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Bernie Frederick Tops Inyan Kara, Wins Third Straight!
Rocky Mountain Enduro Circuit
Round 6: Inyan Kara Enduro
June 22, 2008| Upton, WY
Story by George Pennington
Frederick's on a roll...three wins in a row!
Despite the fact that the Inyan Kara Enduro is one of the premier events on the RMEC schedule and is highly anticipated each year, there is also a certain amount of trepidation to go along with it. Because, in spite the primo trail, this event is characterized by hot temperatures and a brutal 21 mile long final special test that separates the men from the boys, the fit from the un-fit and sometimes the rider from the bike.
This year we all got a break though. The enduro godsmust have been smiling down on us as they rolled back the temperatures to just the mid 80’s this year, a far cry from many of the scorcher’s of the past. What the gods couldn’t control though was Paul Douglas’s hand in laying out the course, and the final special test remained. And, as it always does every year, it became the deciding factor in many class positions including the overall this year.
Bernie Frederick may be the fittest rider in the RMEC! He always seems to do best when the trail is nasty and physical and today was no exception. Frederick notched his third straight overall win of the season and looks to be taking control of the championship. It was no easy task though as Ian Blythe matched him point for point and nearly second for second heading into the long final test. It was only Frederick’s ability to squeeze under the flip and gain a point on him at the final check that sealed the event for him. “Today it was a very close between Ian and I., all day we matched each other second for second. It turned out to be the last test that decided the enduro though. I just put my head down and rode 100% for as long as I could and just hung on to the finish. It feels really good to win this one because after that last test you know you've earned it. I would like to thank Colorado Powersports for supporting me over the last few years as well as Moose Racing, Rekluse, Race Tech, and FMF.”
Third overall on the day, a position he’s becoming accustomed to, was Cody Schafer, piloting his Kawasaki to 31 points dropped, a full eight points off the pace of Blythe, with half of that coming in the final test. Jim Koch topped the Vets at fourth overall, while Bryce Bingham piloted the Eagle Motor Works KTM 250XCF to fifth overall.
Dennis Larrat rode the wheels of his KX250 to take the 250cc class win over friendly rival Casey Colbert whose YZ250 got him to the finish just a point behind for second in class. Rob Weiher ran off with another win in the seniors, topping last years class champ, Gary Miller by eight points.
After being a bridesmaid at the previous event, Trace Armstrong found the luck he needed to get to the top today, motoring his Honda 250F to the overall B win with a low score of 47 points dropped. Dan Bucheit rode a KTM380 in for second overall and the open win, while Dave O’Neill and his Yamaha rolled in a couple points behind for third and the Senior class victory. Dan Daily made the Super Seniors proud, piloting a YZ144 to fourth overall and tops in class, edging second Super Senior, Jary Penny by two points.
Vet rider Chris Muhler topped the C’s with 29 points dropped, while James Rockhill topped the Open class on a 450 Yamaha for second overall. Brent Bauerkemper topped the 250’s, with Kimberly VanDuyn, who refuses to ride with the girls, pulling her KX250F in for second 250 on the day.