Creek crossings and slippery hills dominate NATC Wilseyville race

May 27, 2022 Michael Le Pard News

NATC

Rounds 3 & 4

Wilseyville, CA

May 14th – 15th, 2022
The West rounds (3&4) of the NATC opened up in Welseyville, CA. Riders got a good mix of creek crossings and slippery steep hillsides.  Our factory riders mostly had success at the event but they had to work for it and for some the style was very different than what they are used to.  The results are below from the two day event.

The following rounds (5&6) in Colorado were canceled due to a late snowstorm that made it impossible to host the event.  A makeup date and location has yet to be announced for those rounds.

Results:

Round 3

Alex Niederer

4th Place – Pro

Cole Cullins

2nd Place – Expert

Jay Gregorowicz

4th Place – Expert

Kevin Murphy

1st Place – Expert Sportsman

Mika Lonsdale

2nd Place – Jr. Expert Sportsman

Sherman Smith III

1st Place – Junior Sportsman

Round 4

Alex Niederer

6th Place – Pro

Cole Cullins

1st Place – Expert

Jay Gregorowicz

2nd Place – Expert

Kevin Murphy

1st Place – Expert Sportsman

Mika Lonsdale

1st Place – Jr. Expert Sportsman

Sherman Smith III

1st Place – Junior Sportsman

Photos: Stephanie Vetterly

Alex Niederer

Factory EVO 300 2-Stroke

“The California National was a really nice event. It was absolutely not what I was expecting and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The sections were mostly on steep hillsides and in creeks. I felt comfortable all week, and the bike was amazing. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find my groove each day on the first loop, which was really frustrating as I was able to produce second and third loops that would have been good to fight for 2nd and 3rd place. I have spoken to my minder and Ray about how to try and fix this.  I think we will try to have less of a break between warming up and going to the first section. Hopefully, this keeps my flow and feeling going. Motivation is there, now I just need to put it back on that box!”

Cole Cullins

Factory EVO 300 2-Stroke

“Saturday started extremely rough. I’m not sure what the deal with me was, but I started the day with four 5’s in the first five sections! After that I cleaned things up and started riding like myself. Fortunately, that pulled me back up to 2nd for the day. The way the day started I was happy with that. Sunday I just rode solid all day not making any major mistakes. For the most part, I was happy with my riding, especially in the slick creeks and rocks, which hasn’t been my strong suit in the past. I was pleased to come away with my third win of the season! I got to also say thanks to my teammate Jay for riding with me and helping with lines and strategy.”

Jay Gregorowicz

Factory EVO 300 2-Stroke

“The California rounds 3&4 went better than anticipated for me. After dealing with a serious concussion for 5 weeks and COVID, I didn’t get much practice on my new Factory 300 Evo. My brain seemed to have a short circuit on Saturday and couldn’t quite put together a podium finish but I was happy to be back on the bike. Forth was somewhat satisfying. Sunday was another story, right from the start I finally felt myself again. I managed to put together some phenomenal rides and my consistency was pretty on point. The sections involved a lot of deep water and slippery rocks with some loamy hill climbs thrown in. My favorite terrain to ride. I charged hard and nailed down P2, only 6 points behind teammate Cole Cullins. My Factory EVO 300 2-Stroke worked flawlessly and I can’t thank everyone at Beta and everyone who helped man the pits this weekend!”

Kevin Murphy

Factory EVO 250

“The first two events in the west coast series were beautifully laid out with a nice mix of all trials riding. Most notably was the deep water. The sections were challenging but very flowing and fun. Both days I was able to pull out a win by 5 points, but it wasn’t easy and each day brought different challenges. It wouldn’t have been possible without the best team, the best family and friends, and the best bike. I’m extremely fortunate to have this opportunity.”

Mika Lonsdale

Factory EVO 125

“Rounds 3&4 of the NATC Nationals went really well. I had a couple of missteps on Saturday and finished 2nd, but I was able to recover and put it on the top of the box on Sunday. My Beta EVO Factory 125 was a rock throughout the weekend! My Jitsie gear was phenomenal this weekend, with many of the sections being in the water. We were nearly dry by the next section! Big thanks to Jitsie, Trials Store USA, and Beta USA for awesome support and a great team.”

Sherman Smith III

Factory EVO 125

“Rounds 1 and 2 of the NATC Western Nationals went well for team Beta. Going into this event, I was super excited to get the opportunity to ride in California and to get to experience terrain far different from the terrain back home. I knew that Saturday was going to be a low-scoring trial, so I had to be on my A-game. I ended the day with 15 points which was enough to win the Junior Sportsman class. Sunday was slightly harder for me, but I felt more comfortable and was able to ride better. I ended Sunday with 10 points, which was also good enough for the win. My Factory Beta 125 performed flawlessly and gave me the power needed to ride to the best of my ability. Thank you Ray Peters for the help in the pits and for making sure we had everything we needed in between loops.”

Posted on May 27, 2022 by Michael Le Pard

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