02.08.2019

KTM CONFIRMS KELLEY AND LETTENBICHLER FOR 2019 TENNESSEE KNOCKOUT (TKO)

BEN KELLEY © Simon Cudby

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Rising U.S. offroad racing star Ben Kelley and German KTM rider Manuel Lettenbichler are set to battle for the 2019 TKO crown aboard the new KTM 300 XC-W TPI.

MURRIETA, Calif. – KTM Motorsports is pleased to announce that Trail Jesters/KTM Racing’s Ben Kelley is set to line up at this year's Tennessee Knockout (TKO) extreme enduro event, taking place on Aug. 16-18 at the Trials Training Center in Sequatchie, Tennessee. Kelley, who will be racing aboard the new KTM 300 XC-W TPI machine, will be joined alongside German KTM rider and 2018 TKO runner-up, Manuel Lettenbichler, who will also be piloting the 300 XC-W TPI.

FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Cody Webb, a six-time winner of the TKO, will miss this year’s event as he continues to recover from a knee injury. Additionally, his factory teammate, Josh Toth, will also be sidelined from the ninth annual event as he continues his injury recovery process in hopes to return to racing before the season’s end.

Kelley carries great momentum into the TKO as he continues to impress with a nine-race undefeated streak in the 2019 GNCC Series, where he looks to become a back-to-back Champion in the XC2 250 Pro class. The young rider from Connecticut has been diligently preparing for the upcoming event, where he recently captured fourth overall at the Bad Medicine Hard Enduro in Little Hockings, Ohio aboard the KTM 300 XC-W TPI. He is set to compete this weekend, August 3-4, in Taylorsville, North Carolina at Battle of the Goats to gain additional seat time on the new bike.

As for Lettenbichler, the twenty-one-year-old German, too, has a lot of momentum following a second-place finish at this year’s Erzberg Rodeo. As the runner-up to Webb’s TKO victory in 2018, Lettenbichler is favored to be a title contender once again this year.

The 2019 TKO will again serve as the AMA Grand Championship for Extreme Enduro with the amateur riders competing in a Friday afternoon Prologue and then two rounds of racing on Saturday. The top 30 riders from Saturday will also earn the opportunity to compete on Sunday with the pre-qualified pro riders. The pre-qualified Sunday riders earn an invite based on top results in several major U.S. or International offroad motorcycle series and events. Top-25 pro finishers from the prior year’s TKO also earn a spot on the Sunday invite list.

For more information on the 2019 Tennessee Knockout, please visit www.tennesseeknockoutenduro.com. For more information on KTM and its athletes, please visit www.ktm.com/us.  

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BEN KELLEY
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