GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – In preparation for the 92nd running of the FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) in Brive, France later this year, top riders from all over the country lined up for the first-ever Full Gas 3-Day Enduro in Greeneville, Tennessee. KTM-mounted riders captured four of the top-ten positions in the overall running, while FMF KTM Factory Racing Team’s Kacy Martinez highlighted the weekend with a 2nd place finish in the Women’s division.
With a unique three-day format, the event also served as an ISDE qualifier for riders aspiring to join the U.S. team at the club level. True to the six days enduro format, riders experienced multiple days of special tests, enduro tests, cross tests and a motocross finale, complete with an impound area that allowed only the riders to work on their equipment. Heavy rainfall on Friday and Saturday made for tough conditions at times but FMF KTM Factory Racing Team riders Martinez, Russell Bobbitt and Taylor Robert made the best of the situation to come away with valuable experience after three days of racing.
Martinez put forth a solid and consistent performance throughout the race weekend where she maintained a top-four position in each of the tests. After three days, Martinez finished in a close 2ndplace in the Women’s division.
Kacy Martinez: “I’m really happy with the way things went for my first Full Gas 3-Day Enduro. I haven’t ridden the east coast terrain since the last GNCC season so it took me a while to get comfortable but I had so much fun racing and I feel like I improved a lot throughout the weekend. It was definitely a new experience for me and I really enjoyed the format and the event!”
Bobbitt maintained a consistent pace as well, finishing inside the top ten overall in each of the tests. Bobbitt’s strongest performance came on day one where he was able to stay within the top five for a majority of the day. On days two and three, Bobbitt experienced a few mistakes and crashes that caused him to just miss the podium for a 4th overall finish.
Russell Bobbitt: “I really enjoyed the format of the Full Gas 3-Day Enduro. I felt pretty good on the bike all weekend except for a couple crashes on the moto track Sunday but all-in-all it was a really cool experience and I’m glad to see something like this come about in the U.S.”
In only his third race back from injury, Robert showcased great speed throughout the weekend but the reigning ISDE Overall Champion struggled with consistency in the muddy Tennessee conditions.
Taylor Robert: “After being off the bike for 12 weeks it was definitely an adjustment to jump back into these slick east coast conditions. It’s been a while since I’ve ridden out here but I had a lot of fun and it’s nice to mix things up a bit. This event is really good prep for the ISDE and I’m really happy we were able to test the waters.”
Antti Kallonen: “Overall, the Full Gas 3-Day Enduro was a very good experience and we are very pleased to see this kind of event held in the U.S. It’s good for the sport of offroad racing and a great preparation for Six Days. The rider performances definitely give us positive things to take and apply in preparation for Six Days and we will continue to work on the things we have learned from this event.”
Overall Results (After day 3 of 3)
- Thad DuVall (HQV) 2:04:47.314
- Cory Buttrick (KTM) 2:07:04.668
- Josh Toth (YAM) 2:07:31.286
- Russell Bobbitt (KTM) 2:08:05.113
- Josh Strang (HQV) 2:08:24.801
- Grant Baylor (HQV) 2:08:31.560
- Layne Michael (HQV) 2:09:49.111
- Jordan Ashburn (BET) 2:09:55.204
- Taylor Robert (KTM) 2:10:12.362
- Evan Smith (KTM) 2:10:55.819
