The Hoosier Off-Road Border Battler XC series, presented by Klim, made its first-ever appearance at the Byron Motorsports Park and it was Northern Illinois local Tanner Whipple who claimed the $1,000 top prize in the 21 rider Checkpoint Off-Road Pro/AA class. For his efforts, Whipple also earned a place on the coveted Greg Moss Memorial traveling trophy which is awarded annually at the Byron hare scramble.
With three rounds now in the books, the 2019 edition of the BBXC is shaping up to be a true battle of the Best of the Midwest, with three different winners hailing from three different states, all of which have staked their position on the top step riding on Hoosier tires.
Veteran Wisconsin off-road star JD Friebel pulled the holeshot on the front row contenders and led a good portion of the way around the pristine moto track before getting passed by series contender Nick Swenson and Whipple. Swenson would lead the entire first lap but crashed as the front-runners began their second circuit. Swenson’s mistake allowed Whipple to take over the lead on the extremely dusty five mile woods loop, where he used the clear course to stretch out a lead over the pack.
2018 Border Battle Champ Nathan Ferderer was hampered by a slow start off the line, entering the first and second turns in the last position. Ferderer is a master of putting down the hammer in the closing stages of a race but the poor visibility and heavy traffic on the shorter loop made for a serious challenge. That, and the fact that Whipple has been on a roll as of late and made few, if any, mistakes while riding at a determined pace.
Tanner Whipple –
“I got off to a good start and on the second lap there was only one dude ahead of me. That was Nick Swenson and he crashed on the moto track going out onto the second lap and from there on I just took the lead and never looked back. I ride a gear higher than most people do so the dry, slick conditions really played into my favor.”
Remarkably, Ferderer would run his Checkpoint Off-Road Suzuki up to the second spot, just under one minute behind Whipple at the finish. Along the way he made passes on a serious top five group that included Friebel, Matt McDonald and and Colt Converse. Converse, edged Friebel by seven seconds for third, with McDonald just over 40 seconds back in fifth.
One of the biggest stories on the day was the DNF of AA points leader Logan Kittock. Kittock also struggled with his start as his bike stalled shortly after he left the line. By lap three he was back in a top 10 spot before going down hard and ending his day. “I forced my way by a couple of guys in the endurocross section and I knew I was passing a lot of riders but I was riding over my head and basically hockey checked a tree in one of the fast blue groove sections. It was the same kind of injury I had at ERX last year and I couldn’t put any weight on it when I tried to get up. Coming from that far back the dust made for pretty dangerous conditions, but my leg is feeling a little better today and I’m gonna try and ride this weekend and be ready for Hixton in a couple weeks.”
When breaking down the level of competition in the series this season, you need look only as far as 1-2 finishers Whipple and Ferderer. Whipple is a first alternate for a final club team ride at this year’s ISDE, while Ferderer was an early qualifier for his third trip to the off-road Olympics. Gaining an ISDE bid is the primary focus of young Whipple, who actually is on the bubble this year do to a technicality. He actually tied for the last qualifier spot but was designated an alternate by the AMA when they thought he was injured and could not attend. In fact, Whipple is currently on a hot streak having won the BBXC race and an OMA race over the last two weeks.
AA RESULTS
- TANNER WHIPPLE COLONA, IL KTM
- NATHAN FERDERER COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, MN SUZ
- COLT CONVERSE NEW WINDSOR, IL YAM
- JD FRIEBEL PULASKI, WI HUS
- MATT MCDONALD COLONA, IL KTM45
- NICHOLAS SWENSON DELANO, MN HON
- ALEX TWEETON APPLE VALLEY, MN YAM
- JARRED HALL WILLIAMSVILLE, IL GASGAS
- TJ NEES ALEDO, IL KTM
- DYLAN NAREL WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI HON
FULL RESULTS
2019-Byron-BB-Results-Sheet1
