Author: Tyler Shepardson

Day Two of this year’s FIM ISDE is wrapped up and Team USA holds their 3^rd place World Trophy and 1^st place Women’s Trophy positions while we see the Junior Trophy Team take a step up into the 2^nd place position.

Notable American standouts on Day Two include Taylor Robert and Brandy Richards.  Robert, Dante Oliveira, and Johnny Girroir were the only American riders to improve their overall positions between the two days of racing.  Unfortunately, the remaining US Trophy team riders posted slightly higher overall finishes on Day Two than their Day One efforts; aside from Richards who remains at the top of the Women’s leaderboard.

Brandy Richards has had to wait the better part of two years to get back her barely missed opportunity at the title of “fastest woman on earth,” as far as the ISDE is concerned.  In her last running of the event, Richards clicked off multiple day overall wins but ultimately finished runner up to 2019 German Champion Maria Franke.  While Franke is not competing this year in Italy, Richards is leaving no doubt that her shortcoming then is fueling her fire now as she remains undefeated so far sweeping all twelve tests of racing.

2016 ISDE Overall Winer Taylor Robert posted on his Instagram account that the first test of the event yesterday saw him suffering crash that led to his worse overall test finish (20^th) of the event so far.  He spent yesterday battling back to reclaim lost time and continued that trend into today.  Robert would finish all six tests inside of the top 10 with half of those being in the top 5 overall.  For this effort, Robert would finish the day 4^th place overall which is an improvement over his Day One finish of 7^th.

Unfortunately, the largest change in finishes between the two days was 2015 Overall ISDE Winner Ryan Sipes.  “Not as good for me today.  Just never found the groove.  I tried to be a berminator out there in the huge silt berms but I actually went slower.  It’s just not my thing.  I’m not good at it.  I’m better sneaking around the inside with some old school throttle control,” admitted Sipes in an Instagram post from today.  While today was not at all how The General planned for his day to go,  I have no doubt that tomorrow he will come out swinging and let ‘er eat on that 300 two-stroke in true Ryan Sipes fashion.

Below are the Trophy Team members results for Day Two.

Test One

Robert: 5^th – 8’29.89

Oliveira: 9^th – 8’32.38

Michael: 10^th – 8’32.72

Girroir: 14^th – 8’36.86

Walton: 16^th – 8’38.63

Sipes: 19^th – 8’40.09

Barnes: 35^th – 8’49.49

Richards: 1^st(EW) – 9’11.03

Gutish: 6^th(EW) – 10’02.39

Gallegos: 18^th(EW) – 10’50.56

Test Two

Robert: 3^rd – 7’56.69

Oliveira: 10^th – 8’06.64

Girroir: 16^th – 8’10.91

Sipes: 21^st – 8’12.35

Michael: 22^nd – 8’13.18

Barnes: 25^th – 8’15.91

Walton: 48^th – 8’27.65

Richards: 1^st(EW) – 8’51.92

Gutish: 4^th(EW) – 9’24.08

Gallegos: 20^th(EW) – 10’52.78

Test Three

Robert: 6^th – 9’43.33

Oliveira: 15^th – 9’53.27

Girroir: 18^th – 9’55.42

Michael: 20^th – 9’56.26

Sipes: 23^rd – 9’58.08

Barnes: 25^th – 10’00.86

Walton: 26^th – 10’02.69

Richards: 1^st(EW) – 11’04.18

Gutish: 6^th(EW) – 11’57.11

Gallegos: 18^th(EW) – 12’43.59

Test Four

Robert: 7^th – 5’08.40

Michael: 9^th – 5’08.64

Sipes: 11^th – 5’09.15

Oliveira: 13^th – 5’09.55

Barnes: 22^nd – 5’14.17

Walton: 27^th – 5’14.85

Girroir: 37^th – 5’17.16

Richards: 1^st(EW) – 5’34.37

Gutish: 8^th(EW) – 5’53.46              

Gallegos: 15^th(EW) – 5’59.77

Test Five

Robert: 7^th – 8’08.49

Girroir: 10^th – 8’10.15

Barnes: 13^th – 8’11.28

Michael: 16^th – 8’14.15

Walton: 19^th – 8’15.03

Sipes: 22^nd – 8’18.56

Oliveira: 23^rd – 8’19.79

Richards: 1^st(EW) – 9’03.80

Gutish: 5^th(EW) – 9’37.02              

Gallegos: 19^th(EW) – 10’47.63

Test 6

Robert: 4^th – 7’58.03

Oliveira: 6^th – 7’58.63

Michael: 15^th – 8’09.45

Girroir: 16^th – 8’09.95

Barnes: 21^st – 8’12.34      

Sipes: 23^rd – 8’13.10

Walton: 34^th – 8’20.21    

Richards: 1^st(EW) – 8’49.21          

Gutish: 7^th(EW) – 9’38.46

Gallegos: 17^th(EW) – 10’29.05

Team Italy remains on top in the WT standings with a cumulative time of 4:49’40.52.  Team Spain sits in 2^nd 1’22.18 behind the leaders and Team USA 1’14.33 behind that.

Team Italy also holds the JT lead with a time of 4:54’12.45, with Team USA 1’49.01 back in 2^nd holding a 56.39 second gap over Team France.

Team USA lengthens its WWT lead to 5’47.20 over Team Great Brittain and 6’15.75 ahead of Team Spain.

We will continue to watch along and bring you updates each day to help you stay in the loop and cheer on Team USA!  If you want to stay even closer to the action, give International Photographer Nir Amos a follow on IG @nir_amos32 some awesome shots of the world’s top talent throughout the week.

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