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International Six Days Enduro
We have two Utah riders going to the ISDE this year in Finland in August. Jake Vainio from Park City and Greg Gillian from Bountiful. Both are ISDE veterans and made it a goal to make it to the ISDE again this year. Finland is Jake's homeland so this should be a lot of fun for him.
For off-road motorcycling racing enthusiasts, the premier racing event in the entire world is the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE). The ISDE is the longest running motorcycle race in the world, starting in 1913 in Carlisle, England. It consists of 6 straight days of riding world-class enduro courses interspersed with special timed tests averaging close to 150 miles per day. A different International location is selected every year. Qualifying for this event is on par with qualifying for the Olympics. The only difference is that it is the Olympics of off-road motorcycling and racers are typically competing against riders from over 32 other countries. To be selected for the team, a rider must compete in one of the AMA sponsored ISDE qualifiers within the United States. There are typically only 2-3 qualifier events per year, and the competition is very stiff, with riders coming from all over the country to give their shot at riding well enough to be selected for the U.S. Team.
The Sage Riders have proudly sent 4 riders to the ISDE since 2006. Greg Gillian competed in the New Zealand ISDE in 2006, Bert Bradford in Chile in 2007, and Shawn Strong and Cory Pincock in Mexico in 2010. To our knowledge, the Sage Riders are the only Utah-based club to have sent any riders to the ISDE, and in an effort to continue to support that tradition, we have established an ISDE Scholarship Fund. The purpose of this fund is to help other aspiring Utah racers achieve the goal of participation in the ISDE. This can be accomplished by the club donating 10% of any race profits to the fund, in addition to other private donations from club members and the general public. We have incredible riders and racers within the Sage Riders and would love to see more and more target the ISDE as the ultimate achievement in off-road motorcycle racing.
In addition to requiring world-class speed and skill to qualify, a racer must also have the financial backing and support to make the ISDE dream a reality. It takes thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of dollars to properly prepare and participate in the ISDE. Because it is always held at some International location, there are significant travel costs, bike rental or bike shipping fees, spare parts and gear, import fees, AMA fees, race entry fees, etc. It all adds up in a hurry and the sheer economics of it can sometimes be the main reason a racer can’t fulfill his or her dream. Our own Shawn Strong had qualified in previous years so he had the speed, but due to the financial commitment required, could not make it happen until 2010 when he gathered up the funds and support necessary to participate in the ISDE, along with fellow Sage Rider Cory Pincock, and fellow Utah rider Jake “Jarkko” Vainio.
Please help do your part by active participation in our club sponsored races and any other donations to the fund. Let’s support even more Sage Riders in their quest for the ISDE!
The Sage Riders have proudly sent 4 riders to the ISDE since 2006. Greg Gillian competed in the New Zealand ISDE in 2006, Bert Bradford in Chile in 2007, and Shawn Strong and Cory Pincock in Mexico in 2010. To our knowledge, the Sage Riders are the only Utah-based club to have sent any riders to the ISDE, and in an effort to continue to support that tradition, we have established an ISDE Scholarship Fund. The purpose of this fund is to help other aspiring Utah racers achieve the goal of participation in the ISDE. This can be accomplished by the club donating 10% of any race profits to the fund, in addition to other private donations from club members and the general public. We have incredible riders and racers within the Sage Riders and would love to see more and more target the ISDE as the ultimate achievement in off-road motorcycle racing.
In addition to requiring world-class speed and skill to qualify, a racer must also have the financial backing and support to make the ISDE dream a reality. It takes thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of dollars to properly prepare and participate in the ISDE. Because it is always held at some International location, there are significant travel costs, bike rental or bike shipping fees, spare parts and gear, import fees, AMA fees, race entry fees, etc. It all adds up in a hurry and the sheer economics of it can sometimes be the main reason a racer can’t fulfill his or her dream. Our own Shawn Strong had qualified in previous years so he had the speed, but due to the financial commitment required, could not make it happen until 2010 when he gathered up the funds and support necessary to participate in the ISDE, along with fellow Sage Rider Cory Pincock, and fellow Utah rider Jake “Jarkko” Vainio.
Please help do your part by active participation in our club sponsored races and any other donations to the fund. Let’s support even more Sage Riders in their quest for the ISDE!
