for fifth place."
For the first three laps of the
race the XC2 250 Pro class was
a tight battle between FMF/
Husqvarna's Evan Smith, who
grabbed the holeshot, Babbitts
Online/Monster Energy/Kawa-
saki Team Green Lyndon Snod-
grass, Coastal Racing GasGas'
Ryder Lafferty and Phoenix
Honda Racing's Cody Barnes.
However, when Barnes finally
got into the lead he checked
out, claiming a sixth-overall finish
which was good enough for first
in the XC2 250 Pro division. It
was Barnes' first win in the class.
"I knew it was slick out there
and a lot of the guys were slid-
ing around and crashing, so I
ning into the back of somebody.
I got hung up and had to make
another run at it and it covered
my goggles and gloves in mud.
It was super difficult for a lap and
a half, but then after pitting, I felt
good and fresh and fought to the
end for fourth."
Rev Motorsports GasGas'
Grant Baylor also had problems
with the mud en route to fifth.
"I went down on lap four, over
the bars into a mudhole and got
my gloves kind of muddy, and I
lost a bit of time," said Baylor. "I
tried to get back up and salvage
third place, but Jordan and Josh
just came up on me and went fly-
ing by me. I didn't have anything
for those guys. So, we rode it in
the race. That's what we've been
working on this year. So, we'll
keep on it."
Just missing the podium was
FMF/KTM's Josh Toth, who ran
as high as second early in the
race but had to make two pit
stops for clean goggles, as well
as losing time when he got stuck
on the side of a hill. Toth made
a strong push on the final lap to
make up ground and managed
to salvage fourth.
"I just stayed behind the lead-
er, but I kept getting hammered
with roost and went through all
my tear-offs, so I had to stop
for goggles after lap one," said
Toth. "Then, I hit a short hill
climb and made a mistake run-
ROUND 7 / MAY 22, 2022
SUNDAY CREEK RACEWAY / MILLFIELD, OHIO
P84
OFF-ROAD I GRAND NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY SERIES
Jordan Ashburn got on the podium in third.
