The morning at Sachsenring was very brisk, but perfect riding weather and a great start to the 2012 Red Bull ISDE. All of Team USA was ready to get the day started after numerous days of walking tests and preparing to race.

It would be easy to only mention Team USA, but there are many more teams at the ISDE that need mentioning. The second place finisher on the day, Team Australia, had a fantastic ride, with Josh Strang finishing second in the last test. Team France was on it all day. Watching their E1 riders ride their 125’s through the mud pit was intense. Finland also had a good showing today, looking to repeat their win from last year.

Team USA is in sixth, not bad, but not where they wanted to be. After Kurt Caselli’s E2 win last year, many expected much more from the Team today. Charlie Mullins rode strong and consistent and can be very happy with his first ISDE Day One performance. Brown, Bobbit and Abbott all did what was expected, riding hard and gaining the team valuable points. Caselli wrecked hard in the second test, leaving him thinking he may have a broken collarbone. Taylor Robert rode a very fast day, finishing fourth in the last test.

The conditions on Day One could not have been much better. There was moisture in the ground, but no rain as of yet. All the tests seemed to break in nicely, but will continue to get rough throughout the week. Day Two has the riders on a repeat of Day One. Hopefully Team USA can shake the cobwebs and move up the standings a few spots.