Press Release | May 17, 2022
The U.S. GasGas Trials Team had a great weekend in Sacramento, California for rounds three and four of the AMA NATC MotoTrials National Championship Series at Shaad Ranch.
The following is a race report provided by GasGas…
- Josh Roper successfully claims 2-2 results at NATC Rounds 3 and 4
- Daniel Blanc-Gonnet celebrates his first podium finish of 2022!
- Maddie Hoover earns an impressive top-five overall in California
In the Pro class, Josh Roper kept his streak alive with another pair of solid runner-up finishes and teammate Daniel Blanc-Gonnet enjoyed his first podium of the season, along with a top-five finish to round out the weekend. Maddie Hoover went 1-1 in the Women’s Pro class, also breaking into the top-five overall with an impressive performance on the first day of competition.
Josh Roper had a challenging start to the day on Saturday, picking up two fives right away on the first lap. He put his head down and delivered a steady performance in the second and third laps, which allowed him to place his TXT Racing 300 into second overall at the end of the day. On Sunday, the Arizona native continued to chip away at the unfamiliar terrain, keeping himself in a favorable position throughout the day. Despite his challenges, Roper remained steady to claim his fourth runner-up finish in as many rounds.
Josh Roper: “The weekend was honestly quite difficult for me. Coming from Arizona, we have big dry, grippy rocks. So, coming out here where you have wet creeks and stuff, it’s a little bit harder for me to ride. I don’t have much time practicing the stuff, so I was shocked that I ended up second because everyone else was riding so good. I’m actually kind of excited that I got another pair of second places, which is good for the championship as well. I just want to give a big thanks to my minder, Nigel Parker, the whole GasGas USA team and Hammer Nutrition.
Daniel Blanc-Gonnet came out swinging on Saturday for round three of competition and he carried that momentum into all three laps of the day. As one of the only riders to make it through one of the most difficult sections, DBG maintained consistency all day to make his first podium appearance of the NATC season in third. Sunday was a bit of a mixed bag for Blanc-Gonnet, who found himself riding less consistently on day two. Coming into the final loop, DBG was evenly matched with Alex Myers for the fourth-place position and he tried his best to make it through cleanly but a couple of unfortunate crashes set him back for a fifth-place finish on the day.
Daniel Blanc-Gonnet: “I started off the first day really strong, putting in really, really good rides right off the bat, so that was a good confidence booster. I started making some silly mistakes halfway through the first loop but I turned things around and then I felt like I just didn’t make any huge mistakes all day. I’m not super happy with Sunday’s performance–I felt like my riding was really solid but my focus wasn’t there. It just seemed like I was kind of on and off all day, and that inconsistency really hurt me. I ended up crashing pretty hard twice on the last loop and ripped my foot peg off in one section and knocked the wind out of myself on the other–it was like it was a perfect storm. I want to thank Brian Stull, he ran up and down all those hills for me both days and I could tell he was getting pretty tired at the end, but he kept strong. So, I’m happy.”
Four-time AMA NATC Women’s Pro Champion Maddie Hoover had another solid weekend with 1-1 scores in the Women’s Pro division. Not only is she gunning for a fifth title in the class, but she’s also stacking up against the guys! She started Saturday’s competition off a little slow with a couple of fives early on, but she pulled it together for a strong six-point final loop, giving her an impressive fifth overall for the day. On day two, she struggled to conquer the slippery conditions but she was able to maintain progression throughout the day, securing her fourth victory of the season in the Women’s Pro class.
Maddie Hoover: “On Saturday, the terrain was super flowy and it was cool, slippery, sections. It honestly reminded me a little bit of home, a couple of the sections with the logs and the hills reminded me of North Carolina a lot, so I felt good with the terrain and ended up in fifth with the boys. Sunday was tough. The sections were not so flowy and they didn’t seem to quite have a rhythm that I was able to get into. It wasn’t my favorite kind of trial, but it was a good trial. I’m happy that my scores went down every loop and that I was progressing throughout the day.”
Results: California, Round 3
Pro
- Pat Smage (Sherco) 9 pts
- Josh Roper (GasGas) 31
- Daniel Blanc-Gonnet (GasGas) 35
Women’s Pro
- Madeleine Hoover (GasGas) 31 pts
Results: California, Round 4
Pro
- Pat Smage (Sherco) 12 pts
- Josh Roper (GasGas) 35
- Will Myers (Sherco) 44
- …
- Daniel Blanc-Gonnet (GasGas) 52
Women’s Pro
- Madeleine Hoover (GasGas) 31 pts
