ROUND 5, Donner Ski Ranch, CA. 8/15/04. This was a super tough event for the Champ Riders, with spectacular sections that daunted some of the riders into submission. Naturally, this kind of event played right into the hands of Geoff Aaron, who is the only rider really comfortable on World Class sections. Geoff's score of just 28 points over 3 loops totally eclipsed the competition. His nearest rival, Ryon Bell, finished on 67! Its been said many times before, but as all of these riders mature and improve, they're meant to be giving Geoff a harder time. In reality, Geoff appears to be unbeatable this season. As Geoff matures, he's becoming an even greater Champion. Never before has a rider supposedly headed into his twilight years continued to improve at a greater rate than the up-and-comers.
UTE Cup, Hayden Creek, Colorado. 8/21-22/04. A smaller than usual entry of 75 riders were treated to the UTE's trademark mountainous scenery and spectacular views. Of the top National players, Geoff Aaron and David Chaves were on hand, with Geoff hoping to take his second successive UTE Trophy. The great thing about the UTE Cup is that it allows the second fiddle players a shot at beating the big guns. The challengers this year could come from many corners, with former multi-time winner Mark Manniko pulling his bike out of the garage for a rare airing, and with National riders Keith Wineland, Jake Wieland, Scott & Jason Carpenter and Zach Clement (all on Gas Gas Pro's) in the mix. At the end of Saturday, Geoff, David Chaves & Jake Wieland were all tied on 3 points. Two of Geoffs points came in the final section of the day when his tire went flat. Keith Wineland was a couple of dabs back, while Mark Manniko was clearly rusty, posting a 13 point score for the day. On Sunday, all the possible victors cleaned the first ten sections, with the exception of Jake Wieland who got in trouble on section 10, taking a 3. By the end of the day, Geoff, Chaves, Keith Wineland and Mark Manniko had carded a single point. This gave Chaves and Aaron totals of 4 for the weekend. As luck would have it, Geoff cleaned one more section, so took his second straight victory on a tie-breaker.
ROUNDS 6 & 7, Enon, OH. 8/28-29/04. We haven't received a detailed report of the Ohio Nationals, but the results show... Geoff Aaron as the double winner! This surely came as no surprise to anybody given the way this season has been going. It looks as though Geoff didn't have it all his own way, with his Saturday win over Ryon Bell being by a 6 point margin (25 to 31), and on Sunday by just 3 points over Chris Florin (23 to 26). In fact, Sundays scores were bunched quite tightly, with 4 riders finishing in the 20's (Bell on 28, Bruce LeRiche on 29).
As usual, the Gas Gas Pro dominated all of these events. If you don't have yours yet, call Dale for details on his end-of-year special!!!
