seven out of 10 wins during the
2024 season, he won't let his
competitors off easy in his jour-
ney to defend his title. The Con-
necticut native swapped posi-
tions with Baylor Jr. throughout
the entire day, taking the wins in
tests one and four.
"It was good," said Toth. "Stu
[Baylor Jr.] was ripping all day.
I felt good. The trails were fast
in a lot of sections but had a
lot of tight stuff, too, that was
just technical, especially with
the heat coming on. I felt good,
like I said. I was putting in good
tests all day, but Stu was there
and consistent and just ripping.
So yeah, no excuses. A new
back and forth in the off-season
[about paddle tires]. I felt like
when I made a mistake and
needed to recover, the paddle
tire was there. So, I ended up go
-
ing with the paddle tire. I heard a
rumor this was going to be tight
from some of the guys from
the dual sport last week. When
you get in those tight, twisty
sections of the track, it's easy
to make mistakes and figured it
would come in clutch."
Josh Toth, the 2024 season
champion who's since joined the
Rocky Mountain Red Bear Rac
-
ing Kawasaki Team alongside
Baylor Jr., finished just 32 sec-
onds from his teammate. With
(Left) The
defending champ,
Josh Toth, now
riding a Kawasaki,
was a close
second. (Below)
Ben Kelley, back
on form following
a lengthy injury,
filled out the
overall podium.
VOLUME ISSUE FEBRUARY , P83
