ENDING ON A HIGH: DAK NORTON WINS THE US OPEN
Photos: Jack Rice
What a way to end the season for INTENSE Factory Racing’s Dak Norton. After his well earned result of third at the final round of this year’s World Cup in Val di Sole (Italy) it was clear that Dak was on it, firing on all cylinders. Heading into his last race of the season confidence was high.
The resort of Killington, Vermont, in the north east of the country was the venue for this year’s Fox US Open. With the main event being being the downhill and a cool $15,000 up for first prize (yeah, you read that right… $15k, approx €15,100) it was no wonder that this race was being taken seriously. Dak takes up the story:
“The US Open is such a prestigious race with a long legacy of fast victors and big prizes. Qualifying first and being the last man to drop, the pressure was on to deliver. We all knew the weather was in question and the course was wet from the morning drizzle. Half way through my run I didn’t think I was getting the job done… it was pretty slippery and I was trying to ride dry-pace with tough conditions. As I crossed the line the sky opened up into a full downpour. If I would have dropped in a minute later I wouldn’t have been able to take the victory. Happy to get the race win and to keep the stoke going into the off season! A little more budget for home mods isn’t too bad of a deal either! On to construction mode.” Dak Norton
We should also applaud the race organisers for the Pro purse of almost $30,000 in both the men’s and women’s classes ($60K in total). That is pay parity in full effect.
And a big shout-out to some of our INTENSE groms. Ryder Lawrence won the Junior title, Kai Burleson was third in the 13-14 category, with new Euro ambassador Nico Haglev finishing in 8th in the same age group. We should also applaud the race organisers for the Pro purse of almost $30,000 in both the men’s and women’s classes (almost $60K in total). That is pay parity in full effect.
And a big shout-out to some of our INTENSE groms. Ryder Lawrence won the Junior title, Kai Burleson was third in the 13-14 category, with new Euro ambassador Nico Haglev finishing in 8th in the same age group. We should also applaud the race organisers for the Pro purse of almost $30,000 in both the men’s and women’s classes (almost $60K in total). That is pay parity in full effect.
