RUST magazine: RUST#30

2017 isde
store for Team France. Christophe nambotin
began to drop down the order rapidly and
although he tried to downplay the issue at
the end of the day, it was clear he had
injured himself. Another of the ‘walking
wounded’ crew was Australia’s Daniel
Sanders; the laid-back KTM rider ended
Day 4 in severe pain following a knock to
his shoulder. He was unable to change his
tyres and needed help to push his bike into
parc ferme. It was huge news for the event;
two high-profile riders from the two top
teams in the ISDE rankings were down, but
crucially, determined not to be out.
“I’m trying not to think about it,” said
Sanders. “They told me they saw some
bone sticking out, but I told them to strap
it up; we’re not giving up now!”
Young Turks
These stories of heroics crop up frequently in
the ISDE, and it’s always inspiring to see. But
every year the event also unearths new and
exciting talent, or simply shows how strong
the current crop of youngsters are. In 2017,
Josep Garcia built on the phenomenal form
he’s had all season, and although the
Spaniard can now almost be counted as a
‘Senior’ at 20 years of age, he once again
shocked and surprised Six Days fans. On
home turf last year Garcia topped the E1
class and finished third overall, and despite
having the World Enduro 2 title to consider
this year, he ‘scratched’ two days of racing,
snatched first in E1 once again, and went
one better to finish second overall.
Other EnduroGP regulars such as Albin
Elowson and Davide Soreca also impressed
on France’s fast tests, the Junior pair mixed it