Babbitt’s Kawasaki rider Tanner Whipple made the eight-hour trek from Colona, Illinois, to Northern Minnesota to capture his first Jesse Thelen Memorial Trophy and the $1900 winner’s share of the $5000 purse. Whipple had been a two-time runner-up in the event—which is an annual showdown of the best of the Midwest and round two of the 2024 Border Battle XC season—and was finally able to get the upper hand of rivals Logan Kittock and Nick Swenson.
Swenson pulled the holeshot on his Red Moto Honda over a front row of 15 riders from four surrounding states and Canadian provinces and led the first lap. As the pair approached the Endurocross section leading to the scoring lane, Swenson missed the entrance to the split lane and crossed over the ribbon that designated the race line. The two continued to stay on each other’s wheel until the end of the second lap when Swenson voluntarily chose the bypass lane and conceded the lead to Whipple after gaining an advantage in the earlier incident.
While all this took place, Rieju factory rider and defending Border Battle XC champ Logan Kittock lurked in the shadows. Whipple continued to extend his lead throughout the two-hour race, pacing Swenson by one minute and 22 seconds at the finish, while Kittock, who struggled with lappers, would finish third, 40 seconds back of Swenson. CN
2024 Jesse Thelen Memorial Trophy Results
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