Two-Minute Warning
By Erek Kudla
If you’ve been living
under a rock for the last couple of weeks, I’m proud to break the news that the U.S.
International Six Days Enduro World Trophy Team won the ISDE for the first time
since the event was founded in 1913! If you’re not sure what this means, I can
tell you it’s a big deal. We essentially just won the Olympic equivalent of
off-road motorcycle racing. Google it now because it is very important.
AMA Off-Road Manager Erek
Kudla reps America at the 2016 ISDE. (Photo: Mark Kariya)
Personally, I have followed
the ISDE for most of my life. My dad followed it for most of his life. My
brother was fast enough to actually qualify twice -- for Italy 2013 and
Slovakia 2015. I tried to qualify but am not fast enough. This is the source of
the joke, "I see why you got the job at the AMA now! So you could actually
make it to ISDE." Hardy har har, guys. Thanks.
Nonetheless, the skunk
stripes (that's a reference to the helmet design that has been used by U.S.
team riders since before I was born) really, really mean something to my
family. The skunk stripes are not something easy to earn, and those who have
earned them run them for their entire life from then on. So being able to go
this year was a great honor and being able to watch the team win it was beyond
explanation. Just writing about it brings a tear to the eye, and I can tell you
there were very few dry ones on any of the American faces I saw at the event.
But, lets back up a
little bit… I want to talk about the real backbone of the U.S. ISDE Team. Let
me preface this by stating that our entire ISDE program was set into motion
long before I started at the AMA. My only real input was helping with some
paperwork at the office, facilitating a few other FIM-related things and
recording history as it unfolded. The reason this achievement was possible -- and the glue that held the entire
thing together -- was the U.S. ISDE crew. When everything was being organized
to head out to Spain, we were short on volunteers. When I asked, "well,
how many do we have?" they replied, "only 113." Only 113! That’s
more people than put on an entire race here in the States! I would have never
guessed that it took that many people on the back end to help our 28 riders
chase gold. Most, if not all, were past ISDE competitors, winners, friends,
family and fans alike. AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Jeff Fredette, for
instance, was one of the many heading-up operations, and Jeff has competed in
34 ISDEs himself!
Once I got to the
paddock, I saw what this meant. The pits were pumping with “USA” shirts and
work gloves putting together Rabaconda tire changers, setting up tool boards,
breaking down boxes, getting our mobile kitchen set up, helping riders with
whatever they needed… This was before anything actually happened. Most of them
were there for as long as 10 days before I arrived myself. Unloading our two
crates that were shipped a full month before the event even started. This was
like an ant farm of people working away to get ready for the start of the
event.
Once the event actually
began, there had already been months and months of work hours logged by many of
the workers. With all of the preparation it was almost on auto-pilot after the
first riders left the impound. We had people everywhere -- in the morning work
station, at every check with a work area set up, at every test on both the “In”
and the “out” to take tool packs and jackets, record times and then pass back
everything to the riders. We had gofers for everything we needed. Then we had
our kitchen crews and chase crews with factory KTM mechanics to help diagnose
things in the work areas. At the end of each day, it kicked into overdrive for
the next crew (made up of many from the day crew) who took on all the
administrative responsibilities and getting the pits set up for the next day.
It was pretty amazing to see all of the effort that went into the program.
There were so many moving parts, so many people working so hard I know I’m
going to forget someone and some process, but I can tell you it was amazing to
watch!
With the help of the
stellar crew we had one of the most dominant runs in the history of the event.
We started last, had one of the smallest work areas possible on top of having
lost one of our lead riders the day before he planned to fly out. From there,
our World Trophy Team was first overall at the end of Day 1. No complaints, no
excuses. At the end of the event, we had more notches on the belt than anything
else. First overall individual. First and second overall in E2. First overall
team. First overall World Trophy Team. Second overall Jr. Trophy Team. Fourth
overall Women’s Trophy Team. First overall Club individual. First E1 Club
individual. First E2 Club individual. Third E3 Club individual. Second, third,
fifth, ninth, 18th and 21st Club teams -- out of 123 teams in the Club
division. This was the first year for the FIM Enduro Vintage Trophy. We won
that, too. American Fred Hoess, competing on a 1986 WR250 Husqvarna, was the
winner.
By the end of the day,
the announcer just said “and once again, no surprise, America is coming to the
stage.” I would say that is a great analogy for how this past week went. In
true American spirit, taking the worst circumstances and making the absolute
best of them, the U.S. ISDE Team proved that it was the best in the world.
I am very proud of the
job that they did representing the United States and I am sure you are too.
Erek Kudla is the AMA
off-road manager.
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