We have some pictures up and video will be coming soon

We still have a few more copies of last years ISDE CD of  Spain for sale for $15

Day Six

Saturday September 1

The riders had a short thirty mile trail out to the final moto track.  The track was not preped like in the US but had some grass growing on it but was overall pretty good, having a good start, good turns and had perfect traction.  The only complaint the riders had was that there was no landings on the jumps.  The 125's went first and in the second 125 moto John Beal looked good, seeming to feel comfortable on a motocross tack.  In the first 125 moto Shane Watts put on a show and smoked everyone.  His riding style looks different than the rest of the riders as he sets up for turns real well and comes on smooth with the power.  In the 250 moto Russ Pearson had what his father said was the best ride of his life.  He started about tenth and worked his way past some superstars and into third place.  G-Man had a problem before his moto with the transponder they put on his bike for scoring.  It wouldn't allow his handlebars to turn all the way to the right.  He was trying to get the guys attention and communicate to him and in the process of getting it fixed all of the gates were taken.  G-Man used that to his advantage and lined up to the inside where there was no gate.  They hassled him for a minute but let him start there anyways.  G-Man still didn't get a good jump on the start but the inside helped him out in the first couple of corners and he was running in fourth place.  He held on to fourth for a couple laps but Craig Wesner and a couple others got by him.  He still had a good moto and was happy with the way the TM worked in the event.  Brian's moto was up next.  He picked a spot on the inside but when the gate dropped he didn't get a very good jump.  He rounded the first corner about 15th and immediately started picking people off getting up to the top ten.  He was riding good but then on the last lap his bike died in a corner and wouldn't start right away.  He got passed by a few guys and spent about 20 seconds trying to get the thing fired up.  It ran alright into the finish and he didn't really know what went wrong.  Overall the Trophy Team finished in seventh spot and the Junior Team was tenth.  Russ Pearson was the Top American at this years event finishing around 50th overall.  All of the Trophy riders should of finished with gold medals but we haven't received final results yet.  

Day Five

Friday August 31

Day five had a fresh trail for the day.  Day five would provide the most trail and the less amount of road in the event.  Just at the start of the race it started to downpour for close to an hour.  On the way to the first check there was a tough hill that was even harder in the rain.  The first special test was a grass track laid out just outside of a town.  There were hundreds of spectators lining the track watching the world's best enduro riders do their thing on a slick grass track.  The fast guys went around the track so fast and smooth it looked like they were riding on dry terrain.  Fred Hoess looked like he was right in his element and charged hard through the test.  The Pearson while not known for their mud riding expertise looked impressive and managed not to fall in the test.  Brian was searching for traction in the grass and was taking wide lines through the turns to keep his speed up.  The riders continued on a bunch more trail, through a couple of checks and to the next cross test.  This test was near where the final moto was to be held the next day and was another grass track taking over a big pasture.  This test looked like a bunch of fun and had some good drop offs and jumps in it.  Shane Watts hit one of the jumps wide open and got kicked over the bars and knocked himself silly.  He didn't know where he was and took a couple of minutes getting everything sorted out and lost the lead in the 125 class in the process.  For the next loop the test had dried out and were in perfect condition.  Russ Pearson was on fire and was putting in fast times all day.  After the third cross test Craig Wesner ran into a problem when his axel bolt fell out.  He nursed it to the next check but his chase rider was looking for his between the checks.  He zipied the axel adjuster against his swingarm and put a cotter pin through his axel and nursed it to one more check where his chase rider was waiting for him with a new bolt.  The riders had one terrain test today that was really fast and had some big straight-aways across some fields.  Everyone thought that test was a good fun test.   At the end of the day most riders changed tires, cleaned the bike up a bit and were happy all that was left for the next day was the final moto.  Two riders had problems today.  Kevin Bennett jumped off of a drop off and landed in some rocks which he crashed in.  He couldn't get his bike to start after that and houred out.  Back at the Parc Freme after washing his bike he noticed he had a little hole in his magneto cover which ruined his pickup.  John Bennett also had bike problems which was his sprocket splines sheered off smooth from the shaft.   At this point the Trophy Team is in eighth place out of about twenty five teams.  The Junior Team is in tenth Place.   

