hoop

A new venue for the series, and it's a place that from what I've heard didn't have a trail cut on it so everything will be fresh for the ATVs, and I'm sure there will be some virgin bike-only stuff as well so this won't be your typical GNCC...

KR is on a completely different level from everyone else at this point, but winning four-in-a-row is pretty tough work. He showed he can ride technical stuff pretty well running up front with Mullins and Strang last year at Somerset, though... I'm going out on a limb and and picking Mullins for the win, he's too good of a rider to not have won by now.

Mullins
KR
Whibley
DuVall
Ashburn

Baylor is riding incredibly right now. I'm sure Thomas will have his KTM dialed in much better than Big Buck, and this technical stuff is what he likes, but considering Baylor's performance at Snowshoe last year and the streak he's on right now, he's an easy pick to win...

Baylor
Thomas
DeLong
Bakken
Haines

There's been a lot of talk lately about the Husky and Beta machines given the shakeups with those two GNCC teams, with a lot of the talk about those bikes not being "good." It kind of got me thinking about what that really means, and how it really even applies to the average rider like myself and I'm assuming a lot of us on here (except Alex!).

A few (okay, like 5 or 6?) I got the chance to ride the first edition of the Aprilia enduro bike at a press launch in Sicily. That thing was an absolute monster and I have a ton of respect for any of the guys like Ryan Echols that raced some GNCCs on them. The thing was heavy as heck, didn't really handle well (very general term, but you get the point) and made a ton of power. The V-Twin aspect did make it sound pretty sick!

I got the chance to do a demo on a BMW as well and to put it simply, I'm not surprised how that whole deal ended up going down.

A couple of years ago I got the chance to race one of GK's Husky TXC 250 race bikes at the Power Line Park GNCC and if you read the review I did on the site, you'll know I was pretty impressed with it. I thought the handling was fantastic (in my experience at my slower speed, suspension setup for a pro racer that weighs less than me makes for a damn-near perfect setup) and the power wasn't bad for a 250F. I toyed with the idea of actually buying a Husky from GK for my personal use but was a little worried about trying to find parts and stuff for it especially since he was leaving the country and I wouldn't have a factory rider in 5 minutes away!

I've never had a chance to ride a Beta or a GasGas, but I guess my point in all this is that how much weight do you put on the results of a pro rider on a bike into the thought of purchasing one? And/or, have you ever ridden a bike that "sucked" and walked away pleasantly surprised?

Alright, let's hear some predictions for this weekend's National Enduro. It's pretty crazy to think that Charlie Mullins, Russell Bobbitt, Mike Lafferty and Nick Fahringer have yet to get a win this year. Heck, it's even crazier after his 2011 season to think that Mullins is winless through 3 Enduros and 4 GNCCs!

I'm not sure why, but I think Charlie is gonna get the W this weekend. Bobbitt 2nd, Baylor 3rd.

Let's hear who you think will finish in the top-5 at Sumter this weekend. I'm going a little wild and crazy with my picks, including some young kids.

1. Mullins
2. Lafferty
3. Baylor
4. Bobbitt
5. Ashburn

Any ideas for a "sh*t off-roaders say" video?