On The Pegs August - 2019 - Volume 4 - Issue 8 | Page 145

On The Pegs
DAVIS JR
Vol. 4 Issue 8 - August 2019
145
Like he has done at all of the previous three stops, Smage
swept both days of the Oregon round, winning Saturday’s
event by 36 points and Sunday’s round by 25.
“All my points were basically single dabs here and there,
just either not knowing what traction was there and almost
being a little bit on the safe side, or ending up spinning, get-
ting slightly off line, finding myself in a bad spot and having
to take a one just to make sure I got out of it without ending
up with a five,” said Smage. “Even with the title wrapped up
coming in here, for some reason I still felt the same pressure.
I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case, so maybe that won’t
change until I’m done riding the pro class. It’s just some-
thing I feel like I have to do to ride my best.”
FactoryONE/Scorpa’s Karl Davis Jr. and GasGas North
America teammates Alex Niederer and Daniel Blanc-Gonnet
came into the weekend tied for second place in the final
series standings. Niederer left Oregon with the runner-up
slot thanks to an impressive second place finish on Sunday,
however, things were looking grim for the Florida rider after
he finished fifth on Saturday.
“I was afraid I was out of the running after my finish on
Saturday,” said Niederer. “Luckily, I had one of my best days
of the season on Sunday and managed to pull it out. It’s
definitely a dream come true. I worked my butt off all year
and it paid off.”
Davis was second behind Smage on Saturday, but his sixth
on Sunday dropped him to third overall in the final stand-
ings.
Blanc-Gonnet was consistent in the slippery conditions,
finishing with a pair of fourths, leaving him fourth overall in
the standings.
Rookie Pro Josh Roper turned in his best performances of
the season with a pair of third place finishes, putting him in
fifth overall in the final standings and top rookie.
“These were definitely more my style of sections even
though it was a little bit slippery,” said Roper. “I was able to
find a groove and find traction.”