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Husqvarna’s Cory Graffunder Wins Xtinction Extreme Enduro
August 27, 2010– Saint John, NB - Zip Ty Racing Husqvarna USA factory rider Cory Graffunder proved once again why he is widely viewed as the best off-road racer ever produced in Canada by nailing the win at the now infamous Xtinction Extreme Enduro. With consistent reports that Xtinction proved to be undeniably the toughest off-road race ever witnessed on Canadian soil, Graffunder dazzled the spectators at this inaugural event while hammering his Husqvarna TC 250 to the checkers after an intense battle with Kyle Redmond from the United States.
Scoring the fastest time in the morning qualifying sessions that saw only the top 30 advance to the final, Graffunder was able to overcome the challenges presented by the treacherous Xtinction race course and claim victory while many of his competitors struggled to simply complete the race.
“It was great to be able to come back home to Canada and participate in such a cool race. The course was definitely a big challenge and I think that the fans and media got to see some crazy action. I’ve travelled to a lot of different places in the last few years to try and race the toughest courses and the best competitors; it is really exciting to be able to see an event like this in Canada. Lee Fryberger and the gang that put this race on did an awesome job and I really hope that it just gets better.”
“Qualifying went well but the rain definitely made things interesting. I guess they had to remove some of the more evil sections that they had planned for the main race because they would be impossible. Kyle (Redmond) and I had a great battle going. We were really going at it and I had a blast bumping and grinding with him. I was really pleased to get the win and I’m hoping that I can be back next year. I want to say a big thank you to my sponsors who made it possible for me to come to this race including Husqvarna, Zip Ty Racing, Rekluse and AXO”.
Accompanying Cory on his trip from California to race Xtinction in the badlands of Alberta was his Zip Ty Racing Husqvarna USA team-mate, Nick Burson. Burson has built some impressive stats in recent years including earning multiple US Desert Racing and District 37 Championships.
While many of the top Pros opted out of the Hare Scramble race that was held the day prior to the Xtinction Extreme Enduro, Burson decided to jump into the fray. Nick spent the race trying to chase down the current points leader in the Canadian Enduro Championship, Jason Schrage. Although Schrage would ride steady and strong to take the win, Burson’s trip to Canada was rewarded with a solid 2nd place finish and the chance to climb the podium.
Sunday’s Extreme Enduro did not provide as much satisfaction for the young Californian. Nick’s day ended early after he failed to finish qualifying and had to sit out the final. Burson’s race came to a grinding halt when his bike bounced its way to the bottom of one of Xtinction’s near vertical climbs and snapped the handlebars off his bike.
Cory had welcome hosts for his return to Canada as he was able to join forces with his two young cousins, Nick and Ryan Graffunder along with Husqvarna Canada’s Marty Halmazna, under the canopies set up by the FP Husqvarna Zip Ty Racing Canada crew.
Ryan Graffunder currently sits 3rd in the E2 class and 3rd overall Pro in the 2010 Canadian Enduro Championship. Graffunder was eager to tackle the challenges of Xtinction on his TXC 450. He came away having not only logged an impressive ride, but also having accomplished his main goal of gaining valuable experience in extreme events to prepare him for future assaults on some of the world’s toughest races.
“I survived qualifying and just tried to focus on getting as far I could in the main race. I started on the same minute as Cory in qualifying and I was having a blast riding with him and seeing some of the things that he was doing. I got a decent start in the final and was able to move up to 3rd. I was feeling pretty good but things came apart when I picked the wrong line and ended up burying my bike in the mud. It took forever to get it out and I got passed by the entire field and was in last place.
Once I got going again I just put my head down and was on a mission to catch as many riders as I could. I caught Jared Thomas towards the end of the race so I know that I had made it back into the top ten. On the last lap the clutch in my battered 450 decided it had enough abuse and ended my day. I pushed my bike to the finish and ended up 17th.
There is no doubt that I was disappointed but I know for sure now that I can run at the front with these guys in the really gnarly stuff. It just fires me up even more to focus on my training and to plan to take on more events like this.”
