Photo Report: Maine National Enduro

Here's a look at the Noble Woods National Enduro in Maine.

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Photo Report: Jack Pine Enduro

Photos from the 85th Jack Pine Enduro

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Mullins Wins Jack Pine Enduro

MOORESTOWN, MI, JULY 25 - Charlie Mullins can now add one of the most prestigious off-road event events in to country to his growing list of accomplishments after winning this year’s Jack Pine Enduro – round eight of the Rekluse/AMA National Enduro Series. Held annually in Moorestown, Michigan, this year marked the 85^th running of the legendary event (it was held for the first time in 1923) and it awards a special travelling trophy to each year’s winner – a cowbell, which is passed on each year from winner to winner.

Despite the fact that he was riding the Jack Pine for the first time, Mullins took to the tight and sandy trails like a duck to water, winning five of the six tests and finishing the event with 36 seconds to spare over defending champ Russell Bobbitt.

The win was Mullins’ fifth in a row and sixth on the year and it boosted the Obermeyer/Am Pro/FMF Yamaha rider’s lead in the series standings to 29 points.

“It was a good day for me,” said Mullins. “It was pretty tight and the tests were short so there wasn’t much room for error, but this kind of stuff suits my style and I ended up having a good race.”

Mullins was pretty much perfect on the day except for a mishap in the fourth test, a nine-mile section, which was eventually won by Bobbitt.

“I got out of shape in the tight trees and I went down,” said Mullins. “I didn’t crash too hard but I stalled my bike and it took a while to get it going because it was so hot. But other than that one mistake it was a pretty solid day and I’m happy with it.”

Bobbitt’s second overall finish was his fourth such finish of the year, although he has finished off the podium twice due to a shoulder injury.

Meanwhile, Bobbitt’s the FMF/KTM teammate Cory Buttrick rounded out the podium, just edging out Husaberg’s Nick Fahringer with a strong final test.

Fahringer was fourth overall, 21 seconds behind Buttrick, while another Husaberg rider, Michael Lafferty, rounded out the top five.

With only two rounds left in the series, Mullins holds a safe lead over Buttrick, 198 points to 169, with Bobbitt sitting third with 167. The series resumes on August 22, in North Berwick, Maine.

O/A

1. Charlie Mullins (Yam)

2. Russell Bobbitt (KTM)

3. Cory Buttrick (KTM)

4. Nick Fahringer (Hsb)

5. Michael Lafferty (Hsb)

6. Brad Bakken (KTM)

7. Glen Kearney (Hus)

8. Cole Kirkpatrick (KTM)

9. Shane Hufford Jr. (KTM)

10. Zach Klamfoth (Yam)

Rad Dad Helmet Cam from Jesse Warner

Check out this cool helmet cam video from the Rad Dad enduro from Jesse Warner...

Mullins Gets Third Win at Tennessee Enduro

Charlie Mullins worked his way back into title contention with a solid win at round five of the Rekluse/AMA National Enduro Series near West Point, Tennessee, topping defending series champ Russell Bobbitt by nearly two minutes at the end of 68 miles of racing. Mullins kicked off the season with a win at the opening round in South Carolina, but a DNF at the Alligator Enduro in Florida left the Obermeyer/Am Pro/FMF Yamaha rider’s championship hopes in doubt. However, after two-straight wins Mullins now sits third in the standings, just four points behind series leader Russell Bobbitt.

Mullins started off the Tennessee event by winning the first 6.5-mile section by 30 seconds over defending series champ Russell Bobbitt, and from that point on Mullins was never headed. Of the six tests, Mullins won the first four and then cruised to a 1 minute, 51 second margin of victory, despite losing his rear brake during the final test.

“It feels good to get two in a row and eat away at that points gap,” said Mullins. “I liked this course, it was rocky and tight and you couldn’t take too many chances, and it ended up being a good day for me.”

Bobbitt ended up winning the final section and took over the points lead with his runner-up finish, however, he was not pleased at finishing behind Mullins.

“I didn’t start off the way I wanted to, I washed out in a turn and broke my front rotor,” said the FMF/KTM rider. “I just didn’t ride as well as I needed to and I need to find a little more speed to try to stop Charlie.”

Factory Husaberg rider Michael Lafferty rounded out the podium, finishing the event 1 minute, 20 seconds behind Bobbitt.

