Trail Rider Magazine

Grassman Enduro Ohio Woods Riders ACES Round 3 Norwich, Ohio May 5, 2013 By Heather Wilson Overall: Josh Gaitten Josh Gaitten (KTM) snatched the Overall win. He's raced the ACES series since its first season in 2008. "I was racing the District 11 Enduro Series, which turned into ACES, before that," said Gaitten. "I love enduros, because you get to race on better trail than a hare scramble/GNCC," commented Gaitten. "It's usually single track and not beat up, trashed trail." Training and endurance go hand-in-hand when it comes to offroad racing. However, Gaitten said his training isn't anything like it used to be. "If I'm lucky, I may get to swing a leg over the bike for an hour or two during the week or do some pedaling if I get home from work in time," said Gaitten. "It's definitely not what I'd like to put into it, but it's, unfortunately, all I'm able to do." Most riders would agree that it takes some time to figure out a newly purchased bike. Gaitten had no qualms about buying a new bike the Friday before the event. Then, he spent most of the next day mounting stuff on it. "I got it together in just enough time before dark to take a ride up the road, only to discover the jetting was not to my liking," said Gaitten. "I contacted Wally at Wheelsports to see what his jetting suggestions were. He brought me a needle to the event on Sunday; we threw it in the bike, and it ran perfectly all day. It was pretty amazing to get a win on a bike I'd only ridden for five minutes the day before the race!" Gaitten was satisfied with his win. "It's definitely a step in the right direction," he said. "I've been struggling to find my form after fracturing my hip towards the end of the season last year, which, ultimately, took me out of championship contention." "It feels good to get a win under my belt, but I just want to keep the ball rolling and take it one race at a time," commented Gaitten. "I feel like I'm still capable of winning races and championships. I just want to do my thing, focus on my riding and make good decisions on race day, so I can be in a good position at the end of the year." He would like to thank Wheelsports. "It's awesome to have a shop behind you that's as enthusiastic about your results and your riding as you are," he said. He would also like to thank his parents. "They have always been my biggest sponsor and supporters of me and my racing and without them I wouldn't be where I am today!" Overall A: Michael Jolly The Grassman Enduro marks Michael Joll's (HSB) thirdstraight Overall A win. 18 Trail Rider You could say that racing enduros is in his blood. He said his dad used to race enduros, and his parents took him to races growing up. "I was basically born into it," commented Jolly. Since the Grassman Enduro was a new race in the series, trail conditions and the difficulty levels were unknown factors, because there was no history for riders to base off of. "I expected the race to be more technical than the previous two enduros, which it was," said Jolly. "This race had longer sections then what we have seen all year. With these longer sections, fitness played a part." Jolly said he really enjoyed the first section. "Normally, I get a slow start at races, but I had a really good first section that gave me confidence for the rest of the day," he stated. "There's always things you can do better or differently, but overall it was just a good day." He would like to thank Moose Racing, Smith's Powersports, FastAM Productions, FMF, EVS, TwinAir and ODI. He would also like to thank his wife, Lauren. Overall B: Brandon Ivanac Brandon Ivanac (KTM), a first-time enduro competitor, secured the Overall B position. His racing career began in 2009. Now, he races whenever he can find the time. Although he's ridden for a few years, he is a newcomer to the enduro world. "I discovered ACES when a few of my buddies told me how good the series is." "The virgin trails are by far the best part of enduros," commented Ivanac. "It's so much better than riding the same, clapped out track lap after lap in hare scrambles." He said he also likes the small breaks between tests. "It gives me time for a breather and to shake the arm pump," he said. He said the enduro was "a little harder than expected," because he is not used to being on a bike for that long. "Six hours is quite a bit different than a two hour hare scramble," said Ivanac. "Following the arrows was pretty difficult for me at first," commented Ivanac. "I was on row seven, so there wasn't much of a trail to be looking for in most spots. I passed up all kinds of turns in the first test, which cost me some time. After that, I realized I had to slow down a little and pay more attention." Ivanac said he is "Definitely hoping to make it to a few more ACES races this year and contend for the overall B again." He would like to thank Jason Smith and Mike Wist for keeping me on time and showing him the ropes. "If it weren't for them, I would have been totally lost," commented Ivanac. www.TrailRider.com

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