The Factory FMF/KTM rider has a stellar day in Oklahoma City to land his eighth AMA National Enduro victory of the year at the Cross Timbers OHV Park
Factory FMF/KTM rider Charlie Mullins had his share of struggles late in the day at the Cross Timber AMA National Enduro near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, today, but when it was all over, Mullins had earned his eighth win of the 2013 AMA Rekluse AMA National Enduro season, topping factory Husaberg riders Russell Bobbitt and Nick Fahringer on the podium after winning four of a possible six special tests during the event.
Mullins started the day strong with a win in the first special test, and he dominated the next three tests by a large margin. Buy the time he reached the fifth special test of the day he had amassed almost a two-minute lead over the rest of the field. It was a good cushion to have as he lost some of it when he swapped out and nearly went down on a steep, rocky downhill during the fifth special test.
“I didn’t crash but it definitely scared me a little so I took it easy at the end of that test,” Mullins said.
Then, on the sixth final test which was the longest and most technical test of the day, Mullins lost his rear brakes part way through. It would cost him about a minute of total time, but he would still win the enduro by a large margin to claim his eighth win of the season.
Bobbitt and Fahringer turned in solid special test times all day as they ultimately battled each other for the runner-up spot.
“I only had issues in one test,” Bobbitt said. “It was the third test and I went down quick in the beginning but then crashed harder a little bit further in. Luckily, it was a short test but I still lost a good amount of time in there.”
Bobbitt was able to repair his bike after that test and then turned it up a notch as he headed toward the fourth special test section, where he claimed the third fastest time and then tied Fahringer for the second fastest time in the fifth test. A win in the final special test netted Bobbitt second place overall.
“This race was a lot of fun,” Bobbitt said. “The terrain was kind of like a mix of Georgia clay and Carolina sand. It had fun grass track sections, technical ravines and the final test was really tight. I had a great time. We made some changes to the bike halfway through and I was able to gain more power which helped me in the final sections.”
Fahringer rode stronger as the race went on and was able to secure the final podium position after turning a decent time in the final section. But Fahringer also collected enough points to finish second overall in the series while Bobbitt finished third. Fellow Husaberg Factory rider Mike Lafferty finished the day with a sixth-place finish in the event and fourth place in the overall series standings in his final ride aboard a factory Husaberg. Lafferty will rejoin the FMF/KTM factory squad in 2014, his final racing season.
“I am very happy with both riders’ performances this year,” Husaberg Factory Team Manager Antti Kallonen said. “Our goal was to have our Husaberg riders finish inside the top three and they were successful. They each battled each other for podium positions throughout the season and we couldn’t be happier with their performance.”
Mullins, who had already secured the championship a round earlier, will now focus on finishing the year with a win at the final round of the AMSOIL GNCC Series where he is locked in titanic battle with teammate Kailub Russell for the overall championship.
“I had a great season in the National Enduro Series, and I can’t thank my team enough for all their support,” Mullins said. “Now I hope to earn another championship for them next weekend at the Ironman GNCC.”
Cross Timber AMA National Enduro
Oklahoma City, OK
Results: October 20, 2013
Overall
1. Charlie Mullins-KTM
2. Russell Bobbitt-Hbg
3. Nick Fahringer-Hbg
4. Tony Joiner-Yam
5. Ian Blythe-KTM
6. Jesse Groemm-Yam
7. Mike Lafferty-Hbg
8. Kyle McDonal-Hbg
9. Andrew DeLong-Hus
10. Brad Bakken-Yam
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