XC2 250 Pro class win of the
season.
"I got into the lead in my
class about four turns into the
race, and then I just tried to pin
it to get to the backmarkers of
the XC1 class," said Davis. "I
started picking them off slowly
and got into third physically
on track. I could see Liam and
Ben ahead of me in
some sections and
knew it was like 30-
40 seconds ahead
on adjusted time.
On the last lap, I
clipped a tree and
broke my zip-tie
off my front brake
handguard, causing
me to crash three
times. Other than
that, I'm happy with
how I rode."
Having won the
inaugural Talladega
GNCC in Alabama
three weeks ago,
Red Bear Rocky
Mountain Kawasa
-
ki's Steward Baylor
Jr. managed a
third-place finish in
the XC1 class and
fourth overall.
"It was a brawl,"
said Baylor. "My bike flamed out
on the start, leaving me mid
-
pack. I was 40 seconds behind
on lap one and just trying to get
to the front. I've been sick all
week and did what I could but
physically couldn't ride any
-
more."
FMF KTM Factory Racing
Team Landers' Angus Riordan
and Phoenix Honda Racing's
Yamaha rider until the penulti
-
mate lap when he made a pass
for the lead. At the finish, Kelley
took the win, with Draper in
second and Davis finishing third
overall and first in the XC2 250
Pro division.
"I was feeling good, and the
bike was amazing," said Draper.
"I pulled a lead and got it out to
about 25 seconds on lap two,
and then I got a pit board saying
Ben was coming. I'm like, 'Man,
this is going to be a tough race
if BK's coming,' because I know
the guy's in good shape, and
he's going to be tough. He was
crushing me in the open parts,
and then I was getting him back
in the woods. There was a dog
-
fight all the way to the end."
Kelley came away with a six-
point lead in the series stand
-
ings over FMF KTM Factory
Racing Team Landers' Grant
Davis, who led the race until the
final lap.
"This was the hardest I've
had to race in years," said Kel
-
ley. "It was a nonstop fight not
only physically against Liam
but against the clock with Grant
Davis as well. I was aggressive
and got by a few guys to get to
third behind Kailub. Finally, I ran
down Liam and made the pass
with two laps to go. I pulled a
little bit of a gap, but then he
was on me, just on my rear
wheel, maybe two seconds the
rest of the race. I was so tired
out there but just kept pushing
and pushing."
Davis suffered a few crashes
on the last lap, he would come
through to grab third overall on
the day and his third-straight
VOLUME ISSUE APRIL , P45
Cody Barnes battled the entire
race for second in the XC2 250
Pro class, with Riordan coming
out on top by just a few yards
over Barnes to finish second in
class and fifth overall.
Barnes was third in XC2 and
sixth overall.
Seventh overall (and fourth
XC1) went to Phoenix Honda Rac
-
ing's Mike Witkowski, who ran in
the top three early in the race.
After running in second for
the first half of the race, AmPro
Yamaha's Kailub Russell finished
eighth overall and fifth in XC1.
Red Bear Rocky Mountain
Kawasaki's Josh Toth also ran
Grant Davis won the XC2 class
and was third overall.
