Strang [Sherco], but then he
had a bike issue. I laid down a
heater on that last lap, and I was
getting close to third but didn't
quite make it."
AmPro Yamaha's Ricky Rus
-
sell rode an error-free ride for
fifth overall.
Meanwhile, Toby
Cleveland (Husqvarna) had the
ride of a lifetime with a sixth
overall finish and first in the XC2
250 Pro class.
"I didn't expect to win today,"
said Cleveland. "I came into
that second turn on the XC2
start and got pushed out wide,
and then I was second into the
woods. I was like, 'Today's my
day.' I put the hammer down
and got in the lead. I caught the
year with another podium and go
into 2025 on a roll."
FXR/Husqvarna's Evan Smith
earned a career-best fourth-
overall finish with a superb ride
in the dusty conditions.
"I was maybe fourth or fifth
into the woods and ran with
those guys for a couple miles,
but it was so dusty that I had
a couple of big moments and
decided that I wasn't going to
risk it anymore," said Smith. "I
rode consistent until I got some
clean air, and then I turned it up.
I got challenged from three or
four different riders and kind of
bounced around from third to
seventh. Then I had a fall on the
fifth lap and got behind Josh
XC1 Pro class. At the Iron
-
man, Draper overcame several
crashes
to finish in the runner-
up slot.
"I got off to a pretty decent
start. I think I was fifth, and then
I passed Witkowski to get into
fourth," said Draper. "I knew Craig
was going to be good here and
that he was out front. I knew I
had to get by Lyndon before Craig
checked out. I made some quick
passes and found myself up with
Lyndon and Craig, but I had a
crash, and then I crashed again.
I was like, 'Man, that's going be
tough to catch up.' So I just rode
smart, because the silt was way
worse than I thought it was going
to be. I'm just happy to finish the
ROUND 13 / OCTOBER 27, 2024
IRONMAN RACEWAY / CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA
OFF-ROAD I PROGRESSIVE GRAND NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY SERIES, PRESENTED BY SPECIALIZED
P86
New York's Toby
Cleveland (213)
topped the XC2 class
in sixth overall.
