Racing

Steward Baylor Wins Hidden Valley Golf Course Sprint Enduro

Josh Strang wins 2018 Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro championship title

October 23, 2018

Beta USA’s Jordan Ashburn kicked off the weekend with a runner-up finish in Saturday’s opening test and then settled into fourth place for the remainder of the event.Darrin Chapman

Josh Strang won the 2018 Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series championship with a win on Saturday at this past weekend’s Hidden Valley Golf Course Sprint Enduro in Glen Daniel, West Virginia, followed by a runner-up finish on Sunday. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider came into the weekend sitting two points behind Tely Energy Racing’s Steward Baylor in the series standings, but his first-place finish on Saturday, combined with a fourth-place finish by Baylor, left Strang in a good spot heading into Sunday.

Baylor did all he could do to retain the title on Sunday by posting the fastest time in all six tests, however that was not enough as Strang’s second-place finish was more than enough to give the Aussie off-roader the 2018 championship.

Fly/Maxxis/Seat Concepts/KTM’s Becca Sheets solidified her fourth overall status in the final Women’s Pro division with a third-place finish at the Hidden Valley Golf Course Sprint Enduro.Darrin Chapman

“For this final round, I came in only two points behind the leader for the overall,” Strang said. “I was feeling the pressure throughout the two days, but was able to secure the overall championship! It feels great and I would like to thank the entire Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team and my entire family!”

Layne Michael continued his upward trend during the second half of the season by placing third in West Virginia on his KR4 Husqvarna. Meanwhile, Beta USA’s Jordan Ashburn rounded out the top four. KR4 Husqvarna’s Liam Draper was the top finishing Pro2 rider with a fifth overall finish.

SRT Racing Husqvarna’s Evan Smith rode a steady pace to finish sixth overall.Darrin Chapman

Grant Baylor battled with Layne Michael for most of the weekend over third place but a blown rear hub on Sunday dropped the Tely Energy KTM rider out of contention.Darrin Chapman

Off-road up-and-comer Jesse Ansley finished ninth overall on his KTM, which was good enough for fourth in the Pro2 division.Darrin Chapman

Layne Michael put his KR4 Husqvarna into third overall after two days of racing. Michael came out on top of a fierce two-way battle most of the weekend with Grant Baylor to secure the position.Darrin Chapman

KR4 Husqvarna’s Liam Draper turned in one of his best performances of the season to finish fifth overall and first in the Pro2 class.Darrin Chapman

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Josh Strang gained enough ground with his win on Saturday to surpass Steward Baylor in the series standings. The Aussie off-roader secured the title with a runner-up finish on Sunday.Darrin Chapman

Steward Baylor produced a dominating performance on Sunday by winning all six tests. The Tely Energy KTM rider took Sunday’s win by 54 seconds over Strang, but still finished second in the final series standings.Darrin Chapman

KR4 Husqvarna’s Tayla Jones overcame this crash to win the Women’s Pro class.Darrin Chapman

2018 West Virginia Sprint Enduro Results

Position	Rider	Brand
1	Steward Baylor	KTM
2	Josh Strang	Husqvarna
3	Layne Michael	Husqvarna
4	Jordan Ashburn	Beta
5	Liam Draper	Husqvarna
6	Evan Smith	Husqvarna
7	Billy Schlag	KTM
8	Braxton McGee	Husqvarna
9	Jesse Ansley	KTM
10	JR Cook	KTM

2018 Pro Class Championship Point Standings

Position	Rider	Brand	Points
1	Josh Strang	Husqvarna	363 \|
2	Steward Baylor	KTM	358
3	Grant Baylor	KTM	317
4	Layne Michael	Husqvarna	304
5	Ryan Sipes	Husqvarna	290
6	Jordan Ashburn	Beta	252
	Evan Smith	Husqvarna	252
8	Mike Witkowski	Beta	128
9	Craig DeLong	Husqvarna	49
10	Thad Duvall	Husqvarna	41