Day Four

Thursday August 30

Today was Brian's 26th birthday.  It was also Fred Hoess's son Brian's birthday also.  He has been helping out all week and should be racing the ISDE himself in a couple of years.  The loop was the same as yesterday but run the other direction.  As in every other Six Days it rained on day four.  It rained a bit overnight but not so much as to make it very muddy.  Once again we had a mix up with times as they were changed at six in the morning before we started and we didn't realize it until after the first riders had left.  At the first check Brian came in with only a minute to spare but when he went to the clock his row was not due for two more minutes.  There was some confusion but Ken Tomeo brought the right times out to the second check and we made up some new time cards for the riders.  After the second check the riders got into some long trail section and everyone was tight on time with some of the club riders losing a couple of minutes.  The first cross test was in good condition from the day before and all of the ruts that had built up were avoided when it was run the opposite direction.  The overnight rain made the soft outside berms railable and everyone was carving up the test.  Some more trail led the riders into the next check which proceeded the second cross test and this test was also in good condition.  It looked like a whole bunch of fun to be out there and everyone seemed to having a good time while going fast.  At the start of the second loop it started to rain again.  The Pearsons made it through the enduro test before it started to rain and had a good test.  The rest of the Trophy and Junior riders rode the test in the rain but it didn't seem to make too much of a difference as they put in some good times also.  Fred Hoess was loving the rain and had his best day yet and has been looking good all week on his prototype Husky 250 four stroke.  The cross tests were still perfect for the second loop and it was impressive to watch the speed that everyone displayed in the test.  Paul Edmondson won the second and the fourth cross test on the day and the overall leader up until this point, Jula Salamen, must of had problems because he didn't finish the day.  Mika Ahola now has the overall lead in the race on his big VOR 500 four stroke.  He is unbelievable to watch in the tests as he throws the big bike around and turns when he wants how he wants.  All of the US riders finished today and the only one to have problems was Mark Faulk who lost his rear axel nut and had to ride in with it held in with bailing wire.  Brian changed both tires in about eight minutes today, drained his oil, and then everyone in the US pits sang him Happy Birthday which actually embarrassed him.

Day Three

Wednesday August 29

There was a new course for day three and with the small thunderstorm that we had overnight there were perfect conditions.  The course was easy to the first check, then between checks one and two there was an uphill that was challenging though no one had any major problems getting up it.  The first cross test had an awesome lay out on the side of a big hill where all that you could see from the a distance was a mountain full of ribbon.  All of the riders liked it and went fast around it.  Brian fell in one of the corners I was cheering him in, but still ended up with a respectable time.  From the first cross test there was another long trail section to the second cross test.  This test was spread out and therefore not as good for spectating but all of the riders liked it with its tricky sections in it including some off camber corners and a few turns through the trees along with some good fast sections with some sweeping corners.  Next came the enduro test that was not timed the first time through.  The US riders said that this test was rocky in section and had some technical sections but overall they thought that they could make up time in the enduro test.  Over the last few years there has been less and less enduro tests.  Each year a few of the enduro tests are not used because they are said to be too dangerous.  All of our riders like the enduro tests because that is the type of terrain that they are used to riding back in the states.  On the second loop the cross test had a totally different look than the first time.  This time there was a big dusty rut in all of the corners.  Going outside this line was hard to do because there was about five inches of dust out there and it was hard to get traction.  Most of the riders fell in this test while trying to get through the ruts.  The second test of the day was getting rutted up also but the US team did better in this test.  The enduro test went good for the American riders.  Most of the riders were happy with this test and thought it was the best test of the Six Days for them so far.  In the enduro test local D-36 125 rider Brian Spearle had a hard crash in the rocks but was fine except for his exhaust pipe.  Russ Pearson had the best day of the US riders today, but all of the riders are improving.  There were a couple of riders to have problems today.  Curt Wilcox crashed a pavement road into a guardrail.  He hit it really hard and was bleeding pretty bad.  He refused medical help so he could keep going even with some of the worst bent bars you can imaging but they pulled him off the course when they noticed he had broken one of his forks saying that he was dangering himself.  He has a nasty set of black eyes and tomorrow he will probably barely be able to see out of them.  One other US rider did not finish the day and that was Anthony Glasso who put a hole in his cases by the waterpump and wasn't able to continue.  Jonathon Seahorn had a scary incedent when a car made an unexpected turn in a round-a-bout and John had to swerve to miss him and crashed in the process.  His throttle broke and he had to pull on the cable to get in the last couple of miles.  At the end of the day he changed tires and got a new throttle on the bike but didn't have time to hook it up and left the Parc Ferme with his throttle pegged.  He crashed just outside the tent giving all of the US support a chance to see some entertainment.

