nia rider was just nine seconds
out of third on Sunday, and like
Duvall, was able to pick up the
pace on the final day of racing.
Toth is still adapting to the sprint
format but is showing progress
with each round.
Jordan Ashburn made it two
Babbitt's Monster Energy Kawa-
sakis in the top five.
Evan Smith (Husqvarna/Max
Motorsports/FXR FC 250) was
sixth place, which was also good
enough for first in the Pro2 class.
This is Smith's second-straight
win in the division, although it
didn't come without a struggle.
The Georgia rider crashed hard
in Saturday's final test, and he
and his bike came to rest in a
deep mud hole, losing valuable
time getting back in the race. As
a result, Smith finished second
on Saturday in the Pro2 class be-
hind Beta USA's Mike Witkowski,
but roared back to take Sunday's
win and first overall for the class.
Trail Jesters Racing KTM's
Ben Kelley finished 13 seconds
behind Smith to claim seventh
overall, while Andrew DeLong
put his Phoenix Racing Honda
into eighth.
Beta USA teammates Cody
Barnes and Mike Witkowski were
ninth and 10th, respectively.
Witkowski lost the momentum he
gained from winning Saturday's
Pro2 class when he dislocated
his shoulder on Sunday. He
reportedly popped the shoulder
back in place and was able to
finish. Barnes and Witkowski
were also second and third over-
all in the Pro2 class.
Craig DeLong turned some
heads with a stellar performance
in the mud on Saturday. The
Coastal Racing Husqvarna-
backed Pennsylvanian raced
a 250 at the first round of the
series, but showed up in Georgia
on a 350 and came away with a
test win on Saturday and finished
third for the day.
"I'm not sure what got into me,
but I was riding good," said De-
Long. "Switching to a 350 made
a big difference, and I just tried
to not over-shoot any turns and
be as smooth as I could."
Unfortunately, DeLong suf-
fered a shoulder injury and was
forced to drop out of Sunday's
round.
In the Women's Pro division,
Husqvarna-backed Tayla Jones
took the overall win by 48 sec-
onds over Mackenzie Tricker.
Ohio's Becca Sheets was third,
with Shelby Rolen in fourth.
The new Pro-Am class was
won by RJ Cook on a KTM,
with Brewer Cawley (Yamaha)
and Conner Smith (Husqvarna)
in second and third. This class
serves as a stepping-stone for
amateur riders to move into the
pro classes. CN
OVERALL
1. Kailub Russell (KTM)
2. Josh Strang (Kaw)
3. Thad Duvall (Hus)
4. Josh Toth (KTM)
5. Jordan Ashburn (Kaw)
6. Evan Smith (Hus)
7. Ben Kelley (KTM)
8. Andrew DeLong (Hus)
9. Cody Barnes (Bet)
10. Mike Witkowski (Bet)
IN
THE
WIND
P52
Tayla Jones was perfect
in the Women's class,
winning all tests.