“I struggled early on – I just didn’t feel up to par right out of the gate,” said Lafferty. “Getting on the podium is good, but I’m definitely not happy with my results. It’s a long season, however, and Charlie’s definitely stepped it up right now, but we just need to find some more speed and make a race out of this. It’s only April and a lot of things can happen and we just gotta keep going.”

FMF/KTM’s Cory Buttrick finished fourth on the day, while Husaberg rider Nick Fahringer finished fifth after winning the fifth test. Virginia KTM rider Brad Bakken finished sixth, ahead of Husqvarna’s Glenn Kearney, who salvaged seventh after injuring his shoulder in the second test.

With five rounds down and five to go, Bobbitt holds a slim, one-point lead in the series standings over Lafferty with Mullins sitting third another three points back.

O/A: 1. Charlie Mullins (Yam); 2. Russell Bobbitt (KTM); 3. Michael Lafferty (Hsb); 4. Cory Buttrick (KTM); 5. Nick Fahringer (Hsb); 6. Brad Bakken (KTM); 7. Glenn Kearney (Hus); 8. Cole Kirkpatrick (KTM); 9. Andrew DeLong (KTM); 10. Wally Palmer (Hus).

Standings after 5 rounds: 1. Russell Bobbitt 112; 2.Michael Lafferty (111/1 win); 3. Charlie Mullins (108/3 wins); 4. Cory Buttrick (98/1 win) 5. Nick Fahringer (86).

Lafferty Wins Alligator Enduro

Michael Lafferty took the win at this year's Alligator Enduro.

Michael Lafferty gave Husaberg their first-ever national enduro win with a come-from-behind victory at the 60^th running of the Alligator Enduro in Daytona Beach, Florida – round three of the Rekluse/AMA National Enduro Series.

The Alligator Enduro has the reputation of being one of the toughest events on the national schedule and this year’s edition carried on that tradition. Flooding in the low-lying areas due to a very wet February forced some sections of the course to be thrown out, and organizers eventually shortened the event to 57 miles and five sections.  Of course, the wet nature of the trail made for some spectacular mud holes, and added to the difficulty of the event for the 500 participants on hand. Ultimately, the demanding course played right into Lafferty’s hand.

“I like it when the events are tough,” said Lafferty. “When the trail is real hard and demanding, and it doesn’t flow, and it kind of beats you up a little bit – I kind of like that.”

Lafferty was particularly fast in the fourth section, which is where the nastiest bogs were found. It was here that the New Jersey native gained most of his time, making up about 30 seconds on defending series champ Russell Bobbitt, who at the time was leading the event on his Shock Doctor KTM

The leader in the initial part of the race, however, was former GNCC and World Enduro Champ David Knight, who is in Florida training for the upcoming FIM season. Knighter held a five-second lead over Bobbitt after the opening section and extended that to a nine-second advantage after the second section. However, it all came undone for the Brit at the midway point of the race when his KTM suffered engine problems.

With Knight’s departure from the event, Bobbitt and Lafferty were elevated to first and second, with Bobbitt holding a 29-second advantage over Lafferty after three tests. The fourth section was a game changer for Lafferty, however.

“Up until the fourth section I was thinking a lot. And they told me there was going to be a lot of water in the fourth section, so I just decided to stop thinking and ride the thing,” said Lafferty. “A lot of guys were trying to sneak around the outside of the mud holes and I just went for it and hit the middle lines. Instead of shifting the thing a lot, I just left it in one gear and went straight through it all. It was a big gamble, but it paid off.”

At the finish, Lafferty edged Bobbitt by nine seconds to take the win. Nick Fahringer made it two Husabergs on the podium with a third place finish, matching his best-ever national placing.

Factory KTM rider Brad Bakken finished fourth ahead of 2008 Alligator Enduro winner Wally Palmer, riding the same Kawasaki that he won the ’08 race on. Meanhile, Husqvarna’s Glenn Kearney and GEICO/Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jimmy Jarrett rounded out the top seven.

Obermeyer/Am-Pro Yamaha’s Charile Mullins’ day was done just a mile into the race when he suffered clutch problems after taking a hard fall on the sandy trail. Meanwhile, KTM’s Cory Buttrick, who held the points lead going into the event, elected not to race because of blisters he developed at Tuesday’s GNCC round in Lake Wales, Florida.

