Racing

Baylor Captures Red Fox National Enduro Win

Toth and Duvall round out podium

April 17, 2018

Ben Kelley warms up before heading out for the start of the Red Fox National Enduro.Shan Moore

Steward Baylor overcame difficult conditions at round 3 of the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series this weekend near Lynnville, Indiana, to claim his second win of the series. The Tely Racing KTM rider got off to a quick start, winning the opening two tests of the day and building nearly a minute lead over second, before switching to survival mode for the remainder of the race. In the end, Baylor held on to take the win by 28 seconds over FMF KTM Factory Off-road's Josh Toth.

Thad Duvall struggled in test 1 and test 5, but came back to win two tests and put his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna on the box in third. Meanwhile, Trail Jesters KTM Off-road Racing’s Ben Kelley turned in another solid performance for fourth, almost two minutes ahead of Solid Performance KTM’s Ryder Lafferty, who was fifth overall and first in the NE Pro2 division.

Grant Baylor gives a thumbs-up before the start with the hand that he injured just a few days before the race. The South Carolina rider hooked his middle finger on a vine while practicing, which broke a bone in his hand. Baylor dropped out of the race during the third test when his hand swelled so badly he couldn’t hold on.Shan Moore

Before the race, Thad Duvall took the time to give cancer patient Brantley Taber a tour of the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna pits. All of the profits collected from this event are used to help Tri-State families with expenses related to childhood illness. Brantley got the royal treatment in the Husqvarna pits.Shan Moore

“Do you like the pink polish or the lavender?” Josh Toth stands on a bathroom scale while WP suspension guru Tanner Harding checks his weight as part of FMF KTM Factory Racing’s pre-race suspension process.Shan Moore

Steward Baylor’s choice of hand guards might be an indicator of what is to come. Riders on the later rows encountered footpeg-deep ruts and bike-swallowing mud holes.Shan Moore

Kelley was among the riders who weren’t happy with how they rode, but was somewhat pleased with the outcome. The Trail Jesters KTM rider was fourth overall, adding credibility to the third-place finish he had in South Carolina.Shan Moore

Due to his DNF at the previous round in South Carolina, Duvall was forced to start from row 42, which meant he was dealing with deep ruts. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider struggled in the opening test, putting himself in a hole with a sixth-place finish. However, he picked up two tests wins to finish out the day. His only other misstep came in test 5, where he finished fifth. In spite of his finishes in tests 1 and 5, Duvall managed to dig his way out of the hole and salvage a third-place finish.Shan Moore

Toth now has back-to-back runner-up finishes in the series and is definitely the surprise of 2018. The Connecticut rider revels in extreme conditions and consistency was his ally in Indiana, as he was in the top three in all six tests, including a win in test 3. Being the extreme rider he is, Toth said he wished all enduros were as tough as this one.Shan Moore

Although he wasn’t pleased with his performance, Steward Baylor was more than happy with the result. “I wouldn’t even call it mediocre, the way I felt about how I was riding,” Baylor said. “But considering the conditions, it turned out to be enough to get the win. This was definitely one of the most demanding national enduros I’ve ridden.”Shan Moore

FAR Racing GasGas North America’s Andrew Delong just missed a top-10 finish by less than 30 seconds.Shan Moore

Red Fox National Enduro Overall Results

Position	Rider	Brand
1	Steward Baylor	KTM
2	Josh Toth	KTM
3	Thad Duvall	Husqvarna
4	Ben Kelley	KTM
5	Ryder Lafferty	Husqvarna
6	Cory Buttrick	KTM
7	Nick Davis	GasGas
8	Russell Bobbitt	KTM
9	Jake Froman	Honda
10	Evan Smith	KTM