Hufford was a last-minute entry for the Sand Lapper and only decided to race once KR4 stepped in to support his 2014 efforts, but only having a week on his new KR4 machine did not slow him down one bit! Shane finished a solid 8^th Overall and nailed down a 4^th place time in Test #5. When questioned about the day, Hufford explained, “I started off slow today with a crash with another rider in Test 1. From there, I regrouped and picked up my speed as the day went on. I built some momentum by finishing 4th on Test 5. I had a good one going in Test 6, but I got lost and that added some time.” KR4 Team Manager Fred Andrews added, “Shane rode well today; I know he has the talent to run with the top guys. Hard to believe he’s only been on the bike a week! We did good today and are looking forward to Round 2 in Texas.”

Brown enjoyed his first trip to the Sand Lapper, earning a 9^th place finish out of almost 30 riders in the stacked Open A division. Jubal had a lot to tell us when asked about his race:

I feel like I was exposed to a whole new side to Enduro racing today, as the Sand Lapper is a lot different than any of the races we have out West. This was a TRUE ENDURO; it was tight, tough, and rough! I had to be about the only racer out there today with moto-style handguards, and after tip-toeing my way through South Carolina’s tight trees, I can see why Bark Busters are so popular! I have a lot of homework to do before the next round, but with the guidance of Fred [Andrews] and the rest of the KR4 Team, I plan to steadily improve throughout the season. I had a blast out there today!

Ian Blythe, the third member of KR4’s Arrive-n-Ride Enduro team, suffered an injury prior to the start of the season and was unable to attend. We wish him a speedy recovery and can’t wait to have him back mixing it up with the front runners in the Pro division.

GNCC Round 1: Mud Muckers GNCC @ Bunnel, FL. March 8-9, 2014.

After a long winter, we were all very excited to leave snow country and head to the Sunshine State for this year’s first weekend of GNCC Racing! The KR4 Arrive-n-Ride team was filled to capacity at 20 riders for the weekend, showing just how popular the ANR program is becoming! We pulled out all the stops and rolled out the red carpet to give our racers the Factory experience they deserve!

The weekend started off with Friday’s visit to Belle Terre Elementary School from KR4 riders Shane Hufford, Jubal Brown, and Brittan Laird. These riders took part in the GNCC-presented school assembly entitled “Winners Never Quit, Quitters Never Win” where they shared their past experiences and advocated perseverance, sportsmanship, and anti-bullying. This event is always a big hit with the kids, who all receive free tickets to the GNCC and rider autographs. A good time was had by all, and it was great to be able to give back to the community.

Saturday morning, race preparations were underway at full capacity. The KR4 pits were buzzing with activity, as professionally prepping 20 race bikes takes a lot of time! This was also the first time we had the ENITRE 2014 Arrive-n-Ride Team together in one place, so we spent some time shooting Team photos, walking the track, and getting to know one-another.

We were also very fortunate to welcome Arto Kallioinen and Henri Petman who made the trip all the way over from Finland to experience GNCC Racing first hand! It was really neat to hear about their experiences racing in Europe and to watch helmet cam of what the riding is like in Finland.

Saturday culminated with the 50cc Micro race, where we got to see our youngest KR4 Team Rider Tucker Whipkey take on the track. Tucker tackled some rutted, muddy conditions to earn 15^th in the 50 Sr. (7-9) division.

Sunday finally rolled around, and we were all stoked it was finally race day! The Mud Muckers facility lived up to its name and provided a very wet and slimy track for the competitors to face. Ruts, mudholes, and stuck bikes were the norm!

The action kicked off with the Youth Race at 8 am. The KR4 65s, 85s, Super Minis, and Girls all went out to face the competition and the track conditions. Everyone rode great, and notable accomplishments include top-of-the-box rides by Korie Steede in the Girls (8-15) class and Grant Davis in the 65cc (7-9) bracket, and a career-best 4^th place finish for Brian Keegan in the 85cc (7-11) class.

KR4 Youth Results:

• Korie Steede: Girls (8-15)   - 1^st
• Grant Davis: 65cc (7-9)   - 1^st
• Brian Keegan: 85cc (7-11)   - 4^th
• Peyton Whipkey: 65cc (7-11)   - 5^th
• Jamie Baskerville: 85cc (12-13)   - 5^th
• Brandon Keegan: Supermini (12-13)   - 6^th
• Logan Theakston: 85cc (7-11)   - 9^th

Next up was the 10 am Amateur Bike race. This event showcased our WXC (Women’s Premier Class), 200C Schoolboy, Sportsman A, and Masters A 50+ riders. All of our riders performed well in this class by riding smart and choosing good lines to avoid the deepest mudholes. We would like to offer a special shout out to KR4 newcomer Brittan Laird for his solid 5^th place finish in 200C (12-14) aboard his 150 KTM.

KR4 Amateur Bike Results:

• Brittan Laird: 200C (12-15)   - 5^th
• Al Chuppa: Elite Masters (50+)   - 5^th
• Karlynn Beam: WXC   - 8^th
• Daryle Gentry: Sportsman A   - 13^th
• Conner Keegan: 200C (12-15)   - DNF

The final and most anticipated of Sunday’s events was the PM Bike racing. Featuring the whole lineup of XC1 and XC2 Pros along with the more experienced A and B riders, race fans near and far were excited to see how this one played out.

Standout performances abounded in this race, including Shane Hufford’s Podium Finish in the XC2 class in his premier outing for KR4 Performance. Andy France rode a great race and was challenging for Top Amateur before a broken shifter took him out of the running. Congratulations are also in order for Finland’s Arto Kallioinen and Henri Petman, who rode strong in their first US GNCC performance.

Another really cool addition to the PM race program was the introduction of the KR4 Fastest Lap Award. Awarded to the rider who posts the fastest lap during each GNCC round’s premier race, the inaugural $150 check was earned by Charlie Mullins with a blistering 21:48:812 time on Lap 2!

KR4 PM Bike Results:

• Shane Hufford: XC2 Pro Lites   - 3^rd
• Henri Petman: Vet B (30+)   - 3^rd  
• George Molnar: Super Senior B (45+)   - 5^th
• Arto Kallioinen: 4 Stroke B Lites   - 11^th
  • Colin Keegan: 250B   - 13^th
  • Andy France: 4 Stoke A Lites   - 19^th
  • Kurt Palmer: 250A   - 30^th 

Frank Keegan, owner and founder of KR4 Performance, was elated with the Team’s first GNCC outing for 2014. “The Mud Mucker was a huge success for our KR4 Arrive-n-Ride Team. Our record line-up of 20 riders, coupled with rider personal career-best finishes and the epic new KR4 Fastest Lap Award won by Charlie Mullins, are just a few of the highlights from a fun and exciting weekend of racing.”

All of us at KR4 Performance are thrilled with how the inaugural Mud Muckers GNCC turned out! We are very proud of the performances of all of our riders and appreciate all of the hard work of our staff. We are happy to say that the new 2014 Arrive-n-Ride team is quickly becoming a family, and we are excited to meet again at GNCC Round 2 in Georgia on March 15-16 and National Enduro Round 2 on March 23^rd. Stop by and see us, and find out why Arrive-n-Ride is quickly becoming the hottest thing in offroad racing!