With three rounds in the book, Bobbitt now holds the series points lead with 71 points, followed by Lafferty with 69 and Buttrick with 55. Fahringer (52) and Mullins (48) round out the top five.

Buttrick Wins Cherokee Enduro

Cory Buttrick got his first national enduro win at the Cherokee.

The Rekluse/AMA National Enduro series saw its second first-time winner in as many rounds as 19-year-old KTM rider Cory Buttrick took the win at this weekend’s Cherokee Enduro, in Greensboro, Georgia – round two of the 10-round series. First round winner Charlie Mullins led the 81-mile event for the first four sections and eventually won five of the six sections, but problems in the fifth section relegated the Obermeyer/AmPro Yamaha rider to fourth overall. Second went to defending series champ Russell Bobbitt on his factory KTM, while Husaberg’s Michael Lafferty rounded out the podium in third.

In stark contrast to the opening round in South Carolina, the weather could not have been better for the Cherokee, as temperatures in the 60s greeted the nearly 500 entries. Taking advantage of the perfect conditions, Mullins jumped out to a 12-second lead over Bobbitt after the opening 6-mile section, with Buttrick another second back.

Mullins added nine more seconds to his advantage in the second section and 16 in the third section. Mullins was quickest again in the fourth section, edging Lafferty by 15 seconds, Buttrick by 17, and Bobbitt, who missed a couple of arrows, by a whopping 44.

The fifth section was Mullins’ downfall, however, as the 23-year-old North Carolina resident bent his brake lever back when he hit a stump. Things got even worse when he mistook an Observation Check for the end of the section and lost nearly two minutes coasting along the trail. Finally, a fellow competitor told Mullins he was still in a timed section and the Yamaha rider picked up the pace. Mullins ended up winning the final section, but it was too little too late.

In the meantime, Buttick turned up the heat in the last two sections, taking advantage of Bobbitt’s disastrous fourth test to take the lead. At the end of the day, Buttrick took the win by a 78-second margin over Bobbitt.

“I typically get stronger as the day goes on, and that’s what I did today,” said Buttrick. “I had a couple of little crashes – one of them in section two – otherwise my score would have been better, but I got into the flow of things in the late tests and things started clicking.”

Lafferty ended the day in third, with Mullins and Husqvarna’s Glenn Kearney rounding out the top five.

From Georgia, the Rekluse/AMA National Enduro Series heads south to Florida for the Alligator Enduro in Daytona Beach on March 4^th, where Buttrick will try to build on his seven point lead in the series standings. After two rounds, Buttrick leads the title chase with 55 points, followed by Mullins with 48, Bobbitt with 46, Lafferty at 39 and Husaberg’s Nick Fahringer with 31.

Overall:

1. Cory Buttrick (KTM)
2. Russell Bobbitt (KTM)
3. Michael Lafferty (Hsb)
4. Charlie Mullins (Yam)
5. Glenn Kearney (Hus)
6. Nick Fahringer (Hsb)
7. Nate Kanney (KTM)
8. Brad Bakken (KTM)
9. Cole Kirkpatrick (KTM)

10.  Andrew DeLong (KTM)

Cherokee National Enduro

In stark contrast to the opening round in South Carolina, the weather could not be better for today's round of the Rekluse/AMA National Enduro round in Greensboro, Georgia. Temperatures were in the 60s yesterday during signup and are supposed to hover in that realm today with little chance of rain. 

A surprise entry in the event is KTM factory rider Nate Kanney. Like fellow GNCC rider Cory Buttrick, Kanney is using the round to prepare for the GNCC opener next week in Florida, however, Kanney indicated that he will be riding more national enduros later in the year. 

"I’m on my way south to Florida to get ready for the GNCC that is next Tuesday, and this race was on the way," said Kanny. "This was a perfect opportunity for me to do a little riding in Georgia before I hit Florida. I stayed in California for the winter and I went back home for a week just to tie up loose ends before I headed south. This was on the way, but of course, I’m a fan of Enduro race and I wanted to do this. I’m interested in doing more of the series, so this was a good chance to see how I do. I know the series is really growing and getting better and this is good practice for me."

Of course, Charlie Mullins is on hand and appears ready to back up his opening round win. Meanwhile, Russell Bobbitt and Michael Lafferty were looking confident as well.

 
 

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