Steward Baylor (514) took the checkered flag first in both motos again at the Big Bottom X-C National, but Mike Witkowski (282) gave Baylor a good run in the second moto. Photography by Mark Kariya
“I knew I just had to get as big of a points gap as I could leading into this next round where I won’t be able to make it [since I’ll be at the ISDE in Slovakia], so I was pushing for another win today,” EverRev.com KTM’s Steward Baylor shared after winning for the fifth time in five rounds of the Parts Unlimited Off-road Motorcycle and ATV (OMA) Nationals.
Hot, humid conditions at the Big Bottom Cross-country National made practically every racer thankful for the pair of 45-minute motos laid out in the woods of the Brueggeman Family Farm in Plainview, Illinois. Though not over 100 degrees like last year, it was still a workout for everyone, though the undulating trails were actually in great condition.
It’s been a long time since Airgroup/Radiant Racing Husqvarna’s Nick Fahringer has raced an OMA, a knee injury and subsequent surgery last year putting him on the sidelines, but he’s back at the races now, though he was unsure how he’d fare with the new format.
“With this format, I knew you need to get a good start and try to be in there. I hadn’t raced a competitive, bar-to-bar race since last year. Ever since my knee injury, which was about a year ago, I struggle in those situations because you don’t know what you can handle. So coming back on the recovery end, I’m still trying to find comfort and get that speed back so I know I’m strong, but I’m working on the riding fitness,” he admitted.
He’s apparently got his starts down because he collected the $100 FMF Holeshot Award in both motos aboard his FMF/Moose Racing/MotorcycleSuperstore.com-backed TE 300, eventually finishing a 5-5 fifth overall after spending time recently at the Sturgis motorcycle rally.
In the first moto, JJR Off-road KTM’s Jimmy Jarrett got off to a last-place start aboard his Dunlop/Factory Connection 450 XC-F but somehow passed everyone in front of him, basically doing it twice since he crashed once.
But that effort took a lot out of him and a case of arm pump saw him yield to Fun Mart Cycles KTM’s Adam Bonneur who piloted a Maxxis/RidePG.com-sponsored 350 XC-F.
In the second moto, however, it was Jarrett who edged Bonneur by a second to claim the third spot on the podium with his 3-3 tally, Bonneur a frustrated fourth with his 2-4.
Second went to newcomer Mike Witkowski—or, rather, the returning Mike Witkowski.
“The last time I [raced an OMA], I was on an 85 so…it’s been a while,” St. Lawrence Radiology/Factory Connection KTM 250 XC-mounted Witkowski said. “I definitely wanted to stay up there with him. The first moto went bad; I crashed, so that wasn’t good, but I feel like I gained some time on everyone else after I crashed.
“The second moto was good. I rode with Stew and learned a lot.”
The FMF/Kenda/Fly Racing 250 XC rider Baylor confirmed, “I saw some mistakes [Witkowski] made in the first moto and jumped in front of him in that second one and showed him some of the lines and he rode awesome. I couldn’t shake him even if I wanted to once he got the track dialed!”
Indeed, Witkowski hung right with Baylor for most of moto two, finishing just a second behind at the checkers. His 4-2 tied him with Jarrett and Bonneur, but the second-moto finish gave him the runner-up spot for the day.
In Pro 2, Baylor’s teammate Jojo Bowden made his OMA debut a winning one, going 2-1 for the class victory over SRT KTM’s Austin Wells who carded a 3-3 finish. Pro 2 points leader Shane Klimek won the first moto by three seconds over Bowden, but a big crash at the start of moto two left him battered and sixth at the finish, though his 1-6 still got him on the podium in third.
Results
