OFF-ROAD
KENDA AMA NATIONAL ENDURO CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 1 / FEBRUARY 3, 2019
WEDGEFIELD, SOUTH CAROLINA
P68
ditions make up some of my favorite style
terrain to ride. I caught a flow early on and
rode well all day. The last three tests went
well, too, with good times and I was stoked
to be in the top five."
This year's Sumter Enduro was highly
anticipated since it marked the 50th anni-
versary of the event, and the SERMA Club
did not disappoint, putting on a near-perfect
event. The turnout was massive, as well,
with over 800 riders filling the start grids.
In fact, the Sumter National event sold out
within 10 minutes after signup opened on
the internet.
After getting off to a slow start, Baylor
moved ahead of Evan Smith (Husqvarna/
Max Motorsports/FXR Racing) to finish
second. Baylor has been dealing with a
nagging knee injury, and he made things
worse when he took a practice crash a
week before the Sumter race.
"I tried to keep my knee a secret from the
competition but the word got out this week
so I had to admit to it," said Baylor. "It's just
been dogging me and mainly it played with
my head. I started the day off riding very
tight and almost with a mental block and
I really found myself struggling in the first
half. But for the final half of the race, I was
able to turn the day around and win the final
three tests but it just wasn't enough to close
the gap that I had lost in the first three."
Smith matched a career-best with his
third-place finish.
"I rode tight most of the day and I just
didn't have that comfort level I was looking
for, but I think I was capable of going faster,"
said Smith. "I had a couple of crashes that
cost me some time, but I picked up some
good lines and for the most part it was a
clean day. I was ahead of Steward going
into the last test, but I jammed my wrist and
struggled to hold on."
Evan Smith matched a career high third.
