All posts by Sean Finley

Announcements

Women’s Class Added for 2015 KENDA Tennessee Knockout

A separate Women’s Class has been added for the 2015 KENDA AMA Tennessee Knockout. The fifth running of the TKO will take place on the weekend of August 15-16 at the Trials Training Center in Sequatchie, Tennessee. And for the first time, the women will have their own class with a stand-alone main event scheduled to take place on Saturday afternoon at the conclusion of the Amateur competition. And to make it more interesting, event sponsors have put up a purse for the ladies with the top three taking home $300, $200 and $100 respectively.

2014 TKO - Rachel Gutish and Chantelle Bykerk at finish

The women will have their own designated rows during the Saturday Amateur competition and need to complete the 12-14 mile first loop in order to earn a spot in the main event. The qualified female riders will then compete in a ten lap final on a modified version of the Pro “Short Course”, which is approximately one mile long.

While the Amateur class entries are full, there are still openings for the women to enter. Please contact Catherine Bedley via the TKO Contact page or  at 423-942-8688.

Moose Racing will be hosting a dinner for the Amateur day participants on Saturday afternoon at the conclusion of the awards ceremony.

Announcements, Sponsors

Train for the Kenda TKO, Win a Kenda Equilibrium Tire

Kenda Tire has teamed up with Seat Time to create a cool contest for 2015 Tennessee Knockout participants (amateur riders) to win a set of Kenda tires. To enter, post a picture or video of your TKO training to Instagram and use the hashtag #​KendaTKOTraining.

Check out this PDF flyer for more information:

Kenda TKO Training Competition Seat Time Contest

Announcements, Pro riders

Jonny Walker, World’s top Extreme Enduro racer, Confirmed for 2015 KENDA TKO

Red Bull KTM’s Jonny Walker is arguably the world’s top Extreme Enduro racer and he has accepted an invitation to compete at the 2015 KENDA AMA Tennessee Knockout. The TKO will be the first-ever major US race for the twenty four year-old British rider that has won the Romaniacs, Erzberg and Hell’s Gate Extreme enduros in 2015. The 2015 KENDA Tennessee Knockout will take place on the weekend of August 15-16 at the Trials Training Center in Sequatchie, Tennessee.

jonny.walker_romaniacs 2015_7M_7335

Walker had this to say about racing at the KENDA Tennessee Knockout:

I’m really looking forward to this opportunity to race in the States. With so much of my racing taking place in Europe, getting the chance to race against new riders on a track I’ve not been to before is really exciting. Things have been going really, really well so far this year so it would be great to keep my winning streak going. I know that guys like Cody Webb will be tough to beat, but I can’t wait to race against him and guys like Taylor Robert outdoors. It’s also going to be great to race in front of some of my US fans and sponsors. It’s going to be a blast.

Walker will face off against Cody Webb, the two time defending KENDA Tennessee Knockout winner. The two riders have raced each other several times in the past as both competed in the 2015 FIM SuperEnduro Championship, where Webb finished second and Walker third in the championship.

jonny.walker_erzberg-2015_MG_6493

Webb has also traveled to Europe on a few occasions to compete at Erzberg and the Tough One events, where Walker came out ahead but that was a few years ago and on more familiar terrain for Walker. So the two should be well-matched when Webb is on home turf.

Announcements, Pro riders

Taylor Robert Confirmed for 2015 KENDA Tennessee Knockout

FMF/KTM’s Taylor Robert has finished second at the last two KENDA Tennessee Knockout events and will be back in 2015 looking to move up to the top of the podium. The fifth annual TKO will take place on the weekend of August 15-16 and the Arizona native has proven to be quick to adapt to the wet, technical East Coast terrain at the amazing Trials Training Center.

Taylor Robert 2015 X Games post race

“The TKO is one of the toughest yet most fun races in the United States” said Robert. “There are definitely parts where everyone struggles and gets frustrated but the feeling you get when you cross the finish is amazing”.

