make it to the pits, I'd have an
advantage on those last two
laps with a fresh tire. And that's
what we did. We did a lot of work
this week. I think my mechanic
is better than anybody at chang
-
ing tires at this point. I think we
went through 16 or 17 tires while
practicing quick changes, and it
paid off."
Rain began to fall as the top
riders lined up for the start.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna's
Craig DeLong grabbed the hole
-
shot ahead of Baylor and Ash-
burn as 54 rows of five headed
onto Snowshoe Resort's scenic
ski slopes for the first time.
Baylor didn't waste time, tak
-
ing the lead just after navigating
the always muddy and treacher-
ous Howard's Hole, and eventu-
ally dropped DeLong, Ashburn,
AmPro Yamaha's Liam Draper
and FMF KTM Factory Racing's
Ben Kelley by 52 seconds near
the end of the lap. Meanwhile,
Liqui Moly Beta's Jhak Walker
and Phoenix Honda Racing's An
-
gus Riordan battled for the top
spot in the XC2 250 Pro division.
The race order shifted dra
-
matically once Baylor made his
crucial pit stop for fresh rubber.
Ashburn capitalized on the tim
-
ing to move into the lead, with
Riordan slotting into second.
Baylor's wheel change dropped
him to third, while Walker ad
-
vanced to fourth ahead of Grant
Baylor in fifth. DeLong, mean-
while, fell back to ninth after also
opting for a fresh tire.
Steward's strategy quickly
paid dividends. By the six-mile
mark of lap four, Ashburn had
slipped behind as Steward
capitalized on his added traction
to reclaim control of the race.
At the same time, Walker and
Riordan's XC2 battle intensified,
drawing Grant into a three-way
fight for third place.
It was clear sailing for Stew
-
ard on the final lap, while, over
a minute back, Riordan and
Ashburn fought for second as
Walker dropped off the pace.
At the checkered flag, Steward
claimed his first win of the year
VOLUME ISSUE JUNE , P41
Gus Riordan was the XC2 Pro
winner and second overall.
