the whole day. He would make a
mistake and then I would get in
the lead, and then I would make
a mistake and he would get in
the lead. Me and him just kind of
went back and forth. Then last
lap, it was a dogfight between
me and him. It was gnarly.
Draper came home in sixth
overall and second XC2 250 Pro
rider.
Seventh overall and fifth XC1
rider was DeLong. "It was a
mediocre day here in Ohio, noth
-
ing overly special," said DeLong.
"I sat in the midfield for most
of the day, then made a good
charge to third on the last lap.
It felt good that I was charging,
but I just ended up stuck on the
hill at the end and lost touch
fourth overall, only 1.6 seconds
behind Girroir. Meanwhile, XC2
250 Pro rider Phoenix Honda
Racing's Cody Barnes was first
in class with a fifth overall,
battling down to the wire with
AmPro Yamaha's Liam Draper
and winning by 1.07 seconds.
"Liam passed me with about
a mile to go and then I passed
and got him back three corners
later," said Barnes. "So, it was
less than a mile. It was a hard-
fought day, but it was a good
day for me. We got a decent
start and kind of just tagged
along with those front guys. The
Penton section was gnarly and
there were a couple people that
made mistakes and stuff. I kind
of just tag-teamed with Liam
went around and Ashburn made
that pass. It was a way long line
to go around."
Johnny Girroir wrestled away
the final podium spot, making
passes on Strang and DeLong in
the final miles of the course to
do so.
"It feels great to finish on the
podium here in Ohio," said Girroir.
"I made a few mistakes and re
-
ally had to put the hammer down
on the final lap to get by Strang.
To be on the box is awesome, as
we're building momentum, which
feels good. Getting closer to 100
percent, so I'm excited to keep
moving forward and finishing out
the championship strong."
Strang, who won the last two
John Penton races, was a strong
ROUND 7 / MAY 21, 2023
MILLFIELD, OHIO
OFF-ROAD I GRAND NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY SERIES
P82
Cody Barnes (99) was the top finishing
XC2 rider in fifth overall.
