Shan Moore | June 7, 2021
Steward Baylor came from deep in the pack to claim his fifth GNCC win of the season at the Mason-Dixon GNCC in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, June 6, as 90-degree temperatures made for brutal conditions.
The AmPro Yamaha rider chased down championship leader Ben Kelley on the final lap to take the lead and the win, despite riding the final hour of the race with no rear brake.
Kelley broke away early after getting the lead not far into the opening lap. The FMF/KTM rider pulled a comfortable gap and held it for most of the race, however, lappers and a small tip-over allowed Steward to close in.
On the final lap, Stew dove for an inside line and made the pass stick to take the lead. From there, Steward led Kelley to the checkers.
“I couldn’t get my holeshot device to lock down so I wheelied off the line and I was nearly last out of the first turn,” said Steward. “Eventually, I was able to catch up to Ben, and I just kind of stalked him all day. I had a couple of lines picked out where I thought I might be able to pass him, and I knew I had to be close in this one section. With two laps to go, I ended up getting close, but I ended up getting a cable caught around my rear brake lever and I broke it off.”
Steward thought about coming into the pits but knew he would lose too much time. Once he adjusted to using the front brake only, Steward was able to close on Kelley and make the inside pass.
“It was just a major transition trying to go fast with no rear brake, but it’s something I practice at home, riding with no rear brake,” said Steward. “This is just the first time I’ve ever had to use it.”
The Mason-Dixon race marked the third race in a row that Kelley has come up just short of the win, although the Connecticut native still holds the championship lead by four points over Steward, 182 to 178.
“I got into the lead there at the end of the first lap and led all the way to the sixth lap,” said Kelley. “Stew was right there all day, but I was holding strong, and he had a sneaky little line and got by me. I missed it; I wasn’t able to see it and that was all she wrote. I was tired at the end, and the track was tight, rough and super rutted, so it was tough to make passes after that, but I held strong for second.”
Magna1 Motorsports/Husqvarna’s Jordan Ashburn rounded out the podium with a solid, mistake-free ride. Ashburn was fifth on the first lap but slowly worked his way into third by the end of the race.
“The first part of the track was kind of dusty, so I had to lay back a little, but when we got into the woods it was pretty gnarly and I felt pretty good at that point,” said Ashburn.
Previous round winner, Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green Kawasaki’s Josh Strang, battled for the lead early in the race, and spent much of the going in third, but faded near the end and settled for fourth.
“I was up front all day, but I just struggled,” said Strang. “I think I missed the bike setup a little. I was fighting it a little trying to stay up and then honestly I just ran out of steam.”
FMF/KTM’s Josh Toth moved into fifth on lap three and made the pass for fourth with two laps to go. Toth made a charge towards the podium battle late in the race but finished fifth for the day, despite a tough day of battling.
“The racing was super tight today and I put myself in a good position late in the race—running fourth and close to third—but the dehydration and heat got to me and Strang was able to squeak by me on the last lap,” said Toth.
Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Lyndon Snodgrass grabbed his first-ever XC2 250 Pro class win with a sixth overall finish.
“I got out front on lap one and I actually made a few mistakes on one lap and crashed trying to get a bottle of water,” said Snodgrass. “The boys caught back up to me and then I put in a charge halfway around the last lap and got it back out to where I was comfortable and then just rolled towards the finish and brought it home. The heat was tough, but I just conserved enough energy to get to the finish and still be in the front, so I’m pumped with that.”
After getting off to a slow start, KLM Milwaukee GasGas’ Grant Baylor worked his way up into fifth at one point but settled into seventh at the finish.
Phoenix Honda Racing’s Ruy Barbosa came away with his best finish of the year by far. The Chilean was second in the XC2 250 Pro class with an eighth overall finish.
Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong was third XC2 250 Pro class rider and ninth overall, while Tely Energy Racing KTM’s Liam Draper rounded out 10th overall and fourth in the XC2 250 Pro class.
AmPro Yamaha’s Layne Michael and Coastal Racing GasGas’ Ricky Russell both jumped out into the lead at the start of the race, but Michael crashed on the opening lap and came in with an injured ankle, while Russell injured his hand and retired.
Meanwhile, Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Thad Duvall was slowed by a coolant leak.
Coastal Racing GasGas’ Ben Parsons claimed his second win in a row in the FMF XC3 125cc Pro-Am class, coming from behind to beat out Lojak Cycle Sales/Yamaha’s Chase Coleville and Husqvarna’s Jake Froman. Point leader Jonathan Johnson (Magna1 Motorsports/Husqvarna) was sixth.
Babs Racing Yamaha/Fly/Maxxis/Pro Circuit’s Becca Sheets held off charges by AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer and Enduro Engineering/FLY/KTM’s Mackenzie Tricker to win the XCW class. With the win, Sheets extended her lead to 14 points over Archer in the championship chase.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Tayla Jones was third ahead of early leader Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Korie Steede.
2021 GNCC Championship
Round 8
Mount Morris, Pennsylvania
RESULTS (June 7, 2021)
OVERALL (Top 10)
1. |
Steward Baylor |
(Yam) |
|
2. |
Ben Kelley |
(KTM) |
|
3. |
Jordan Ashburn |
(Hus) |
|
4. |
Josh Strang |
(Kaw) |
|
5. |
Josh Toth |
(KTM) |
|
6. |
Lyndon Snodgrass |
(Kaw) |
|
7. |
Grant Baylor |
(GG) |
|
8. |
Ruy Barbosa |
(Hon) |
|
9. |
Craig DeLong |
(Hus) |
|
10. |
Liam Draper |
(KTM) |
|