| August 26, 2021
FMF/KTM’s Ben Kelley claimed his first AMA National Enduro Series win of the 2021 season with a consistent performance at this weekend’s Lumberjack Enduro in Bergholz, Ohio, August 22. Despite not winning a test all day, Kelley topped AmPro Yamaha’s Steward Baylor by 11.477 seconds for the overall.
VIDEO | 2021 Lumberjack AMA National Enduro
With the win, Kelley became the fourth different winner in the six rounds held so far this year. The win was also Kelley’s first since the 2019 season.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Kelley. “The climbs were huge. Everything was on a hill, so you had to be cautious and try not to slide off the trail. A lot of off-cambers, deep ups and downs. I’m happy to get a National Enduro win, especially since they’re not my strong suit. A little surprise for me, but I’m pumped to get the win.”
Baylor won two of the six tests en route to the runner-up slot. He extended his lead in the championship chase to 39 points with just three rounds remaining. Baylor was fast, as usual, but missed an arrow in test one, which got him off on the wrong foot.
“The last few races I’ve been trying to really start my day off with a good first test, but after that, that kind of just really frustrated me,” said Baylor.
Josh Toth appeared to be heading for a third-straight win, with a strong lead after three tests. However, the FMF/KTM rider buried his bike in a creek in test four and lost over five minutes pumping the water out of the engine.
“About halfway into test four, I came to a water crossing and hit a bad line where it was getting kind of deep and I committed. It was only about a foot or two across to go onto this riverbank. I tried to take a wheelie into it, and it just dropped off waist-deep. Just murky water, so you really couldn’t tell how deep it was going to be and unfortunately, it got me.”
Craig DeLong seems to be getting his enduro legs under him. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider was in the battle for first place with Kelley and Baylor heading into the final test but came up just short and had to settle for third.
It was kind of a bit of a nail-biter there at the end,” said DeLong. “We weren’t sure how it turned out at the finish. I knew we were going to be on the podium, but we were in the hunt for the win.”
DeLong’s Rockstar Energy Husqvarna teammate Trevor Bollinger had another stellar day, finishing fourth.
“I felt good in the first couple tests, but I had a few crashes the last three tests,” said Bollinger. “It just sucks I had those crashes. I feel like I could have been on the podium or even been in the fight to win the thing. But we’re in the right direction. We’ve just got to clean up a few things.”
Coastal Racing GasGas’ Ricky Russell parleyed a consistent ride into a top-five finish, finishing fifth in four of the six tests.
It seems that Jesse Ansley can have a bad day and still win the NE Pro 2 class. The Trail Jesters Racing KTM rider now has six-straight Pro 2 wins and was a solid sixth in Ohio.
“My riding wasn’t the best,” said Ansley, “I just couldn’t really find that flow like I needed to. Me and this terrain here don’t really gel that well. That’s something I need to work on for sure for the future.”
XC Gear/Enduro Engineering/Moose Racing/Husqvarna’s Ryder Lafferty bounced between sixth and seventh all race and finished off the day in seventh overall.
Former pro motocrosser Broc Hepler made a rare National Enduro appearance and came away with a respectable eighth overall and second in the NE Pro 2 class.
Seven-Sixty Husqvarna’s Ben Nelko, who won the NE Pro 2 class in Ohio last year, battled with Ansley for first in the class. In the end, Nelko was ninth overall and third NE Pro 2 rider.
Toth rounded out the top 10 after his mishap in the creek.
KLM/GasGas’ Grant Baylor separated his shoulder at the previous round and sat out Ohio, which allowed Kelley to pass him in the series standings.
With three rounds remaining, Stew Baylor leads with 160 points, followed by Ben Kelley with 121, Josh Toth with 120 and Grant Baylor with 101.
Despite crashing in the first two tests, Rachael Archer (AmPro Yamaha) won three of five tests to top the Women’s Elite class.
“I had no idea where I was sitting, so I just pinned it every test,” said Archer. “I ran into some lap traffic and got tangled up. Then I managed to get out of it the next three tests and take the win.”
Enduro Engineering/Fly Racing KTM’s Mackenzie Tricker won the remaining two tests and finished second.
“It was a really good day honestly, until the last test,” said Tricker. “I got stuck on the last hill right at the end of the test. I got to the top of the hill and it was the end. I ended up losing a minute and a half, which I think ended up messing up my day. I was leading going into that test. Honestly, I worked really hard since Pennsylvania. I made some big improvements and I was able to compete with Rachael today.”
FXR/KTM’s Shelby Turner finished third, ahead of Kawasaki riders Rachel Gutish and Kori Steede.
Shan Moore
2021 KENDA AMA National Enduro Championship Series, Presented By Moose Racing
Round 6
Lumberjack National
Ohio Valley Trail Riders
LOC: Bergholz, OH
RESULTS (August 22, 2021)
OVERALL
OVERALL
1. |
Ben Kelley |
(KTM) |
2. |
Steward Baylor |
(Yam) |
3. |
Craig DeLong |
(Hus) |
4. |
Trevor Bollinger |
(Hus) |
5. |
Ricky Russell |
(GG) |
6. |
Jesse Ansley |
(KTM) |
7. |
Ryder Lafferty |
(Hus) |
8. |
Broc Hepler |
(Kaw) |
9. |
Ben Nelko |
(Hus) |
10. |
Josh Toth |
(KTM) |