Notable Characters of ISDE 2021
JAY HALL , DAVE CHAMBERLAIN , AND MANDI MASTIN
Dave and Jay are two senior paddock workers . Between them they have over 35 years of experience as ISDE volunteers . Jay is a GasGas dealer in Illinois , and first went over in 2000 as part of GasGas USA ’ s ISDE effort . Dave is the partner of former women ’ s pro racer Mandi Mastin . He attended 13 ISDE ’ s as her support person , and still attends each year . Mandi still serves a critical role behind the scenes , storing the container at her property and handling most of the shipping logistics .
ANTTI KALLONEN
A former GP motocross racer in Europe , Antti first came to the US from Finland as Juha Salmien ’ s mechanic in 2005 , eventually becoming the off-road team manager at KTM . He also acts as Team USA ’ s Trophy Teams manager . He and Robert ( see above ) were key players in putting together the AMA- KTM partnership . may seem trivial , but all of this is key to helping the ISDE effort grow and sustaining interest in it back home . While the immediate effects of their effort are not felt as strongly by the riders as those of a mechanic calmly explaining how to fix a " whatever " or a check worker bringing over a banana that tastes like the nectar of the gods , their efforts are key to keeping the program healthy in the long run . This also provides a nice segue into mentioning some of the people and companies that make Team USA ’ s ISDE effort successful .
In the past , riders mostly worked out of their crates and toolpacks – now the program has the resources to provide amenities that the early riders would never have dreamed of . KTM ’ s partnership with the AMA in providing tools , mechanics and financial support has been a substantial help . The KC66 Foundation has also played a major role in recent years .
The AMA and Trophy Sponsors include : Rabaconda , Spectro , Motion Pro , Arai , Tagger Designs , FMF , Bi-Con , Trail Jesters and Bonanza Plumbing .
Lastly : Workers are always in short supply . If this article intrigues you , reach out to Mjolly @ ama-cycle . org to see what it would take to become an ISDE volunteer .
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 90