Jean Turner | November 14, 2018
Cycle News Cross-Rutted
COLUMN
America’s Best
It’s been five weeks since the crushing defeat of the Americans at RedBud, and moto fans are still reeling. I get it, our dreams were crushed and it’s the end of life as we know it, but I dare say we’re over-indulging in the post-mortem at this point. Still, I feel for my moto buddies and I’d like to offer a salve for the deep burn still resonating with so many. The off-roaders in the room already know, but this is for the woeful moto fans still longing for some national inspiration of the knobbied kind.
The 2018 ISDE U.S. World Trophy, Junior World Trophy and Women’s World Trophy Teams are ready to battle in Chile. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK KARIYA
I’d like to introduce you to a whole new Team USA. Meet the United States Trophy Team who are competing at the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) as we speak: Grant Baylor, Ryan Sipes, Taylor Robert and Zach Bell. These filthy animals are about to unleash a whole shipping container of whoop-ass on the Europeans in Vina del Mar, Chile at the ISDE, November 12-17. Theirs is a story of an inspired rise to the top in an arena where the Americans used to get completely smoked.
Going back a few decades to a time when we were racking up the MXoN wins year after year, savoring our supremacy, the Americans were sorely lacking a competitive presence at the Six Days. If you’ve ever seen the iconic On Any Sunday, you have an idea of this daunting event where riders compete in six full days of special tests and long transfer sections in between. Riders then have a limited amount of time to work on their own bikes (no outside assistance allowed), meaning tires, fluids and filters all have to be changed quicker than most of us can perform a single oil change.
The sheer challenge of the Six Days is compounded by the steep cost of attending it. Years ago, not many U.S. factory teams had it on their scope, leaving riders to try to raise funds for an effort, or foot the bill themselves. It left the top riders saying, “no thanks,” which is why Americans had never, in the history of the ISDE celebrated an overall win. A win at the Six Days was simply outside the realm of possibility for the U.S. That was the accepted reasoning, anyway—until Kurt Caselli came along.
Off-road legend Kurt Caselli and his dad, Rich, were intrigued by the ISDE. Kurt loved international competition, and no one had more pride in their country than the Casellis. Kurt was persistent (relentless) in his effort to convince (heckle, taunt) his fellow off-road racer friends to form a U.S. Trophy Team, one that could potentially win the coveted World Trophy.
Kurt was aware that it would take years to cultivate the American effort, and he was up for the task, year after year. He helped handpick and train riders to come with him to represent the USA. During the season they were competitors, but when it came time for the ISDE, they traveled together, walked tests together, did unfortunate things to rental cars together, all in the name of bonding as a team. It earned Kurt the nickname “Captain America.” He even solicited the help of KTM North America in the effort, convincing then-President Jon-Erik Burleson to back the American effort, insisting that American off-road riders were the best in the world, and that they needed to prove it.
With the funding and expertise of KTM NA now at their disposal, adding to the diligent and ever-present support team fielded by the AMA, the U.S. Trophy Team was in a position to win. During Kurt’s career, Team USA reached the overall podium, and American riders had also reached the individual podium, but the grand victory (in either capacity) still hadn’t happened.
The Six Days was still very much on Kurt Caselli’s scope right up until his sudden death in 2013. For an entire racing community in shock, it put a whole new emphasis on the ISDE. For a decorated rider like Kurt, it was one of the only gaps left to fill, and his friends were going to make sure it happened.
“When Kurt passed away, it went from a three-year plan to a lifetime obligation that we had to fulfill,” said Burleson. “We had to make sure every resource was provided to give the team its fair shot.”
“It was heavy on everybody,” said AMA Off-Road Racing Manager Erek Kudla. “Before, he was pushing us to do it. Now, everybody’s pushing to do it for him.”
In 2015, Ryan Sipes became the first American in history to earn individual overall honors at the Six Days. One year later, it happened again with Taylor Robert topping the individual charts, only this year, the rest of the team also celebrated a win. In 2016, Team USA finally climbed onto the top step at the ISDE, fulfilling the long-held dream of Kurt Caselli and his dad, Rich.
The Caselli Legacy lives on in the American effort at Six Days, and the riders Kurt helped craft are currently fighting for another win, this time in Chile. “Now it’s a new challenge,” said U.S. Trophy Team Manager Antti Kallonen. “We have the bulls-eye on our back and now we have to back it up. They always say it’s easier to win the first one—well it was pretty hard! But I know it’s going to be harder now.”
Ten years ago, I might not have believed that the Americans would be winning the ISDE and struggling at the MXoN. What a twist of fate that turned out to be! But I’m excited to cheer for our guys this week as they take on the world once again. It’s hard to say if anyone is “expecting” a win, but Grant Baylor, Ryan Sipes, Taylor Robert and Zach Bell will spend long days in the saddle followed by long nights walking tests, they will push, sweat, bleed and bang knuckles until the last day, and with a little luck, they will land on the top step of the podium.
But win or lose, they represent an inspiring rise of a patriotic effort, and that’s something to cheer for. Go Team USA! CN
