ing Ashburn's pace and waiting
for the right moment, while the
fight for third tightened just sec-
onds behind.
In the XC2 division, Liqui Moly
Beta's Jhak Walker closed in on
class leader Phoenix Honda Rac
-
ing's Gus Riordan, with Husqvar-
na's Toby Cleveland holding
third. Meanwhile, Baylor began
to charge forward, pressuring
Draper as Ashburn maintained
control up front.
The race turned on lap three.
Davis closed to striking distance
and made a forceful pass for the
lead at the two-mile mark. Once
out front, he immediately opened
the gap, cutting 30 seconds off
his previous lap time. Witkows
-
ki's early pace faded, allowing
Kelley to move into third before
Baylor surged past both Kelley
and Ashburn to take second at
the halfway point.
Davis was in a class of his
own. Entering the weekend with
two 11th-place finishes and a
second at Talladega, he pro
-
duced his most dominant ride of
the season, setting the fastest
lap on lap four and stretching his
lead to more than a minute. At
the two-hour mark, Baylor moved
into second and began closing
the gap, but heartbreak struck on
the final lap when a mechanical
issue forced him out of the race.
Baylor's misfortune promoted
Draper to second and Kelley to
third, allowing Kelley to retain the
series points lead. Davis crossed
the line first, earning his maiden
victory of the season by one
minute, 51 seconds.
"I jumped to the 450 for this
race and felt really comfortable,"
VOLUME ISSUE MARCH , P45
Liam Draper's second
overall moves him into
the runner-up spot in
the points standings.
Ben Kelley held onto
the points lead with his
third overall finish.
