12.11.2019
TAYLOR ROBERT AND KAILUB RUSSELL LEAD THE WAY IN E2 CLASSIFICATION
PORTIMAO, Portugal – Day two of the 2019 FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) has come and gone from Portimao, Portugal and the U.S. World Trophy Teams are holding strong with solid performances across the board. Highlighting the day was the U.S. Women’s squad, who powered their way into the overall lead thanks to a stellar performance by KTM-supported rider Brandy Richards, who swept the last four tests of the day to finish as the highest placing Women’s rider.
Additionally, FMF KTM Factory Racing teammates Taylor Robert and Kailub Russell each put forth strong performances on day two to assume the first and second-place positions, respectively, in the E2 classification.
WORLD TROPHY (WT) TEAM
The U.S. World Trophy Team continues to fight for gold as they sit 50 seconds from the lead after just two days of racing. With a deep field of talent on its four-rider roster, the WT Team has high hopes of outlasting its Aussie competition as the week wears on.
Tuesday’s top performing American was Taylor Robert, who sits on top of the E2 class and third overall with impressive finishes of 4-3-4-4-2-3-3 on the day. His teammate, Kailub Russell, maintained a solid day as well, finishing 6-4-3-3-4-6-7 throughout the seven tests, where he sits just behind Robert in fourth overall.
Robert: “I think we rode great as a team today again, Kailub and I were swapping tests and we were within like half-a-second all day long, so that was cool. I felt like I rode good all day, I didn’t really have a bad test but still working on trying to get closer to Daniel [Sanders], he’s riding really good.”
KTM-supported rider Ryan Sipes holds third in the E1 class after a slightly more challenging day in the rough and sandy terrain. Steward Baylor Jr. sits third in the E3 classification, where he powered his way to a better finishing overall on the day. Day three promises new terrain, which will be a welcomed change from the beat-up sands of days one and two.
JUNIOR WORLD TROPHY (JWT) TEAM
FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley and his KTM-supported teammate, Grant Baylor, both stepped into stride on Tuesday as they impressively fought their way into the top-10 overall multiple times throughout the day. Kelley earned three top-10 finishes (fourth, eighth and 10th), while Baylor claimed a fifth and a 10th, in addition to several top-20 overalls for the day. After two days of racing, Kelley sits fifth in E2, and Baylor in seventh. FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Josh Toth sits 15th in the stacked E1 class.
WOMEN’S WORLD TROPHY TEAM
It was a stellar day for the U.S. Women’s World Trophy Team, who now sits over one-minute ahead of Team Germany after two days complete. KTM-supported rider Brandy Richards paved the way for the American team, winning the last four tests of the day after three solid runner-up performances in the first three tests. Richards was backed by teammates Becca Sheets (KTM) and Tarah Gieger (HON), who each put forth solid top-10 finishes to catapult their team into the lead position.
Racing from the 2019 International Six Days Enduro will resume on Wednesday, November 13 with day three of six from Portimao, Portugal. For a list of complete results, please visit http://www.fim-isde-live.info.
World Trophy Classification (After Day 2 of 6)
1. Australia, 4:42:56.19
2. USA, +50.43
3. Italy, +5:10.41
4. Great Britain, +5:51.29
5. Finland, +7:22.80
Junior World Trophy Classification (After Day 2 of 6)
1. Australia, 4:48:05.95
2. USA, +3:26.90
3. Italy, +5:24.12
4. France, +5:51.95
5. Great Britain, +9:11.99
Women’s World Trophy Classification (After Day 2 of 6)
1. USA, 3:36:30.71
2. Germany, +1:08.65
3. Australia, +1:14.37
4. Great Britain, +6:25.72
5. Spain, +9:11.99