Robert missed several months of racing to start the 2015 season due to a wrist injury but earned a silver medal at the X Games Enduro X in June to show that he is back up to speed. He passed Cody Webb late in the main event to take the spot and that is likely the man he will have to battle again to take his first KENDA Tennessee Knockout win.

Look for more top riders to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Announcements, Pro riders

Cody Webb and Ty Tremaine Confirmed for 2015 KENDA Tennessee Knockout

The RPM KTM duo of Cody Webb and Ty Tremaine have confirmed that they will be back at the 2015 KENDA AMA Tennessee Knockout looking take the top podium spots. Webb, the two-time defending TKO race winner and 2014 GEICO AMA EnduroCross champion, will certainly be the favorite but nothing will be easy on the Trials Training Center terrain.

Cody Webb, photo by Drew Ruiz

 

“I’m super excited about returning to the TKO this year. It’s a great event and has been gaining popularity and exposure” Webb said. “The terrain is perfect for an extreme event. Add in the high temperatures, high levels of humidity and the likely possibility of a thunderstorm rolling in, this race has all aspects of an extreme enduro,” Webb continued.

Ty Tremaine, Webb’s FMF/RPM/KTM Team Maxxis teammate, may be the biggest challenger. The nineteen year old Nevada resident won the 2015 FIM SuperEnduro Junior championship to back up his 2014 GEICO AMA EnduroCross Junior title so he is certainly the top young rider coming up. Tremaine was in line for a top finish at the 2014 TKO until a last lap mechanical issue dropped him to eleventh.

Ty Tremaine, photo by Drew Ruiz

“The TKO’s a really fun event especially coming from the west coast because the terrain is so much different and the weather can change in the blink of an eye” Tremaine said. “It is one of my favorite races of the year and not only does it take skill but it is one of the most physically demanding races as well. I’ve been training really hard and riding a lot to prepare myself and I’m hoping for a solid result” Tremaine concluded.

Look for more top riders to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Unqualified Expert/Pro and amateur riders race on Saturday with the top finishers earning the opportunity to move on to the Sunday Expert Knockout rounds. On Sunday, riders will compete in a very tough and spectator friendly four-round Knockout racing format.

Announcements, Pro riders

Pre-Qualified Riders Confirmed for 2015 KENDA Tennessee Knockout

The fifth annual KENDA AMA Tennessee Knockout, presented by Moose Racing and SRT, will take place on August 15-16, 2015. Cody Webb took his second straight win in 2014 after finishing second to Tennessee native Mike Brown the previous two years. Both riders are expected to be back at the Trials Training Center in 2015 looking to take the biggest share of the $10,000 purse.

TKO 2015

Webb, who is also the defending GEICO AMA EnduroCross Champion, will face a long list of challengers for the 2015 KENDA TKO title. FMF KTM’s Taylor Robert has finished second the past two years and is anxious to stand on the top step of the podium. And AmPro Yamaha’s Grant Baylor finished on the podium in his first attempt at the TKO in 2014 so he learned the terrain and will likely improve in 2015 as well. Current GNCC Champion Kailub Russell also made a first attempt at the TKO in 2014 and finished a disappointing 14th so you can be sure he will be looking to challenge for the podium as well.

The top five finishers at the previous TKO events have included riders from EnduroCross, Trials, National Enduro, GNCC, WORCS and even the Enduro World Championship. So it is a great mix of backgrounds facing off on an extremely challenging course with a large purse on the line.

Pre-qualified riders get a free entry into the Sunday program. These riders earn an invite based on:

  • Qualifying for the main event at previous Tennessee Knockout events
  • Finishing in the top 10 in the following championships in 2014: AMA EnduroCross Expert Championship, AMA/NATC National Trials Pro Championship, GNCC XC1 Championship, AMA National Enduro Pro Championship, WORCS Pro-1 Championship, and OMA Expert Championship
  • Finishing in the top five of the 2014 GNCC XC-2 Championship
  • Holding a top-five position in any of the above championships on August 1, 2015

(The promoter may also select top riders from around the world at their discretion as “wild card” entries with free entries to the Sunday Expert race.)

