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Little Raccoon Enduro
Appalachian Dirt Riders
ACES – LOI (ISDE Qualifier)
Wellston, Ohio
May 25-26, 2013
By Heather Wilson
The Little Racoon Enduro / ISDE Qualifier photos are available by emailing me directly, due to the photo account being maxed out on memory for the time being.
Bench Racing
Overall LOI (Day 1): Jimmy Jarrett
Jimmy Jarrett (KAW) said he’s always been passionate about the ISDE. “I love traveling to different places and seeing all of the different cultures,” he said.
He was selected to be on the Wellard Team for this year’s ISDE. It will be his eighth time in the last 10 years.
He started riding when he was five years old and started racing at age 10. “My dad was always an off-road guy, so that’s just what I was brought up to do.”
One of his favorite race formats is that of an enduro. “I like the trail sections,” he said. “It’s just fun to ride with your buddies, pin it in the special tests and then bench race at the checks.”
In order to train for the races, Jarrett likes to cycle and ride as much as he can. “This year, I’ve backed away from racing full-time, so my training has as well, but I still enjoy competing.”
Jarrett said his bike worked great. “ I’ve had so many sponsors that have stuck with me over the years, and they are still behind me 100 percent,” he said.
Jarrett enjoyed the two-day race. “It was a lot more fun than I expected,” he said. “I thought the tests were all really good. I would love to be able to set up the grass track for the race next year. I think they could have the best grass track around with that facility; they just need to make it more like a ISDE grass track.”
Overall, he said he had a pretty good weekend. “I didn’t crash in any if the tests,” Jarrett said. “Ian rode really well the second day. I don’t think I could have done anything differently to beat him.”
While Jarrett decided to go to the ISDE, he is disappointed that he will miss a race in the AMA NHS series that he competes in, since the series rescheduled a race during the ISDE.
He would like to thank his sponsors: Moose, FMF, Smith, Bell, Sidi, Rocky Mountain, DP, Ims, Amsoil, Maxxis, Cycra, Renthal, Sunstar, Tusk, Zip Ty, Evans, Jay Bird, DT1, G2, Outerwears, Rekluse, P3, BRP, Motion Pro, Motoseat, Snyder Carpet, Matrix, DVS, Hennacy Machine, Factory Connection, my parents and girlfriend, Shayla, for their support.
Overall LOI (Day 2): Ian Blythe
Ian Blythe (KTM) isn’t a stranger to the ISDE competition. Blythe raced the 2010 ISDE in Mexico, as well as the 2011 ISDE in Finland.
“I skipped last year, although I won the ISDE Qualifier Overall in Idaho City,” said Blythe. He was selected to be on the GoFasters.com club team for this year’s ISDE in Italy.
Off-road racing is natural for Blythe, because he grew up around the sport with his dad racing. However, Blythe didn’t start racing seriously until he was 10 years old. “I was on a KX65 when my dad got me into motocross,” Blythe said. “Before that, I raced BMX and mini enduros.”
His passion for the sport is evident. “I just love racing dirtbikes, but ISDE-style enduros are my favorite,” he said. “I love grass tracks and the all-out sprint style of the special tests.”
He rides a lot and stays active in order to stay fit. “If I have a day that I am not riding during the week, I like to go hiking, mountain biking or on a run,” said Blythe. “Sometimes I go to the gym, too.”
Although Blythe won the day two overall, he didn’t have the easiest start to day one, having to change an injector at the first gas stop. “I was pretty stoked I made it to the first gas, because my bike was running pretty bad,” he commented. “Fortunately I had enough time, and the spare parts on hand, so it wasn’t a big problem. The injector definitely hurt me in the first two tests.”
He felt that the qualifier was an accurate representation of what two days of an ISDE would be like, however he felt that there was slightly too much time at the checks and that the tests were “a little bit too fresh.” He said, “It’s nice when you aren’t reading arrows and the trail is beat in enough to just follow the berms and ruts,” he said. “Day two was much better in that respect.”
At these races its important just to realize that the tests are really short and you have to push the limits during the whole thing. It can be a little sketchy but with these short of tests you can really hang it out.
“Test two on day one was my favorite of the weekend. It had a really good flow to it and an awesome mix of grass track and woods terrain,” Blythe said.
I made a few mistakes on the first grass track on day one, as well as in test five. In just those two tests, Jimmy Jarrett took about 20 seconds from me, so if I could have just been closer, I might have won both days. I am still happy to get the overall, I really respect Jimmy as a racer and I know that I had to be riding good just to stay close.
He would like to thank the Kline family. “At this race, the Kline family played a big role,” said Blythe. “Mr. Kline followed was at all of the checks with food, water and, luckily, spare parts. “World Jet is my main sponsor this year,” he said. “I can’t thank them enough. KTM of Aspen back home helps me keep my bike running while I am on the road.” He would also like to thank KTM, MX1 West, Acerbis, Pearlizumi, AGV, BRP, Motorex, Super B, Ariete, OffRoadChampions.com, Motion Pro and HydraPak. Additionally, he would like to thank everyone who helped him out and gave him a couch to sleep on while on the road.