GNCC Racing

Trail Jesters KTM Racing - GNCC Round 8 Team Report 

Thursday, June 14, 2018 | 2:00 PM

Ben Kelley, Owen Giese and Simon Johnson were excited to be back racing in the Northeast at the Dunlop Tomahawk GNCC round 8 in Alpine, NY. Great temperatures, dusty fields and excellent woods trails greeted the Trail Jesters KTM Racing team for an eventful day.

Ben Kelley got off the XC2 line in excellent position and but in the second corner went in a little too hot and washed out the front end. Thus began a long run three hour run through the XC2 and XC1 field. After two more hard get offs in the first three laps Ben settled in to a better flow and started to work his way up. Ben’s FMF equipped KTM 250 XC-F ran flawlessly all day culminating in making three passes for class position on the last lap to take 4th place XC2 and 10th overall at the checked flag.

Ben Kelley ripping through the NY woods on his KTM 250 XC-F.
Ben Kelley ripping through the NY woods on his KTM 250 XC-F. Darrin Chapman

In the 250 A class Simon Johnson got a great start off the line and came around in second place after lap 1. Simon continued to press the leader and on lap 3 took over first in class and never relinquished the lead winning by over a minute.  This is Simon’s first podium in 250 A and finishing a strong 26th overall. Simon’s pace for the day also landed him in second for the Overall Amateur podium.

Simon Johnson on the Amateur Overall podium for the first time ever.
Simon Johnson on the Amateur Overall podium for the first time ever. Darrin Chapman

Owen Giese also had a good start and a great battle swapping between 3rd and 4th place throughout the race coming across the line to take 4th place in 250 A class and 39th overall.

Owen Giese on his FMF equipped KTM 250 XC-F from Edelmann Sales in Troy, New York.
Owen Giese on his FMF equipped KTM 250 XC-F from Edelmann Sales in Troy, New York. Darrin Chapman

Thank you to KTM, FMF Racing, Troy Lee Designs, Dunlop Tires, Motorex, FlowVision Goggles, Rekluse, Super B Batteries, Answer Racing, Bullet Proof Designs, P3 Carbon, Squid Decals, GTR Suspension and Edelmann’s Sales for their continued support.

About Trail Jesters:

Trail Jesters KTM Racing is an offroad racing team with both professional and amateur riders. We compete at the regional, national and international level in Enduro, Extreme Enduro, Hare Scrambles and other format offroad racing. The Trail Jesters Racing team was launched in January 2014 and is primarily focused on supporting New England riders as they pursue their dirt bike passion.