KTM-backed Steward Baylor Jr. got off to a hot start in the 2017 AMA National Enduro Series by winning the Sumter National Enduro in Wedgefield, South Carolina, February 5.
The event was hotly contested, as Baylor had to fend off 2015 AMA National Enduro Champion and FMF KTM factory rider Kailub Russell in a battle that literally came down to the last second.
Baylor started off quickly by winning the first special test, the first of two on the day, while Russell posted a fifth-place finish in Test 1 but came back to win Test 2 Both riders remained consistently at the top of the time sheets after that, and the battle for the win came down to the final test of the day. Baylor held an 11-second lead heading into the final test, and Russell would whittle that down to just 1 second, but the former champ came up short and Baylor claimed the win with Russell second.
Thad Duvall completed the podium by finishing third overall in both his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing debut and his first full return to the series since 2011, though he did ride one race last year in Ohio, which he won. DuVall admitted that the Sumter was a lot tighter than the Ohio race was and he was pleased with a third place finish.
Five-time and reigning AMA National Enduro Champion Russell Bobbitt finished fourth overall. Bobbitt started off with three top-five finishes in the special tests, but a miscue in Test 5 cost him his shot at a podium finish. Airgroup Racing/Enduro Engineering Husqvarna Racing’s Andrew DeLong, another former series champion, finished fifth overall.
Round 2 of the AMA National Enduro Series is scheduled for Daytona Beach, Florida, on March 19, 2017.
2017 AMA National Enduro Series
Sumter National Enduro
Wedgefield, South Carolina
Results: February 5, 2017 (Round 1 of 9)
Overall
1. Steward Baylor Jr.-KTM
2. Kailub Russell-KTM
3. Thad Duvall-Hus
4. Russell Bobbitt-KTM
5. Andrew DeLong-Hus
6. Trevor Bollinger-Hon
7. Cory Buttrick-KTM
8. Grant Baylor-Yam
9. Jesse Groemm-KTM
10. Josh Toth-Yam
Your Privacy Choices