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9/15/2009 12:17:00 PM
Enduro event has 4 winners
John Raffel
Sports Editor
GOWEN - The Knuckle Buster Enduro event crowned four division winners on Sunday including Chris Gallt as the grand champion.
The motorcycle event was conducted for the first time in Gowen.
Race officials noted that it is a timed event where riders must travel an unknown predetermined course within an allotted time.
The course can include deep sand, logs, wet areas and large wooded areas. Speeds average about 24 miles per hour.
The person with the lowest points is the event winner.
The meeting area was three miles north of Greenville off of M-91.
"Everybody had a blast," said Enduro rider Tom Cousinaw of Sheridan, adding that about 110 participants turned out. "We also had people from Ohio and Indiana. "We drew quite a crowd. People from the Upper Peninsula came out."
Gallt, who is from Mulliken, located near Grand Ledge, said he dropped a total of 23 minutes over the course of the race. "In Enduro, you actually get points for being late," he said. "As far as being on time, I had 23 points. The next guy down had 26. What happens in Enduro is you race sections during the day and get timed. Through the day, your total time accumulates. I was three minutes faster (than anyone else) overall throughout the day. We covered just over 100 miles."
Gallt and others said they were impressed with the course.
"I was pretty excited because it's closer to home. Being from downstate, we usually have to travel quite a ways upstate to have these runs," Gallt said. "District 14 (Michigan and northern Indiana) has 10 events a year."
Jordan Mapes, 17, of Bay City, was the champ for A High Points. It was his first District 14 victory.
"I dropped 26 points. That's like saying you dropped 26 minutes throughout the whole day," Mapes said. "For what they had to work with, I thought they did a good job (with the course)."
It's his third year in Enduro competition.
"I raced go-carts prior to this. My whole family is usually racing something," he said. "I was born into it."
Chad Brown from Leonard won the High Points B division. It was his fifth race in the B event.
"I originally started as a C rider. I did very well so I went up to B," he said. "The levels are based on the years you put in. Timewise, it's about 10 minutes difference. The grand champ is the fastest; 10 minutes later comes the (next division). You have to earn your spot."
Brown took 35 minutes off his time.
"It's competitive but you're not racing a motocross track while you're racing against each other," Brown said. "You're riding your own race. You're riding by yourself."
The High Points C winner was Grant Rivard of Bay City, who said divisional winners earned a trophy.
Tom Dunn of Lansing, the chairman of Michigan Off Road Events (MORE), said there are several Enduro events a year throughout Indiana and Michigan.
"We don't cut any trees," Cousinaw said prior to the event. "We like to run between the trees. We try to keep the riders going as slow as we can. It's a predetermined trail that we lay out. They have to do this at four-tenths of a mile per minute."
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Posted: Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Article comment by:
DirtRider
This event would not have happened if it had not been for the land owners who graciously donated the use of their land.
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