Shan Moore | September 20, 2023
“As much as it hurts and pisses me off to get second, that was a fun battle,” said Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig DeLong after a muddy and rocky back-and-forth battle with title rival Steward Baylor. The two entered round 10 of 12 tied at the top of the overall standings, but Baylor left town with a five-point advantage as well as a lot of momentum heading into the next-to-last round in Newburg, West Virginia, after snatching the win from DeLong by eight seconds.
Photography by Ken Hill
“I really thought I could break Craig and that was the intention, but we were tit-for-tat all race,” said the Tely Energy Racing/Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/KTM Racing-backed Baylor. “We were constantly back and forth for the lead on those last two laps. You could have thrown a blanket over the two of us, and all it would have taken was one mistake to determine the outcome for either of us. I put down a heater with two to go, trying to get a gap on those guys and I looked back, and there was Craig and I thought, ‘Shoot, he’s matching me!’ I knew then it was going to be a fight. Hat’s off to Craig for a tough race; this championship is going to come down to the wire.”
DeLong still had his sights on Baylor at the finish. “That was a wild race; the first lap was just feeling the track out,” said DeLong, who grabbed the lead from FXR/GasGas’ Layne Michael and AmPro Yamaha’s Ricky Russell at the end of lap one and held it until the final two laps. That’s when he and Baylor started battling in earnest.
“Ricky got off in the lead, but Stew and I started going back and forth for second, and I knew it was going to be a battle to the end,” DeLong said. “When we got to the pit stop, it got to be Stew and I battling for the lead. We went back and forth so many times. He’d go to one side of the track, and I’d go to the other, and it just depended on which line was better, who came out with the lead. I got kind of a run on him on the last lap and got right up on him on a long straight, and I kind of hesitated on my pass. I should have just stuck with it. After that, I was taking a lot of roost, and I had to ditch my goggles and that was it.”
Ricky Russell jumped into the physical lead as soon as the XC1 class hit the woods for the first time. The AmPro Yamaha rider led most of the first lap, taking advantage of clean vision. After dropping to third and then having trouble on the final two laps, Russell finished third.
“This was a wild adventure,” said Russell. “I got off to a decent start and was able to kind of pick my way through. There were a lot of places to make mistakes, so I was being patient. Then, before I knew it, I was in the lead. Just like last year, I was kind of managing my race, and then, like last year, with two laps to go, I started making mistakes. I got stuck and fell over, lost my brakes, and then my bike kept dying on the last lap. It’s not a win, but we’re back on the box, and after the year we’ve had, I’ll take it. This whole year, I’ve been trying to get used to the new bike, and I think we are getting it dialed in.”
FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley was fourth. “Track conditions were crazy and always changing with heavy rain on and off throughout the day,” said Kelley. “I was mid-pack off the start but got shuffled back in the early laps. I was trying to preserve my goggles as I hoped it would benefit me in the long run, but with the harsh conditions it didn’t work out and vision was low. I mounted a charge the last two laps and worked my way up to the wheel of the third-place rider late on the last lap and I made a few pass attempts, but nothing stuck. My last effort to pass resulted in a crash and me crossing the line in fourth.”
Defending GNCC Champion, Magna1 Racing Husqvarna’s Jordan Ashburn came in a minute behind Kelley to round out the top five.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Trevor Bollinger was sixth. “I had so much fun today,” said Bollinger. “I haven’t finished too many races this year, so my goal coming in was to finish and have fun at the same time. I got off to a good start, and from there, I got shuffled back a little, then finally got comfortable in the middle of the race and was able to put on a charge.”
Jonathan Johnson had to be smiling when he woke up to rain at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Beckley, West Virginia. The Beta USA rider is known for his mud-riding skills and put them to good use to claim his first-ever XC2 250 Pro class victory and seventh overall. Johnson grabbed the holeshot to start the race, and except for a brief period behind AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper, Johnson led the XC2 class the entire way. In fact, Johnson led even the XC1 riders on adjusted time for the first two laps of the race.
“I got out front and did a good just of managing the race,” said Johnson. “Liam got around me early on the first lap, but he slid off in a hole and I got the lead again.”
RPM Racing’s Angus Riordan, AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper (Yam) and Phoenix Honda’s Mike Witkowski rounded out the top 10. Riordan, Draper and Witkowski were also second, third and fourth in the XC2 250 Pro ranks.
Dakota Devore (KTM) claimed his third win of the season in the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class. Sawyer Carrature finished second with fellow Yamaha rider Drew Callaway another six minutes back.
AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer successfully defended her title, wrapping up the WXC Pro Women’s race three races early by topping Over and Under GasGas’ Rachel Gutish by three minutes and 14 seconds at the finish.
Still nursing a sore wrist, Trail Jesters Racing KTM’s Korie Steede was third, another three minutes back, with Raines Yamaha’s Prestin Raines in fourth. CN
OVERALL
- Steward Baylor (KTM)
- Craig DeLong (Hus)
- Ricky Russell (Yam)
- Ben Kelley (KTM)
- Jordan Ashburn (Hus)
- Trevor Bollinger (Hus)
- Jonathan Johnson (Bet) XC2
- Angus Riordan (KTM) XC2
- Liam Draper (Yam) XC2
- Mike Witkowski (Hon) XC2