Day Two

Tuesday August 28

Day two was the same course as day one just a little bit rougher and a bit dustier.  I borrowed the wheel off of Suzie's bike and started to chase ride for the Trophy and Junior riders along with D-36 riders Ken Tameo and Dean Joyner.  All of the riders said they felt better on day two and were getting more used to the special tests.  David Pearson has began to put up some really good scores for the US team.  All of the Pearsons are doing very well.  Nick is getting used to the 125 and looks good after having to sit out the ISDE for the last three years with various injuries.  Russ is going fast but has been falling a little to regularly but is still going fast.  Brian is charging hard and is looking good in all of the tests.  Fred Hoess is on a prototype Husky 250 four stroke and is wringing out that little stroker.  The biggest news on the day was n the second loop at the third cross test Dean Joyner, who is chase riding for Criag Wesner, went to give Craig some encouragement and when he came back his bike was gone.  He came back to the check to where I was and jumped on the back of my bike and we went looking for the bike.  We searched the surrounding fields, the back of vans, and the whole area but it was long gone.  I got a chance to watch most of the Trophy Team riders in the fourth cross test.  All of the US riders looked good but the top few riders in each class were really going fast.  It looked to me that the fastest riders would charge into the turns hard and then just slam on the breaks and come out of the turns even harder.  You can see the experience they have in the grass tracks and they are more familiar with charging full on for the short test as compared to our longer race formats back in the states that require more smooth and consistent riding.  All of our riders improved from the first day and felt better and should do even better as the week progresses.  David Pearson took over from Russ as the Top American after the second day, but all of our Trophy riders are close to each other.  G-Man did a lot better today after taking a day to get used to the TM and get all of his crashes for the week out of his system.  All of the other riders finished today and nobody had any major problems.

