. Kelley has four 2018 GNCC XC-2 wins and currently leads the points. He also backed that up with a win at the 2018 Tough Like RORR. Kelley is certainly capable of a podium finish.
Manual Lettenbichler is a second generation Extreme Enduro racer. His father, Andreas, was one of the pioneers of Extreme Enduro competition and was a co-winner of the 2015 Erzberg Rodeo. Twenty-year-old “Manni” has had an amazing 2018 season that includes podium finishes at both Erzberg and Romaniacs. He also won the Red Bull Rocks and Logs event in Canada. It will be great to see the German competing at his first TKO.
Look for more top riders to be confirmed in the coming days as we close in on the event.
The Sunday racing uses a unique four round Knockout race format that is challenging for the riders and entertaining for the fans. The course layout provides a lot of great spectator locations with some unbelievably challenging terrain for all four Knockout rounds. Mark your calendar for the weekend of August 18-19 to see the world’s best racers face off against the track and each other.
Check out video for highlights of some of the previous Kenda Tennessee Knockout events here:
2017 Highlights: https://youtu.be/z8-RuVTbXjQ
2016 Red Bull TV Tennessee Knockout show: https://www.redbull.tv/video/AP-1QAU6F7C92111/recap-slick-and-muddy?playlist=AP-1QAU6F7C92111
2016 Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJfGKieHOYQ
2015 Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Yqa9Uh-nw
2014 Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JZQAsUa1rk
2013 Highlights: http://youtu.be/VqJZnQBdTZ8
2012 Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moyylu0KN68&feature=plcp
For more information about the Kenda Tennessee Knockout, presented by Moose Racing and SRT, please visit: http://tennesseeknockoutenduro.com/
- For general information please contact: Catherine.Bedley@trialstrainingcenter.com
- For Expert rider race information please contact: Eric@ericperonnard.com
- For Sponsorship information please contact: Sean.Finley@digitalthrottle.com