Kailub Russell made his debut race aboard the new 2016 KTM 250 XC-F a winning one by topping both days of the Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro in West Virginia. Photography by Andrew Fredrickson
In his first race on the all-new 2016 KTM 250 XC-F, Factory FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell took five of eight special test wins on day one, and four of six test wins on day two to capture the overall victory at round two of the Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series.
A late addition to the series, the event also served as the East Coast AMA ISDE Qualifier for riders wanting to qualify for one of Team USA’s Club, Senior, and Women’s teams. Thirty riders from as far away as Oregon raced Letter of Intent, with Factory Beta’s Cory Buttrick taking the E2 class, and overall LOI wins on the weekend.
The Newburg, WV race location featured a rolling 2.5-mile grass track cross test and a four-mile woods enduro loop. On the first day of the event, racers would compete on each test a total of four times. Kailub Russell came out swinging in test one, the cross test, taking the win by four seconds over his teammate Russell Bobbitt. KR4/FAR/Husqvarna’s Thad DuVall was the second rider to take off on the cross test, but a mechanical issue that required a mid-test repair saw him finish 137th in that test – 2:44 slower than Russell – putting him in a deep hole that he tried to climb out of the rest of the weekend.
DuVall, who was recently selected to represent the USA on its ISDE Trophy Team this year in Slovakia, rebounded in the second test of the day – the enduro test – taking the win by three seconds over Russell. Thad would go on to win two more tests on the day – the only other rider besides Russell to win a test – and claw his way back into the overall picture finishing day one in sixth place overall.
FMF/KTM’s Russell Bobbitt started the day out with his fastest cross test time, and second-fastest of the session behind Russell. Bobbitt would continue to post fast times throughout the day to secure second place after the first day of racing.
The battle behind Bobbitt was heated with Factory Beta’s Cory Buttrick and Ride MPS/Honda’s Layne Michael ending the day with less than two-tenths of a second separating them for third and fourth overall, respectively.
Fifth-place overall on day one went to Benjamin Kelley who was riding LOI in the E2 class.
The second day of racing would see the riders tackle the same special tests as day one, but in reverse direction. Kailub Russell started day two the same as day one with a win on the cross test; the first of four test wins for him on the day.
Thad DuVall clawed his way into fifth overall after posting some seriously fast times throughout the day, taking two test wins from Russell in the process, making him the second-quickest rider on day two, 15 seconds behind the FMF/KTM rider.
Layne Michael moved ahead of Cory Buttrick on day two, finishing third on the day and ultimately third overall for the weekend.
Russell Bobbitt rode consistent on day two and was able to hold off the hard-charging Michael to secure second place overall for the weekend by 19 seconds.
Cory Buttrick was fifth on day two, which dropped him to fourth overall but he did take the E2 LOI class win and the LOI overall for the weekend.
The Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series will resume on July 18-19 with round three in Indiana. For more information visit www.fullgasenduro.com
Overall Results:
1. Kailub Russell – 1:35:14.927
2. Russell Bobbitt – 1:37:17.483
3. Layne Michael – 1:37:36.835
4. Cory Buttrick – 1:38:12.050
5. Thad DuVall – 1:38:30.380
6. Benjamin Kelley – 1:39:31.362
7. Sam Evans – 1:41:14.441
8. Tegan Temple – 1:41:44.731
9. Anthony Stone – 1:42:05.579
10. Triston Landrum – 1:42:20.117
LOI Results
E1 Class
1. Josh Toth – 1:43:06.705
2. Michael Pillar – 1:47:52.345
3. Geoffrey Sanders – 1:51:54.918
E2 Class
1. Cory Buttrick – 1:38:12.050
2. Benjamin Kelley – 1:39:31.362
3. Mickey Silger – 1:53:56.210
E3 Class
1. John Kelley – 1:43:31.497
2. Kyle McDonal – 1:43:j39.362
3. Nate Ferderer – 1:44:39.140
Senior Class
1. Brian Storrie – 1:50:30.938
2. Andy Lagzdins – 1:58:22.865
3. Pat Flynn – 1:58:58.139
Women’s
1. Jamie Wells – 2:02:22.340
2. Cassidy Brown – 2:03:43.366
For full results, visit: www.mylaps.com/en/events/1132943
