Dossier de presse RED BULL LAST MAN STANDING:
Knight Rider Endures Epic Inaugural EventBulcher, TEXAS (Nov. 13, 2005) – One of the world’s best off-road motorcycle racerswithstood all challenges Saturday night in earning the inaugural Red Bull Last Man Standingtitle under the moon-lit night skies above the Red River in North Texas.
In doing so, David Knight, 27, of Isle Mann, U.K. outran 87 other invited riders, overcamestomach flu-like conditions, and tackled numerous “element” obstacles with names such asJoshua Tree, Triple Threat and Texas Stadium.“There was one field in the entire race where you could exhale for about 10-15 seconds,”said the 2005 FIM World Enduro Champion and KTM factory rider. “This is one of the toughest races I’ve ridden.The race ranks up there with the best of them.”The Brit’s stiffest competition came from seven-time AMA National Enduro champion MichaelLafferty (Estell Manor, NJ) and GNCC regular Nathan Kanney (High Falls, NY). Kanney, 22,leaped forward several places in the two-lap night stage, surpassing Lafferty when heencountered light equipment failures following a spectacular crash.“I went to get a drink, and as soon as I did that, I hit a hole, and next thing I know, I wasend-over-end trying to find the bike,” said the 30-year-old Lafferty, who fell back to fifthupon returning to the pits for repairs. He later made up the lost time on the final lap andfinished third overall behind Kanney.
HIGH RATE OF ATTRITION
The one-of-kind event with a unique racing format began with a day stage comprised of two40-mile laps across some of the most difficult and varied terrain in North America. Overhalf of the invited riders did not finish the second lap, leaving only 18 riders standing goinginto the final two-lap night stage.Running in reverse direction and aided by night lights, only 14 of the 18 finalists crossed thefinish line on the second and final lap. While Knight finished just under 10 minutes ahead ofKanney, the last man to cross the finish line an hour later was 18-year-old Cole Kirkpatrick(Lubbock, TX). The young Texan completed the final lap without rear brakes. Earlier in theday, Kirkpatrick ran out of fuel, caught a spectator shuttle back to the pits, grabbed fuel andpedaled a bicycle to his resting bike to refuel.
Red Bull Last Man Standing November 13, 2005
“It was gnarly,” said Kirkpatrick, the top finisher from Texas who regularly competes on theTexas State Championship Enduro series. “There were rocks bigger than anything I’ve everseen. You get to the hills and everyone’s watching you, so you have no choice but to goup.”Kirkpatrick may have shown the most ingenuity and true grit out of the field of pro andsemi-pro riders, but it was Knight who took home the sole Red Bull Last Man Standingtrophy and the majority of $18,000 in prize money. Other riders could only take homememories.“I had a blast,” said seventh-place finisher Jimmy Lewis, a former Baja 1000 winner andDakar Rally podium finisher. “I wish there were more races like this.”A one-hour television show of the event airs on Speed TV on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 3 pm ET.The show re-airs Dec. 13 (2 pm), Jan. 6 (2 am) and Jan. 8 (6 pm). All times Eastern.Check local listings for exact times.For more information, visit www.redbulllastmanstanding.com
EVENT FINISHERS:
1. David Knight, KTM, Isle of Mann (U.K.)2. Nathan Kanney, YAM, High Falls, NY – 09:51 behind winner3. Michael Lafferty, KTM, Estell Manor, NJ – 14:38 behind winner4. Justin Williamson, YAM, Sanford, FL5. Billy Russell, KTM, Watsonville, CA6. Patrick Garrahan, KTM, Boulder Creek, CA7. Jimmy Lewis, KTM, Costa Mesa, CA8. David Kamo, KTM, New Plymouth, ID9. Ryan Dudek, Honda, Long Beach, CA10. Jeff Melik, YAM, Girard, OH11. Eric Rhoten, HON, Montrose, CO12. Steve Leivan, YAM, Golden City, MO13. Guy Perrett, HUSQ, Kamloops, BC (CAN)14. Cole Kirkpatrick, KTM, Lubbock, TX – 1hr. 10:46 behind winner