Kailub Russell claimed his second victory in as many races at the Inyan Kara National Enduro – round six of the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series in Upton, Wyoming, topping FMF/KTM teammate Russell Bobbitt by two-minutes-and-nineteen seconds in a tough and demanding race.
A hard, overnight rain left the Upton area saturated and the course was extremely slippery when over 430 riders took to the trails for test one where Russell kicked things off with a big win, posting a time that was over two-minutes faster than Colorado’s Ian Blythe (KTM). Bobbitt was fastest in test two; however, edging Russell by 27 seconds. Russell came back with a strong ride in the third test, posting another win. Bobbitt won the final test, but it was Russell’s consistency that earned him the overall win, as the North Carolina rider finished the day with three second-place times to go with his two wins, while Bobbitt had two test wins, a third and two fourths.
“Two in a row feels pretty good after three straight runner-up finishes,” said Russell. “I just need to keep building on this momentum because I know the rounds coming up are pretty tight, and that’s kind of my weakness.”
Bobbitt finished the day in second, edging Blythe by 22 seconds. Bobbitt crashed in the final test and popped his shoulder out of socket; however, he was able to pop it back in and finish the race.
Beta USA’s Cory Buttrick claimed his best finish of the year riding the new 430 RS, beating Grant Baylor by just five seconds after holding off a late charge by the Am Pro Yamaha rider.
Defending series champ Andrew DeLong, who was riding with an injured wrist, did what he could to salvage points, and finished the day in sixth after turning in a cautious but steady ride in the mud on his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing FC 350.
Meanwhile, 2012 series champ Steward Baylor recovered from a disastrous opening test to finish seventh ahead of Beta USA’s Jesse Groemm.
Craig DeLong, Andrew’s younger brother, finished a steady ninth, while Am Pro Yamaha’s Brad Bakken rounded out the top 10 on his Motosport.com/Am Pro Yamaha.
Finishing 11th overall, and first in the Rekluse AA-Expert division, was Drew Higgins, who won the class over fellow KTM riders Evan Smith and Kyle McDonal.
Results
1. Kailub Russell (KTM)
2. Russell Bobbitt (KTM)
3. Ian Blythe (KTM)
4. Cory Buttrick (Bet)
5. Grant Baylor (Yam)
6. Andrew DeLong (Hus)
7. Steward Baylor (KTM)
8. Jesse Groemm (Bet)
9. Craig DeLong (Hus)
10. Brad Bakken (Yam)