The following riders have earned invites for the 2015 KENDA Tennessee Knockout:

Cody Webb
Grant Baylor
Taylor Robert
Paul Whibley
Max Gerston
Andrew Delong
Bobby Prochnau
Kailub Russell
Ricky Russell
Wally Palmer
Charlie Mullins
Jesse Groemm
Josh Strang
Pat Smage
Taddy Blazusiak
Jordan Ashburn
Colton Haaker
Martin Matejicek
Nick Fahringer
Zach Love
Steward Baylor
Brad Bakken
Logan Bolopue
Kyle Redmond
Ty Tremaine
Daniel Blanc-Gonnet
Gary Sutherlin
Cory Graffunder
Michael Lafferty
Bryan Roper
Mike Brown
Robby Bell
Jason Thomas
Mark Fortner
Travis Bollinger
Justin Jones
Adam Bonneur
Keith Wineland
Eric Yorba
Jimmy Jarrett
Chris Bach
Troy DeSimone
Ryder Lafferty
Geoff Aaron
Layne Michael
Dustin Hedwall
Justin Seeds
Cory Buttrick
Callan May
Shad Petersen
Jonny Walker
Russell Bobbitt
Graham Jarvis
Noah Koeple
Nick Davis
Ronnie Commo
Destry Abbott
Quinn Wentzel
Loic Leonard
Ian Blyth

Unqualified Expert/Pro and amateur riders race on Saturday with the top finishers earning the opportunity to move on to the Sunday Expert Knockout rounds. On Sunday, riders will compete in a very tough and spectator-friendly four-round Knockout racing format.

Announcements

2015 KENDA Tennessee Knockout Extreme Enduro Schedule Confirmed

Kenda AMA Tennessee Knockout (TKO)The Trials Training Center in Sequatchie, Tennessee will host the fifth annual KENDA Tennessee Knockout on the weekend of August 15-16, 2015. The event has quickly become one of the premier off-road motorcycles races, attracting some of the best racers in the world.

Tennessee’s Mike Brown won the first two KENDA Tennessee Knockout events and Cody Webb took the title in 2013 and 2014. You can expect that these two riders will be joined by a large group of top off road racers looking to conquer the tough conditions at the TKO.

The 2015 event will take place just one week prior to the GEICO AMA EnduroCross event in nearby Atlanta. So it is expected that more of the top EnduroCross riders from the west will be able to make the long trip to the east coast to compete in both events. The expert riders will again be competing for a $10,000 purse.

The top off-road racers from around the world will be invited to compete and amateur riders can race on Saturday with the top finishers earning the opportunity to move on to the Sunday Expert Knockout rounds. On Sunday, the riders will compete in a very tough and spectator-friendly multi-round format.

Check out the video highlights of some of the previous TKO events below:

Beta USA’s Cody Webb overcame treacherous conditions and a stacked field of pro riders to win the 2014 KENDA Tennessee Knockout. Photo Shan Moore.
Results, Video

2013 TKO video highlights

The third annual KENDA Tennessee Knockout took place this past weekend at the Trials Training Center in Sequatchie, Tennessee and Beta’s Cody Webb dominated the event. Instead of the heat and humidity that is typical for the region at this time of year, the riders faced cooler weather and rain leading up to the event, which made the challenging terrain more difficult. Check out all of the 2013 Kenda Tennessee Knockout highlights and feedback from the riders in this video:

httpv://youtu.be/VqJZnQBdTZ8

2013 KENDA Tennessee Knockout Main Event Results:

  1. Cody Webb – Beta
  2. Taylor Robert – Kawasaki
  3. Cory Graffunder – Husqvarna
  4. Max Gerston – Beta
  5. Fabien Planet – Sherco
  6. Kyle Redmond – KTM
  7. Mike Brown – KTM
  8. Nick Fahringer – Husaberg
  9. Jordan Ashburn – Yamaha
  10. Grant Baylor – KTM
  11. Bryan Roper – KTM
  12. Quinn Wentzel – KTM
  13. Loic Leonard – KTM
  14. Wally Palmer – Christini
  15. Zach Love – KTM
Results

