Shan Moore | July 29, 2021
2021 Rattlesnake AMA National Enduro Highlights Video
Josh Toth captured his second straight win in the AMA National Enduro Championship after a strong performance at Rattlesnake National Enduro in Cross Fork, Pennsylvania, July 25. The FMF/KTM rider won two of the six tests and beat out series points leader Steward Baylor (AmPro Yamaha) by just over 34 seconds for the victory.
Toth finished fifth in the opening test, but picked up momentum as the day wore on, finishing third in test two, and second in test three, before winning tests four and five. A solid runner-up finish in the sixth and final test behind Steward was more than enough to seal the victory.
“It was a good day,” said Toth. “Actually, I rode pretty conservative and just stayed off the ground—I never went down once. I just focused on staying smooth. I was fifth in the first test, but from there on it got rockier; and the rockier it got, the better I got.”
With the win, Toth moved into second place in the series standings behind Steward. Steward’s brother, Grant (KLM/Milwaukee/GasGas), came into the event sitting in second overall in the standings but suffered a DNF after he injured his collarbone in test three and was forced to drop out.
With four rounds remaining, Steward leads the standings with 135 points, followed by Toth with 109 and Grant with 101.
Steward mixed it up with Toth and FMF/KTM’s Ben Kelley for most of the day and entered the final test of the race sitting in third, just a few seconds behind Kelley. However, the South Carolina rider turned in a blistering ride to win the final test, moving him into second overall ahead of Kelley in the final results.
“I really had a solid day, all in all. We just had some issues,” said Steward. “I burnt up a clutch in the fifth test. Just a couple mistakes on my end.”
Kelley finished out the podium in third for his best finish of the season.
After kicking off the year with a podium (third place at Sumter), Craig DeLong got back on track with a fourth overall in Pennsylvania. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider started fast and maintained a strong pace all day.
Beta USA’s Thorn Devlin switched from a two-stroke to a four-stroke for the PA event and promptly turned in his best finish of the season with fifth overall.
Trevor Bollinger, fourth at the previous round in Georgia, got off to a quick start with a win in the opening test of the day, which was a first for him. In the end, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider settled for sixth.
XC Gear/Enduro Engineering/Moose Racing/Husqvarna’s Ryder Lafferty was fourth-fastest in test five and spent most of the day hovering around seventh, which is where he finished overall.
After missing the previous round with a hand injury, Coastal Racing GasGas’ Ricky Russell returned to action with an eighth overall finish.
Husqvarna/Max Motorsports/FXR Racing’s Evan Smith turned in a solid ride which left him with a ninth overall.
Trail Jesters Racing KTM’s Jesse Ansley remained perfect in the NE Pro2 division with his fifth win in five rounds, which also put him in 10th overall.
AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer swept all five tests to win the Women’s Elite class, beating Enduro Engineering/Fly Racing KTM’s Mackenzie Tricker by over four minutes.
Rachel Gutish finished third on a privateer Husqvarna, with Brooke Cosner finishing fourth on a GasGas.
Eight-time AMA National Enduro champ Mike Lafferty (KTM) made a rare appearance and came away with the win in the AA class. Lafferty’s finish put him 13th overall.
AMA National Enduro Championship Results (July 25, 2021)
Round 5
Rattlesnake National Enduro
Cross Fork, Pennsylvania
OVERALL
- Josh Toth (KTM)
- Steward Baylor (Yam)
- Ben Kelley (KTM)
- Craig DeLong (Hus)
- Thorn Devlin (Bet)
- Trevor Bollinger (Hus)
- Ryder Lafferty (Hus)
- Ricky Russell (GG)
- Evan Smith (Hus)
- Jesse Ansley (KTM)
Click here for complete 2021 Rattlesnake National Enduro results.