Story and photos by Steve Berkner
With half of the Portuguese ISDE over, AMA Team USA’s Trophy Team has settled into a solid sixth place where they trail fifth-place Sweden by 2 minutes, 17.05 seconds and hold a 2 minute, 22.26 second lead over seventh-place Portugal after Day 3. The top four teams in the prestigious World Trophy classification are are France, Italy, Finland and Australia.
The U.S. Trophy team is led by E3 rider Kurt Caselli, who still maintains his fourth-place class standing even though he dropped from sixth to seventh overall. Caselli was still optimistic about his team’s chances of moving up in the standings.
“Everybody is doing a good job of keeping it together,” Caselli said. “Remember we lost Ricky (Dietrich) on Day 1, and we have two (ISDE) rookies (Damon Huffman and Timmy Weigand) on the team. My hats off to both of them.
“Even though I dropped an overall position doesn’t bother me too much as my score is based on my position in class and I’m holding my own there, I guess. The problem is all of the fast guys are in my class, but we still have three days to go.
“The course is really getting rough out there and today (Day 3) we headed up into the hills where there were less sand tests and more hard terrain, clay type tests, which normally aren’t my deal but I’m adjusting the best I can.”
Damon Huffman is one of the “rookies” on the U.S. Trophy team this year and he’s finally getting comfortable with the Six Days routine.
“I guess my scores have been good,” Huffman said. “I would like to be doing a little better but we’re holding it together. Today was shorter time wise and that made a big difference.
“Day 1 and Day 2 were tough, and the trail was getting beat up pretty bad. Day 3 was easier, other than a couple of hills and a long whoop section that seem to go on for about an hour or so. Tomorrow (Day 4) uses the same trail and it is going to be brutal. Overall,I’m having a good time and each day the routine seems to be getting easier.”
In the Junior Trophy Team division, the U.S. maintained its third-place position with the team losing some time to the Spanish and French teams, which now have a 2 minute. 33.16 second, and a 2 minute, 17 second lead, respectively, over the U.S. junior riders. After Day 2, the three teams were within 15 seconds of each other.
Half of that time was due to when U.S. rider Cory Buttrick lost one minute when he was scored late for his end of day pre-check.
“There must be something wrong with my score as I’m sure I was 9 seconds into my minute when I went through that check,” Buttrick said.
Buttrick’s penalty point is currently being reviewed by the ISDE Jury with a decision due at the end of Day 4.
Team USA’s Women’s World Cup Team remained in fourth place overall just 38.71 seconds behind the Australian Women’s team. First place France has more than a 10-minute lead on the American women while the second place finishing team for Day 3, Sweden, has nearly a six-minute lead over Team USA.
U.S. Women’s World Cup team rider Maria Forsberg remains in third overall in that division.
Rory Sullivan remained top American in the Club Team division, while his team, Carter Engineering, is in 14th place overall. Along with Sullivan, U.S. riders Fred Hoess, Jordan Brandt, Brian Sperle and Nick Fahringer are currently riding on Gold medal pace, or within 10 percent of their respective classes' leaders.
All of the remaining 30 U.S. riders who started Day 3 finished.