Grant Baylor Shuts ’Em Out At The Cherokee National Enduro

A look at this weekend’s Cherokee National Enduro in Georgia

Grant Baylor talks about his perfect race. “I still had a few mistakes, but overall the performance was a good one and I’m pleased with it,” Grant said. “I just seemed to click perfectly with the bike today. Wherever I pointed my tires the bike went, and everything just hooked up.”Shan Moore

Grant Baylor couldn't have had a much better day than he did en route to the win at this weekend's Cherokee National Enduro in Greensboro, Georgia. The Tely Racing KTM rider won all seven tests (a first as far as anyone can remember) and beat out runner-up finisher Josh Toth by one minute and 23 seconds after 93 miles of racing.

“I still had a few mistakes, but overall the performance was a good one and I’m pleased with it,” Baylor said. “I just seemed to click perfectly with the bike today. Wherever I pointed my tires the bike went, and everything just hooked up.”

Steward Baylor rounded out the podium in third, despite dealing with an injured knee and a case of the flu this week. “I haven’t been able to train over the last couple of weeks and I think that affected my timing,” Steward confessed. “I’ve been sick all week and the heat today didn’t help any.”Shan Moore

The win is Grant’s second in a row in the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series and it tightens up the series standings, which is currently being contested by Grant, Toth, and defending series champ Steward Baylor.

The weather was hot, the sections were tight and the action was fierce, as the best off-road racers in the country took to the tight woods of eastern Georgia. Here’s a look at this year’s race thanks to photographer Shan Moore.

Josh Toth equaled his career-best finish of the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series with a second place, beating out Steward Baylor by 16 seconds. “I didn’t win any tests today but I felt solid all day,” Toth said. “Grant was really riding strong, but it was close between the top three riders, which makes it enjoyable. I’m starting to read the trail a bit better and I’m more comfortable going fast on trail that I haven’t seen before. I think all of those factors led to my performance today.”Shan Moore
SRT Racing’s Evan Smith rounded out the top five with a steady and nearly error-free day. “It was actually a pretty clean day; I didn’t fall or hit any trees,” Smith said. “I really don’t feel like fifth reflects how well I rode today. I don’t live too far from here, so I was right at home in this stuff.”Shan Moore
KR4 Husqvarna’s Cory Buttrick turned in his best performance of the season with a fourth place, missing the podium by just under a minute. Buttrick is one of the only Pro riders who does his own maintenance at the track.Shan Moore
Trail Jesters KTM Racing’s Ben Kelley had an off day with an eighth-place finish.Shan Moore
Jake Froman was ninth overall and second in the NE Pro2 class in his debut ride with the AirGroup/Enduro Engineering Husqvarna team.Shan Moore
Five-time National Enduro champion Russell Bobbitt finished seventh on his Gnarly Routes KTM. Bobbitt got off to a shaky start but then settled in for the final three tests and finished the race with three-straight times inside the top five.Shan Moore
Andrew Delong rounded out the top 10 on his Far Racing GasGas North America XC 300.Shan Moore
Josh Toth inched closer to Steward Baylor in the series standings with his runner-up finish and now sits just nine points out of the lead.Shan Moore

Cherokee National Enduro Overall Results

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

2018 Kenda AMA National Enduro Point Standings

Position Rider Brand Points
1 Steward Baylor KTM 102
2 Josh Toth KTM 93
3 Grant Baylor KTM 73
4 Ben Kelley KTM 67
5 Cory Buttrick Husqvarna 63
6 Evan Smith Husqvarna 58
7 Ryder Lafferty KTM 49
8 Thad Duvall Husqvarna 46
9 Andrew Delong GasGas 44
10 Russell Bobbitt KTM 41