KTM”s Mike Brown2013 GIECO AMA EnduroCross SeriesAfter a long summer break, the 2013 GEICO AMA EnduroCross series, fueled by Monster Energy and presented by Lucas Oil will return to action on Saturday, September 21st inside the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California.
The seven race 2013 championship still has five rounds remaining and KTM’s Mike Brown was on a tear before the summer break taking the wins in Las Vegas and Sacramento. He also took a win at the non AMA points paying X Games Enduro X event in Barcelona, Spain so it has been a good year so far for the likeable veteran from Tennessee. “The KTM 350 has been great for me this year and I am looking forward to competing for the championship” Brown said of his early season success.Brown’s closest pursuer in the championship is Poland’s Taddy Blazusiak, the four time and defending EnduroCross champion that won the most recent X Games Enduro X event in Los Angeles. Blazusiak has not been nearly as dominant so far in 2013 and will be looking to reestablish his place at the top.Monster Kawasaki’s Taylor Robert is next in line and finished second at the Sacramento event before taking an X Games gold in Germany for his first Enduro X win. Robert is one of the younger riders in the field and he is ready to contend for the championship.Lucas Oil/Rockstar backed Colton Haaker on the JCR Honda is also a serious threat for the 2013 GEICO AMA EnduroCross championship. With veteran Baja champion Johnny Campbell providing guidance and support, Haaker has been a consistent podium finisher in 2013 and is often the fastest rider on the track.Husqvarna’s Cory Graffunder finished seventh in Las Vegas and then held off Blazusiak for third in Sacramento to keep himself in the title hunt. The tall Canadian is consistently battling at the front and is especially strong in difficult conditions.Beta’s Cody Webb finished second in the 2012 GEICO AMA EnduroCross championship and finished fourth in Las Vegas but then had to sit out round two due to a broken foot. So he finds himself a long ways back in points and will need to win races to close the gap. He is certainly capable as he has proven with big wins this year at the Kenda Tennessee Knockout and King of the Moto’s events.There are several other top riders that can get into the mix in the pro class and the evening also includes classes for the Women, Vet, TrialsCross and Open Amateur riders. So it is a full night of exciting action.The pit area is open for FREE all day so it is a great time to meet the riders and check out their bikes. The top riders will also do an autograph session on the show concourse at 6:30 p.m. The Arena is also open for free for the daytime qualifiers but you will need a ticket for the main event actions so get your tickets now.For additional information, visit EnduroCross.com.
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This week, in the first segment Editor Don Williams talks to us about the new Kawasaki Versys 650 LT. It’s the middleweight ADV style machine that uses the same 650 parallel twin motor as the Ninja 650, so it’s an excellent performer in a user-friendly, good looking package.
In the second segment, I chat with one of my dearest industry friends—now retired Honda PR executive, Jon Seidel. Jon’s fascinating career spans some 30 years with Big Red, and gave him some great experiences with some incredible machines. I was fortunate enough to be invited on many of the press launches that he organized. His new project is documenting and saving many of the old archives from years gone by—and incidentally, if you have anything that may be of value to the project, please contact us by email at producer@ultimatemotorcycling.com and we’ll pass it all on to Jon.
So on that note, from all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!