The KR4 Arrive-n-Ride Team has two more solid races under its belt after the Steele Creek GNCC and the Rad Dad Enduro.

Rain Clouds rolled into Morgantown, NC on Saturday night before the Steele Creek GNCC, delivering their payload and creating the third mud race of the season. Mini bikes had deep ruts and slippery hills to contend with, but that didn’t stop our KR4 Youth Riders!

KR4 Youth Results:

• Korie Steede: Girls (8-15)   - 1^st
• Peyton Whipkey: 65cc (10-11)   - 7^th 
• Brian Keegan: 85cc (7-11)   - 7^th
• Brandon Keegan: Supermini (12-13)   - 7^th
• Logan Theakston: 85cc (7-11)   - 9^th
• Jamie Baskerville: 85cc (12-13)   - 14^th
• Tucker Whipkey: 50cc Sr. (7-9)   - 19^th
• Grant Davis: 65cc (7-9)   - DNF 

The Morgantown facility is hilly with multiple creek crossings. Lots of ruts, both up and down the hills, made for a challenging course for our KR4 Amateur Riders. Our resident “old guys” put in more great finishes, with Al Chuppa and Butch Molnar taking 1^st and 2^nd in their respective classes. A shout out is also in order for Conner Keegan who nabbed a career-best 3^rd place finish in the 200cc School Boy division. Way to go!

KR4 Amateur Bike Results:

• Albert Chuppa: Elite Masters (60+)   - 1^st
• George Molnar: Super Senior B (45+)   - 2^nd  
• Conner Keegan: 200C (12-15)   - 3^rd 
• Brittan Laird: 200C (12-15)   - 7^th
• Karlynn Beam: WXC   - 10^th

Later in the day, the sun came out with high winds to help dry the track out for the PM race. We were pleased to welcome newcomer Hunter Neuwirth to the KR4 Team. For his birthday, Hunter’s dad got him a two-race package with KR4, and Hunter delivered with a 17^th in 250A in his first outing. Other notable accomplishments include Andy France’s blistering holeshot of the 4 Stroke A Lites line, and Colin Keegan’s awesome 4^th place finish in 250B.

KR4 PM Bike Results:

• Colin Keegan: 250B   - 4^th
• Shane Hufford: XC2 Pro Lites   - 6^th
• Andy France: 4 Stroke A Lites   - 16^th
• Hunter Neuwirth: 250A   - 17^th
• Kurtis Palmer: 250B   - 29^th

Back to back racing weekends are tough, especially when facing 6 continuous racing weekends in a row! The KR4 Crew had their work cut out for them to get all of the bikes and equipment ready, but once again they pulled it off and showed up at the Rad Dad Enduro prepped and ready to race. 

Situated in southern Tennessee in the little town of Westpoint, the Rad Dad served as Round 3 of the National Enduro Series. After the unique terrain and atmosphere of the Concho, the Rad Dad served as a more tradition East Coast venue with tight trees, intermixed clay and loam, and a blanket of dead leaves concealing hidden tree roots. The tests where tighter than in Texas, and the promoting club did a great job with the event.  Just the right amount of rain on Friday provided the perfect racing conditions for Sunday – 68 degrees and dust free! 

Shane Hufford knew he was going to be in for a rough day. After catching a bug just before the Steele Creek GNCC, Shane’s illness had grown to full strength in time for the Rad Dad.  Hufford started out the day with a 7^th in Test One. Unfortunately, he could never really get into the grove due to being ill all week. Shane tried to re-hydrate his body from being sick but just got weaker as the day went on. On Test 4, Shane crashed and hit his head on a tree. Rattled from the crash, it took the next few tests to get back in the game. He ended his day with a 9^th in the last test and  9^th Overall for the day. 

Clearly disappointed, Shane said “I was not feeling strong today. My KR4 Arrive-n-Ride 300 was great today, but I just didn’t have it in me. I look forward to getting over this crud and coming out in full-form at the next round.” Fred Andrews continued, “Shane gave KR4 all he had today, and that’s all we can ask of him. We did not get the results we were looking for today but we gave it 100%...”

Jubal Brown has been getting better with every round, and in Tennessee he posted his best class-finish to date with a 5^th in Open A. 

I feel like I am starting to get more dialed in with the new season and new terrain. Texas went well for me because it was more of a West Coast-style event, but I feel like today I learned more about how this East Coast stuff works. I had full-wrap handguards for the first time and was feeling more and more comfortable in the slick roots and dead leaves as the day went on, so I am excited to go to Missouri and apply what I have learned so far to keep steadily improving. - Jubal Brown

KR4 was fortunate to have a third rider under the tent this weekend with Reid Brown joining the squad. Making the trip all the way from Forrest Grove, Oregon, Reid lined up for his first National Enduro at the Rad Dad. Brown is no stranger to competition though, as he is one of the top AA riders in the Pacific Northwest and made a successful trip to the ISDE in Germany in 2012. Contesting the Expert/AA class, Reid was off to a great start in Test One, finishing an impressive 32^nd Overall. Things were going equally well in the second test when a mistake sent him chest-first into a tree, breaking his chest protector in half, fracturing some ribs, and tearing his right shoulder up. Astonishingly, Reid was able to pick himself and soldier through the rest of the day to finish the race 18^th in the Expert/AA division. After that, we took him to a quick trip to the ER to ensure he was ok before sending him on his way home.

Racing the National Enduro in Tennessee was a totally new experience for me, and I had a great time with the KR4 Arrive-n-Ride crew. Other than a nasty crash in the second test that really limited my ability to charge the rest of the day, I had a lot of fun and look forward to trying another National Enduro in the near future, I’ve got to say a huge thank you to KR4 for the opportunity to ride with the team for the weekend, and thanks as well to Single Track Specialty Trail Equipment and MotoSport Hillsboro for their efforts in getting me to the race. - Reid Brown

The KR4 Arrive-n-Ride Crew is back on the road AGAIN! Come see us for GNCC Round 4 in Union, SC this coming weekend. After 3 for 3 GNCC mudders so far this season, we are praying for DUST! Our next NEPG enduro event will be next month for the Lead Belt Enduro in Missouri. Stop by and say hello, or better yet, come ride with us!