Steward Baylor went home $2000 richer after pocketing the lion’s share of the $6000 Pro purse offered at this weekend’s seventh annual Kenda Ozark 100 in Mansfield, Missouri.
The Kenda Ozark 100 is an extreme race similar in format to the old Last Man Standing race that was held in Texas for three years running, however, it has classes for all riders, including “C” classes.
The Ozark 100 consists of three races held throughout the day with the final race behind held after the sun goes down for the top 25 finishers from the second race. The winner is determined on a rider’s finishes in the three races combined and at the end of the day, the top riders ended up getting in more than five hours of total racing.
Baylor took the overall win with a 1-2-1 overall score, and turned in a particularly gritty performance to win the night race, which consisted of three laps on an 8.3-mile course. Alone the course there were three special sections, or elements, set up for the spectators, which were much more difficult than the rest of the course. These elements were lit up by special lighting that was powered by small generators, so the spectators could see the action as it unfolded.
“That stuff was really intense,” said Baylor. “This definitely takes a lot out of you; I’m more tired now than I was after three days of this year’s ISDE, but it was fun and I had a blast.”
“In the night race, I led the entire race,” added Baylor. “I made some mistakes, and that allowed Nick Fahringer to catch up to me, but I was able to hold him off.”
Ian Blythe finished second overall with a 2-1-3 tally. The Colorado rider made a last second pass on Baylor to win the second race of the day.
Meanwhile, Fahringer brought his Kenda-backed AirGroup Racing Husqvarna home for third with a 3-3-2 performance.
“This is my first time at the Kenda Ozark 100 and I had a great time,” said Fahringer. “I didn’t get the best jump off the line in the night segment, but I went into the woods in third. I got into second and then I pretty much ended up riding the rest of the race by myself. Every once in a while, I would get a glimpse of Steward, but then I would make a mistake and fall back.”
Arkansas rider Zach Ingram turned in a great race to finish fourth, while multi-time Missouri Hare Scrambles champion Steve Leivan looked particularly good in the night segment and brought his KTM in for fifth.
For full results visit: http://www.theozark100miler.com
Results
1. Steward Baylor (KTM)
2. Ian Blythe (KTM)
3. Nick Fahringer (Hsq)
4. Zach Ingram (KTM)
5. Steve Leivan (KTM)
6. Ryan Hensley (KTM)
7. Brian Blauvelt (Yam)
8. Drew Higgins (KTM)
9. Caleb Haynes (KTM)
10. Cody Schafer (Kaw)
