Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1489777
VOLUME ISSUE JANUARY , P79 Despite all the injuries, Baylor doesn't think he takes any more chances than any other rider. "I've been racing for 22 years, and out of the 22 years I've been racing, I've broken one bone," said Baylor. "I've dislocated both my shoulders, though. The issue with me is I was riding with a dislocated shoulder injury, and I wasn't getting it fixed for the first two years; 2016 and 2017, I rode with my shoulder just popping out at random points. I would fall down, and it would pop out, or it would pop out while I was sleeping. Just anytime." In 2019, Baylor broke his hand about halfway through the season but still rode in Indiana. "It was super muddy that day," said Baylor. "We threw a Rekluse on the bike and kind of thought I would just kind of hold on and not clutch it for the day and round it out. Turns out, my mechanic put the wrong bolts in the clutch there and ended up chewing a hole through the outer clutch cover and locking my engine up. I think it was after three or four tests. But I was running in the top five overall. We've always kind of ridden with injuries. That was my experience dealing with the injuries. After that, I've been healthy. I just had some struggles with the team in 2020 and 2021. I was still able to win the championship in 2020, but it's just been a struggle the last few years." In addition to being wicked fast in tight woods, the Baylor brothers are just two of a handful of riders who can ride a 450 in the tight stuff. "Back in 2014, I was in XC2 and running a 250 two-stroke, and then I would run the following weekend in enduros on the 450," said Baylor. "That was at that time I was with KTM, and they also had the 350. I had ridden all the bikes and for me at that point, it was down between the 300 two-stroke and the 450. So, obviously I like the power of the 450 when it came down to those two bikes. I had ridden all the bikes and tested them all. I rode the 350 in the tight woods. The 350 feels light in the tight woods. It feels nimble. You can throw it around back and forth underneath of you really easy compared to the 450. But just doing lap times, and the way I felt on the bike, I just felt way more consistent, and my times were more consistent at the time on the big bike. I believe I was just faster all around on the 450. So, I went the way that I felt comfortable. I've never looked back since then. I've been on the 450 ever since. "I remember that year in XC2. I didn't even ride my two-stroke during the week. I'd go home and I'd ride the 450 the whole week, head to the GNCC, rip the two-stroke, and then just felt like I didn't have anything underneath me. I felt like I was the man on the 450. I could just hold it wide open and throw it around, do whatever I want. Ever since then, I've been a 450 guy. I like it in that low power range and kind of lug it and keep the wheels rolling." Baylor has adapted his style over the years to be smooth on a 450. "The way that the whole chassis tightens up," said Baylor. "The higher you rev the engine, the tighter your chassis gets. I like to just ride that thing super smooth. That way my whole bike is work - (Above) Grant clinched the 2022 title in Oklahoma. (Left) Grant won the 2022 National Enduro Championship riding a privateer GasGas. This year, he's got factory backing from Kawasaki.