Webb conquers 2013 Kenda Tennessee Knockout; Robert and Graffunder round out the podium on a tough course

2013 TKO Webb - Shan Moore photo Cody and Kipp Webb, photo by Chris Kane Racing

The third time was the charm for Cody Webb to conquer the KENDA Tennessee Knockout. After finishing second to Mike Brown the previous two years, Webb dominated the multi round event to take the largest portion of the $10,000 purse. Monster Kawasaki’s Taylor Robert won a multi rider battle for second during his first visit to the TKO while Husqvarna’s Cory Graffunder finished a close third.

Mother Nature combined with the tough trails at the Trials Training Center helped the event live up to its billing as an American Extreme Enduro. Heavy rain the night before forced a few course changes but there were still several hill climbs and creek sections that proved to be challenging for even the most talented riders.

The day started with a hot lap around a mile long “short course”. Cody Webb set the standard with a time of 2:57 and was followed by Brown (3:12), Kyle Redmond (3:13), Graffunder (3:14) and Nick Fahringer (3:21).

Next up was the first Knock Out round on the 13 mile “long course”. The 39 riders were sent out in 30 second intervals and the top 25 times would earn a spot in the next round. Webb again set the pace with a time of 54:02 followed by Fahringer (58:40), Brown (58:58), Redmond (1:00:41) and Graffunder (1:03:22). The extremely technical loop proved to be difficult and only and only 22 riders finished in time to start the next Knockout round.

TKO round two placed the riders into five groups of 4-5 riders and only the top three in each group would earn a spot in the 15 rider main event. Webb won group one over Fabien Planet, the multi-time French Enduro Champion and Enduro World Championship competitor. Max Gerston, the young Arizona rider won an intense battle with Russell Bobbitt to take the final spot from group one. Fahringer won group two over Jordan Ashburn and Grant Baylor. In group three, Wally Palmer used his two-wheel drive Christini to beat Brown and Quinn Wentzel, a top Trials rider. Robert won group four over Redmond and Loic Leonard, the French Canadian that had earned a spot from the Saturday qualifiers. Graffunder won group five over Zach Love and Bryan Roper.

Fahringer took the lead on the start of the 8 lap main event and looked determined as he attacked the slippery rock sections. But the aggression proved a little too much as he lost control and hit a tree, which allowed Webb to take the lead. Once in the lead, Webb slowly pulled away from a multi rider battle for second. The lead was a minute and 25 seconds at the halfway point and grew to nearly three minutes at the finish. “I guess I like this Extreme stuff, even though you wonder why when you are out there struggling.” Webb said. “I learned a lot from getting second the past two years so it was great to get the win”.

Fahringer held second at the end of the first lap but further problems would eventually take him out of contention and he finished two laps down in eighth. Brown took over second but had Redmond on his tail and would take over the spot just before the halfway point but then broke his clutch lever with a tip over and allowed Brown back by. But then Robert, the current WORCS champion and Graffunder were in close formation and both pushed past. On lap seven of eight, Brown pulled out of the event after losing another position to Gerston. “I was just too tired and struggling all day” Brown said. “I have been in Mexico doing Baja testing and it took a lot out of me.”

Robert and Graffunder continued to battle for second all the way to the finish and would be the only two riders to remain on the lead lap with Webb. “I got better and gained confidence as the day went on” Robert said”. We have a lot of rocks in Arizona but they are like sand paper and these rocks have slime on them so I am happy I was able to do well”. Gerston was an impressive fourth place ahead of Planet who said “This was one of the toughest races I have ever done, especially the first long test”.