Day One

Monday August 27

Everyone was up early for the start of the ISDE.  We had a little confusion in the morning with our times.  We had a start time and a schedule that we had to go off of and right before the start we heard our times might be wrong.  We wrote them both down and headed off for the start. Brian is number 438 and I am just two minutes behind him on number 442.  For day one we had 186 miles in front of us.  Having the magic buttons on the four strokes made the start a breeze for Brian and I and we were off for the for the first check that we heard was going to be tight.  The section was made up mainly of pavement roads and we made it with a few minutes to spare.  From there we got into some trail sections that were all short and easy but was mostly roads.  We made it to the first special test after the third check.  We were only going to have four special tests on the day after the organizers decided to throw out the only terrain test on the day.  The first cross test was good, located right next to a lake and was made up of mowed brush, grass and ferns with a good bit of trail and trees for a cross test.  Brian and I both felt pretty good in this test, along with most of the Americans, with Brian edging me out by three seconds.  After another check we made it to the next cross test.  This one was a real grass track and it featured a few drop offs and steps, some of which could be doubled.  All of the Americans seemed to be out of rhythm in this test and just about everyone had a soil sample.  After this test the trail got a little more technical but nothing was too hard.  We had a couple of steep downhill that dropped us down into a creek with a steep, slick rocky hill greeting us on the other side.  That check was also real tight on time and all of the Trophy riders only had between two and three minutes at that check.  We rode another fifteen miles back to where the second check was located and then we had to do the same loop from there over once more.  On the second loop the cross test was beat up a bit more but was overall in excellent condition.  The Trophy Team riders of Brian and I, Nick, Russ, and David Pearson, and Fred Hoess all felt that we had a good run through the cross test.  In the fourth cross test we felt a bit better but knew that we definitely could improve our scores.  In the next trail section I ran into some major problems when I had my tire come off of the rim.  I was on the way to the check that I only had a few minutes in so I knew that I was in serious trouble.  I couldn't get the tire back on so rode for a ways with the tire half off.  I got to the technical section and then the mousse tube squirted out.  I tried to zip tie the tire but with the few puny zip ties that I had with me it only held for a short while.  I was trying to keep it straight and keep my tire together but it was getting worse.  I  made it to the next check, which  was a no service check, but I was late.  I went through the check and got a garbage can and put my bike on it and ended up taking off my tire and riding on the rim.  I made it a ways longer but my wheel eventually gave out on me and I couldn't make it any further.  This was my seventh ISDE and I had finished the other six but this one didn't work out for me.  The rest of the riders had an easy ride back in to Parc Ferme where most of them changes their tires.  After about an hour and a half Brian came out looking for me on Craig Wesner's chase bike after finishing out his day.  When he saw my wheel he realized the tire he brought for me would do no good so we hid my bike in the bushes and rode double into the next check.  After all the riders had gone through they loaded my bike up in a van and we headed back to Parc Ferme.  Brian finished thirteen in class on the first day.  The rest of the Trophy Team finished good and all we optimistic that they could improve their scores over the next couple of days.  One other rider from the US had problems that dropped them out and that was Suzie Moody who crashed hard and got a handle bar to the stomach.  She had to get emergency surgery to stop some internal bleeding.  The procedure was successful and she is in stable condition and will be fine but has to spend about a week in the hospital.

Saturday August 25

The container has arrived!  It came in at 11 o'clock last night.  Everyone was relieved to get their bikes and start working on them.  We have to get our bikes impounded by 5:30 tonight but it doesn't look like anyone is going to have too much of a problem getting their bikes together and into impound.  I just got my bike into impound and then made my way over to the press room to get everything set up.  We have opening ceremonies later tonight.  So far it has been a pretty tame Six Days.  No one has wrecked their car or done anything else humiliating to speak of.  Other than some justifiably upset people about the container everything is good.  We have lots of special test to walk tomorrow, then get ready to race.  The weather is still really hot and humid but we have heard that it might rain in a few days and cool us down along with making the course interesting.  

Friday August 24

We made it to France.  We are staying in some nice chalets next to a lake which has water skiing and a beach.  Everything is green around here and from some of the chalets a castle on the facing hill can be seen.  Once again the big news for the American team is the container with everyone's bikes and spare parts is late to arrive.  Many riders are going to try to find a back up bike just in case the container arrives after the race starts on Monday.  Other countries keep having a laugh at the US, with its container showing up late every year.  All of the riders of European bike manufacturers have their bikes and did a little riding today.  Our KTM's are built special for the Six Days and come equipped stock with a skid plate and wrap around hand guards.  We also have special Six Days graphics the look pretty trick.   

The Pearson arrived a few days early and have walked all of the special tests already.  The word from them is that we are to ride some really good grass tracks everyday and the terrain test are supposed to be fast and a bit rocky.  The final moto test is supposed to be fast with plenty of no lander jumps.