David Knight claimed his second championship of ’07 this passed weekend when the two-time Enduro 3 world champion added the AMA Endurocross title to the Grand National cross Country championship he claimed at the end of October.

Winner of the opening two rounds of the ’07 Endurocross series staged in Colorado and Oklahoma, Knight arrived in Vegas eight points ahead of his closest championship rival Damon Huffman and ready to win his second Endurocross title.

Easily winning his qualifying heat and impressively fast around the challenging course housed within the Orleans Arena Knight looked all but assured of claiming his second Endurocross title after Huffman, the championship’s second most consistent rider at rounds one and two, struggled through the LCQ to make it into the final. Starting well Knight was soon into the lead of the 10 rider main event.

Knowing all to well that one mistake could rob him of the Endurocross title the Manxman put in several faultless laps to open up a small gap at the front of the field. Behind Knight KTM mounted Pole ‘Taddy’ Blazusiak quickly worked his way up into second and for three laps the two riders were separated by nothing at all. As the race neared its close, and not wanting to get into a battle with his team-mate that might result in neither of the two riders winning the race should they have collided with each other, Knight let Taddy take over the lead and one lap later the win. In winning the race Taddy stopped Knight from claiming the $50’000 Motorcycle Mechanic’s Institute prize money that was available to him had he have won the race.

Extremely disappointed at having not won the sizeable prize purse available to him Knight was pleased to have ‘won back’ his AMA Endurocross title. In doing so David secured his second major US off-road championships in ’07.

David Knight: “That was one of the hardest races I've ever done. Not because the track was too difficult, it wasn't it was a great track, but because I couldn't push as hard as I wanted to try and win the race because I knew winning the championship was more important. Taddy was riding really well, and bumped me in a few corners, but it was too risky for me to ride hard - one mistake indoors and your race can be over. If that had happened then I could have lost the championship, who knows what could have happened. So I decided to move over and let him passed, which was hard. But like I said winning the championship was more important than winning the race. Yeah, I'm pissed about not winning the money, who wouldn't be. Winning the GNCC and Endurocross championships in the same year is great, but tonight things didn't go the way I thought or hoped they would.”

Results – ’07 AMA Endurocross Round 3, Las Vegas

1.Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 8 laps
2.David Knight (Red Bull KTM Off Road Race team) 8 laps
3.Mika Ahola (Honda) 8 laps
4.Colton Haaker (Montesa) 8 laps
5.Nick Bozobvich (Yamaha) 8 laps
6.Geoff Aaron (KTM) 8 laps