Redmond, Brown, Fahringer, Ashburn and Baylor rounded out the top ten.

2013 KENDA Tennessee Knockout Main Event Results:

  1. Cody Webb – Beta
  2. Taylor Robert – Kawasaki
  3. Cory Graffunder – Husqvarna
  4. Max Gerston – Beta
  5. Fabien Planet – Sherco
  6. Kyle Redmond – KTM
  7. Mike Brown –  KTM
  8. Nick Fahringer – Husaberg
  9. Jordan Ashburn – Yamaha
  10. Grant Baylor – KTM
  11. Bryan Roper – KTM
  12. Quinn Wentzel – KTM
  13. Loic Leonard – KTM
  14. Wally Palmer – Christini
  15. Zach Love – KTM
Sponsors

SRT Joins KENDA Tennessee Knockout to Showcase New Products

Showcasing products developed for Extreme off-road riding

SRT Offroad

Sequatchie, TN (June 19, 2013) – SRT is a new player to the Powersports market but has a long history as a leader in industrial manufacturing. SRT is specializing in the development of innovative, high quality, affordable race and recreational products for off-road riders. To help build awareness, SRT has joined on as a sponsor of the 2013 KENDA AMA Tennessee Knockout, one of the toughest off-road races in America. For other water sports products in scuba diving just visit mens dive watches.

“We ride a lot of off-road and technical stuff and I personally love the tough stuff” said Craig Thompson, President of SRT. “We have been developing products that are needed for the bike and rider to help deal with tough conditions such as those found at the Tennessee Knockout so we are thrilled to showcase the products at such tough event”.

The third annual KENDA AMA Tennessee Knockout, Fueled by Monster Energy and presented by Moose Racing and SRT will take place in Sequatchie, Tennessee on Saturday and Sunday, August 17-18, 2013. The American Extreme Enduro has attracted top riders from several disciplines such as former Motocross Champion turned EnduroCross specialist, Mike Brown, Trials Champion Cody Webb, GNCC Champion Paul Whibley, Enduro Champion Russell Bobbitt and top young riders such as Jordan Ashburn and Colton Haaker. The multi-round Knockout format is extremely challenging for the riders and is very spectator friendly with multiple viewing locations within a close walk from the main pit area.

Unqualified Expert/Pro and amateur riders can race on Saturday with the top finishers earning the opportunity to move on to the Sunday Expert Knockout rounds. On Sunday, the riders will compete in a very tough and spectator friendly four round Knockout format.

Pro riders

Pre-Qualified Riders Confirmed for 2013 KENDA Tennessee Knockout

Top pro riders from all major series get free entry to Tennessee Knockout

TKO-Kenda-AMA-2013_Logo-800wSequatchie, TN (May 13, 2013) – The third annual KENDA AMA Tennessee Knockout, fueled by Monster Energy and presented by Moose Racing will take place August 17-18, 2013. KTM’s Mike Brown won the event the first two years and is planning to be back to again claim the biggest piece of the $10,000 purse. Brown is fresh off a dominating performance at the opening round of the 2013 GEICO AMA EnduroCross Series so he looks ready to defend his title in his home state of Tennessee. But you can be sure that he will face stiff competition from top riders from all disciplines.

The top five finishers at the 2012 TKO included riders from EnduroCross, Trials, National Enduro and GNCC racing. So it is a great mix of backgrounds facing off on an extremely challenging course with a large purse on the line.

Riders are pre-qualified based on earning a qualifying spot in the main event at previous Tennessee Knockout events as well as finishing in the top 10 in the following during 2012:  EnduroCross Expert Championship, AMA/NATC National Trials Pro Championship, GNCC XC1 Championship, AMA National Enduro Pro Championship, WORCS Pro-1 Championship, OMA Expert Championship. In addition to the list below, riders in the top five in the above championships on August 1, 2013 will also earn a pre-qualified position. The promoter may also select top riders from around the world as wild card entries with free entries to the Sunday Expert race.

