The American Motorcyclist Association has announced the U.S. World Trophy Team and U.S. Junior Trophy Team for the 90th International Six Days Enduro in Kosice, Slovakia, Sept. 7-12.
Leading the U.S. effort on the World Trophy Team will be Mike Brown, Thad Duvall, Taylor Robert and Kailub Russell, Ryan Sipes and Gary Sutherlin. Brown will serve as team captain.
The U.S. Junior Trophy Team will include Grant Baylor, Steward Baylor, Justin Jones and Layne Michael.
“The ISDE is one of the most historic and prestigious motorsports events in the world, and we’re honored to compete against the world’s best,” said AMA Director of Racing Bill Cumbow. “We’re appreciative of the support this effort receives from the industry, and we’re confident that the United States is sending the right team to get the job done in 2015, from the riders to team management to the support crew.”
Antti Kallonen, KTM North America’s off-road racing manager, will manage the U.S. ISDE team.
The 2014 ISDE in Argentina was one of the best for the U.S. team. The U.S. Junior Trophy Team won its division for the third time in event history, while the U.S. Trophy Team finished second last year. The United States has never won the Trophy division, although it also finished second in 1982 and 2013.
Kallonen said that despite a location that may provide some European teams a home-track advantage in 2015, he’s confident the U.S. riders are up to the challenge.
The Slovakian conditions and terrain will be familiar to riders in the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series, an AMA National Championship. Russell is the defending GNCC overall champion and is undefeated in 2015 GNCC competition.
Kallonen has brought a significant amount of talent back from the championship-winning U.S. Junior Team, so his expectations are understandably high for this year.
“Three of the last year’s winning riders are returning to the team again, and our goal is simple: Repeat our championship,” he said. Kallonen added that the U.S. team has a summer of preparation planned to head into the 2015 event ready to race for international glory at the world’s premier off-road competition.
Three premier teams represent the United States at the ISDE. In addition to the six-member World Trophy Team and the Junior Trophy Team, which includes four riders younger than 23 years old, the U.S. fields a Women’s Trophy Team at the event. Several club team members also represent the United States at Six Days.
The AMA will announce the full contingent of U.S. riders following qualifier rounds May 2-3 in Newburg, W.Va., and May 30-31 in Idaho City, Idaho.
For more information: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/racing/internationalcompetition/isde.