Ryan’s brother, and Husqvarna Canada team-mate, Nick Graffunder, had a tough day battling with the nasty Xtinction race course aboard his TXC 250. Nick ended up watching his brother Ryan and cousin Cory hammer their way through the main event as a spectator.
“Things went bad for me pretty quickly during the morning qualifying. My bike flipped down one of the really steep climbs and it was stuck on a little ledge part way up. It was upside down and I guess the fuel injection let it keep running. I could not climb up the steep face to get to it so I had to go around and slide down to it.
While it ran upside down it drained a bunch of oil from the motor through the crank vent into the intake. When I got it down it was not running very good and it was sending smoke signals that you could probably see from the moon as it tried to burn off the oil. It would not run well after that and I couldn’t make the obstacles that we had to clear.
The worst part was that it meant that I did not qualify for the main. It was tough to watch the guys go to the start and not be there. I was not very happy but at least I got a front row seat for the carnage that unfolded in the main race.”
Alberta’s Marty Halmazna showed up to take on the Xtinction course armed with the big bore power of his Husqvarna TXC 510. An accomplished Extreme Enduro specialist, having logged impressive finishes at Austria’s notorious Erzberg Hare Scramble, Last Man Standing in Texas and Hell’s Gate in Italy, Halmazna suffered some major setbacks that kept the podium out of reach.
“In qualifying I came up behind Jared Thomas who was stuck in a mud hole. I made the wrong choice in my line when I tried to go around him. I cased the backside of a creek crossing so hard that it pretty much knocked me silly. I nailed my chest really bad into the bars and was definitely seeing stars for a while. It took me a few minutes to get my bearings and then I helped drag Jared’s bike out of the hole and finished the qualifying round.
I was hurting pretty bad from the hit. When I got back to the pits I was eating Advil like they were candy and I just tried to get ready for the main race.
In the final I was able to get a decent start and worked on getting into a steady rhythm. I was up to about 6th early on and then had a nightmare where I lost about 10 minutes trying to get my bike out of a brutal mud hole. It took 3 guys to drag the bike out. I settled down after that and seemed to ride faster and faster in the final laps but I had lost too much time and energy and missed the top ten by a couple of spots.
It was a wicked event. I definitely wanted better results but I have to give a ton of credit to the top guys. Cory and Kyle were hauling and although Schrage was behind them a bit, he and the crew chasing him were all putting in amazing rides. I am really proud to see how much off-road racing, and the skills of our riders have improved in the last few years.”
In addition to taking home the lion’s share of the $5,000 purse for nailing the win, Cory Graffunder also snagged the bonus cash put up by Feeding Performance for the Top Canadian at the inaugural Xtinction event. The award of the modest FP cheques to help top Canadian riders attend some of the world’s toughest races has now been a tradition for a number of years.
Xtinction Official Results
1. Cory Graffunder (Husqvarna)
2. Kyle Redmond (KTM)
3. Jason Schrage (Honda)
We are very grateful to our many amazing sponsors. Without them, our team would not exist.
Husqvarna Canada Team Sponsors
Husqvarna Canada, Feeding Performance Inc., Motovan, Rekluse, Ogio, Dragon, Xtreme, TCX, Axis, Zox, Pro-Tech, Etnies, Throttle Entertainment, UNI Filter, DID, LeoVince, GPR Stabilizer, Motul, LimeNine, EC3D, Impact Canopies, GoPro, Enduro Engineering, Supersprox, SkyCap, Boyesen, E-line, IMS, Matrix Concepts, TM Designworks, Dunlop and Zip Ty Racing.
Special thanks to the Husqvarna Canada dealers that provide extra assistance help ensure our race program is a success; Bow Ridge Sports in Cochrane, Echo Cycle in Edmonton and RiverCity Cycle in Kamloops.
About Husqvarna Motorcycles
Tradition on two wheels since 1903
Husqvarna Motorcycles, a part of the BMW Group since October 2007, are widely known and respected in the off-road world for a heritage of competition and have accumulated over 70 World Championships in Motocross, Enduro and Supermotard. Originally founded in Sweden in 1903, Husqvarna motorcycles have been designed and manufactured in Varese, Italy since 1987.
For more information, please visit www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com and www.feedingperformance.com
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