VOLUME 61 ISSUE 6 FEBRUARY 13, 2024 P63
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MACK FAINT
T
he opening round of the
2024 Red Line Oil AMA
National Enduro Series,
presented by Beta Motorcycles
and MSR, was the FMF Sumter
National Enduro. The event was
held near the Air Force base in
Sumter, South Carolina, where
sandy soil and epic conditions
met the riders as they began
the 2024 series.
Ryder Lafferty came into
the season ready to make a
statement, and he did just that,
winning five out of the six test
sections en route to a 43-sec-
ond margin of victory.
"I got second place here the
last two years," Lafferty said. "I
wanted to make sure I came in
and take a win away from the
Baylors."
Lafferty is continuing with the
Coastal GasGas Factory Racing
team and now holds the points
lead after the first round.
Second overall was Steward
Baylor Jr., onboard his new ride
with the newly formed Red Bear
Rocky Mountain Kawasaki team.
"I really made sure that we got
our team with the right equip-
ment and get the bike dialed in
so we can come out swinging in
the first round," Baylor said.
Steward was the only rider
who was able to take a test win
away from Lafferty, and that
happened in test five.
A new face to the National
Enduro scene was sprint enduro
specialist Johnny Girroir, who
took the final spot on the NE
Pro1 podium in third overall on
his Factory KTM. Girroir had a
get-off in the first test of the day
to put him in a hole early.
"It was a good day!" said Gir-
roir, who was aboard a KTM 350
XC-F. "I started off a little rough
with the first test with a mishap
when I hit something at speed,
then started flying through the
air. From there, I clawed my way
back all day and ended up on the
podium, so it was a good way to
start the series with FMF KTM
Factory Racing, and I'm looking
forward to the next one now."
LAFFERTY
COMES OUT
RYDER LAFFERTY WINS THE OPENING ROUND OF THE 2024
AMA NATIONAL ENDURO CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
RYDER LAFFERTY WINS THE OPENING ROUND OF THE 2024
Swinging
