Round seven of the Red Line Oils American National Enduro Championship, presented by MSR, brought the series to Rhode Island for the Yamaha New England National Enduro on August 23, where rain turned an already challenging New England course into one of the toughest races of the season.
Story by Tyler Shepardson | Photos by Art Pepin
After issues with the land originally laid out for the race, the Hoot Owl Scramblers had to scramble to put together an entirely different track on short notice. Unlike a traditional ANEC, the race consisted of three tests, each ridden twice, making the final three tests of the day even more challenging.
FMF/Red Bull KTM’s Grant Davis emerged from the six-test battle with his first career National Enduro overall victory, while Liqui Moly Beta’s Jhak Walker swept Pro2 and Rockstar Husqvarna’s Korie Steede kept her perfect Pro Women season alive.
Davis came out swinging, winning the opening three tests of the day and building an early advantage before conditions continued to deteriorate. As the rain moved in and the course broke down, Davis found himself under pressure from a hard-charging Steward Baylor Jr but held on to claim both the Pro1 and overall victories.
“This is my first-ever overall win in a National Enduro, so it’s pretty cool,” Davis said. “It was pretty gnarly there at the end. I honestly don’t know how Stew was going so fast because I was on the edge of death and he was still beating me.”
Davis’s day wasn’t without adversity. A collision with another rider in test five sent him into a mudhole and buried his KTM nearly to the seat, but he recovered and maintained enough of his advantage to earn the win.
Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Red Bear Kawasaki’s Steward Baylor finished second overall and second in Pro1 after turning his day around in the second half of the race. Baylor struggled with setup early, but a switch back to the tire he had tested earlier in the week helped him find his pace as he swept the final three tests.
“We missed the mark, and I learned throughout the day,” Baylor said. “We went back to the basics and went to a normal tire and were able to close out with three test wins consecutively, but I just put myself in too much of a hole early on.”
Baylor called the final test one of the three most difficult sections he has raced in a National Enduro and praised the Hoot Owl Scramblers for organizing the event on short notice.
AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper rounded out the overall and Pro1 podium while maintaining the championship points lead with two rounds remaining. Draper described the event as one of the toughest enduros he has raced, especially as riders encountered the deteriorating course for a second time.
“The track got pretty blown apart there, but it was a good points day,” Draper said. “That last test was pretty gnarly. The people that finished that test deserve a pat on the back.”
Liqui Moly Beta’s Jhak Walker continued his impressive run through the Pro2 division with a perfect day, winning all six tests to claim another class victory. Coming off his historic overall victory at the previous round, Walker once again mixed it up near the front of the overall standings despite racing unfamiliar New England terrain.
Walker credited his success to staying calm and avoiding the temptation to override as the course became increasingly difficult.
“Once I get stressed about results, that’s when everything goes downhill,” Walker said. “I just make sure I’m staying calm, hitting my marks and not overriding. You take the track piece by piece and it all comes together at the end of the day.”
FMF/Red Bull KTM’s Jason Tino finished second and retained the Pro2 points lead after another consistent performance. Tino stayed smooth as the rain transformed the second set of tests, comparing the deteriorating conditions to racing at Snowshoe GNCC.
Ryan Piper completed the Pro2 podium despite a massive crash in test two that left his motorcycle damaged. Piper managed to get the bike to the finish of the test before making repairs and shifting his focus toward staying off the ground as conditions worsened.
Rockstar Husqvarna’s Korie Steede once again found herself in the center of the podium, extending her undefeated season to seven straight victories and clinching the Women’s Championship.
Steede enjoyed the faster conditions early before the rain completely changed the conditions of the track. By the second half of the day, simply reaching the finish became a challenge.
“The first two tests, I was having a ball out there,” Steede said. “After that rain, I was fighting for my life. It was probably just as bad as Snowshoe, if not worse. I just tried to keep pushing forward, look ahead and get to the checkered flag.”
Enduro Engineering Triumph’s Shelby Turner put her technical riding skills to work as conditions deteriorated, taking three test wins on her way to second in Pro Women. Turner found another gear when the rain arrived and kept mistakes to a minimum through the final sections.
Kayla O’Neill rounded out the Pro Women podium with an impressive finish. Like Turner, O’Neill found herself enjoying the increasingly difficult conditions and dug deep through the closing tests to earn her spot on the podium.
“I really didn’t think I was going to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but suddenly it was there, and I made it,” O’Neill said.
With seven rounds complete, Draper and Tino carry their respective championship leads into the final two rounds, while Steede remains perfect in Pro Women. CN
2026 American National Enduro Round 7 Results
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Grant Davis (KTM)
- Steward Baylor Jr (Kaw)
- Liam Draper (Yam)
- Josh Toth (Kaw)
- Jhak Walker (Bet)
- Grant Baylor (Kaw)
- Craig DeLong (Hus)
- Ryder Lafferty (Hon)
- Jason Tino (KTM)
- Evan Smith (KTM)
