On The Pegs May 2019 - Volume 4 - Issue 5 | Page 49

On The Pegs
Vol. 4 Issue 5 - May 2019
49
Shootout. Then on Sunday they did three loops.
The Pro Shootout is a four-test loop and each test is ridden
twice. Former National Champion Geoff Aaron set up the
Pro Shootout course and really challenged the riders. The
course had huge rocks and huge gaps that required precise
bike and throttle control.
After the pro’s finished loop one, the points scores were
surprising. Karl Davis Jr. had the lowest score and Daniel
Blanc-Gonnet had the highest. In the Pro Shootout, Davis
kept his great run going and set a high standard for the oth-
er riders. Neiderer and Roper fought hard and ended with
the same score, while Blanc-Gonnet continued to struggle.
The finishing order for day one was Davis, Niederer, Roper,
and Blanc-Gonnet. In the pits Blanc-Gonnet said he had
an injury he had been rehabbing prior to the event. “The
injury was more of a mental hindrance than a physical one
and that he should not have let it get to him like it did,”
Blanc-Gonnet said.
Sunday morning brought more great weather and great
riding. Daniel Blanc-Gonnet put his injury behind him and
came out on fire while Karl Davis Jr. had some struggles.
Niederer and Roper continued to ride solid. Because of his
perfect riding on the first two loops, Blanc-Gonnet had
rebounded and was in the overall fight. Going into the
third loop, the winner would be the person with the least
amount of mistakes. All four riders had a solid loop and in
the end, after 50 sections, only six points separated the rid-
ers. The Marvel Live villain had snuck into the event, and us-
ing his super skills, stole the sword and the El Trial De Espa-
ña Champion title. Alex Niederer came in second and Daniel
Blanc-Gonnet made a huge comeback for third, besting
Josh Roper by one point. After watching these four battle
over two days, the national series will be fun to watch.
Some other notable rides: Brad Hannon riding a Gas Gas
won the Expert class, Todd Roper won the Advanced class,
Bill Hanson won the Clubman class, Gill Reed won the Inter-
mediate class, Lee Penington won the Sportsman class, and
Conner Head won the Novice class.