  • Mike Brown
  • Cody Webb
  • Russell Bobbitt
  • Paul Whibley
  • Nick Fahringer
  • Jordan Ashburn
  • Colton Haaker
  • Taylor Robert
  • Steward Baylor
  • Pat Smage
  • Taddy Blazusiak
  • Kailub Russell
  • Michael Lafferty
  • Bobby Garrison
  • Andrew Delong
  • Rory Mead
  • Robby Bell
  • Keith Wineland
  • Shane Klimek
  • Thad DuVall
  • Ryan Abbatoye
  • Bryan Roper
  • Aaron McKnight
  • Charlie Mullins
  • Jesse Groemm
  • Gary Sutherlin
  • Justin Soule
  • Karl Davis Jr.
  • Scott Watkins
  • Brad Bakken
  • Eric Storz
  • Zach Ingram
  • Chris Bach
  • Josh Strang
  • Logan Bolopue
  • Kyle Redmond
  • Tyson Emery
  • Nathan Kanney
  • Grant Baylor
  • Andrew Oldar
  • Cory Graffunder
  • Zach Love
  • Brett Zofchak
  • Takeshi Koikeda
  • Shane Hufford Jr.
  • Kyle Summers
  • Bailey Tucker
  • Geoff Aaron
  • Dustin Gibson
  • Alex Bedley
  • Dennis Jonon
  • Garrett Edmisten
  • Cory Buttrick
  • Timmy Weigand
  • Phil Smage
  • Kevin Rookstool
  • Bobby Prochnau
  • Kurt Caselli
  • Wally Palmer
  • Michael Williams
  • Destry Abbott
  • Jason Thomas
  • Max Gerston
  • Graham Jarvis

Unqualified Expert/Pro and amateur riders can race on Saturday with the top finishers earning the opportunity to move on to the Sunday Expert Knockout rounds. On Sunday, the riders will compete in a very tough and spectator friendly four round Knockout format.

Announcements

2013 KENDA Tennessee Knockout Extreme Enduro Schedule Confirmed

Mark your calendar for the third annual American Extreme Enduro

TKO-Kenda-AMA-2013_Logo-800wSequatchie, TN (December 10, 2012) – The KENDA Tennessee Knockout, Fueled by Monster Energy has quickly become one of the top off road motorcycle events in the country. The event will be back at the Trials Training Center on August 17-18, 2013.

Tennessee’s Mike Brown has built on his legendary reputation for toughness by winning the first two TKO events. The 2012 win was particularly difficult as rain added to the difficulty and made one waterfall section nearly impossible for even the best riders in the world. “If it gets any tougher than that, then I don’t want to do it again” Brown joked afterwards. You can expect that Brown will indeed be back to go for his third consecutive win and take the biggest chunk of the $10,000 pro purse.

The large purse and challenging conditions has attracted some of the top off road motorcycle racers in the world and you can expect that again in 2013. Cody Webb, the 2012 EnduroCross Championship runner up has finished second the KENDA Tennessee Knockout the last two years as well and wants to win bad. Four time National Enduro Champion, Russell Bobbitt finished third at his first attempt at the TKO in 2012 and likely learned a lot about how to challenge for the win.

Paul Whibley, the 2009 and 2012 GNCC Champion has competed in the TKO the past two seasons as well as Husqvarna’s Kyle Redmond and Colton Haaker. So you can expect these top riders to be among the likely competitors in 2013.

The top off-road racers from around the world will be invited to compete and amateur riders can race on Saturday with the top finishers earning the opportunity to move on to the Sunday Expert Knockout rounds. On Sunday, the riders will compete in a very tough and spectator friendly four round format.

Check out this video for highlights of the 2012 event:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moyylu0KN68&feature=plcp