Toth Wins XC Gear Burning Rock
National Enduro
R
ound eight of the Red Line Oil
American National Enduro
Championship, presented by
MSR, delivered a mix of redemp-
tion and championship celebra-
tions, as Rocky Mountain ATV/
MC Red Bear Kawasaki's Josh
Toth returned to the top step of
the overall podium, while FMF
KTM's Jason Tino and Rockstar
Energy Husqvarna's Korie Steede
wrapped up championships with
one round remaining.
Toth was the rider to beat
throughout the day, taking five
of six test wins on his way to his
first National Enduro overall vic-
tory since suffering a broken leg
last season.
"It's been such a long road,"
Toth said. "It's bittersweet, and I
had to dig deep today. It was just
a true enduro." After struggling
slightly in the opening test, Toth
made changes to his setup and
quickly found his rhythm. From
there, he took control of the race
and never looked back.
"I just felt great," Toth said. "I
got the 250, the smaller bore, and
it was handling-dialed. I knew I
was riding really well. I kind of hit
a wall at test five and just really
had to dig deep to finish strong."
AmPro Yamaha's Liam Draper
finished second overall after
opening the day with the test
one victory. Draper managed the
remainder of the race to fin-
ish runner-up and maintain the
overall championship points lead
heading into the season finale.
"The track was gnarly. It was
a tough enduro," Draper said.
"Happy with second. It's actually
my first second this year, so it was
good, and I'm looking forward to
the last round."
Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Red
Bear Kawasaki's Steward Baylor
Jr completed the overall podium
despite a difficult start to his day.
Baylor crashed in the opening test
before ripping a footpeg off his
motorcycle in test two. While at-
tempting to continue with only one
footpeg, Baylor struck a stump
WIND
IN THE
P50
Josh Toth dominated the
Burning Rock National
Enduro in West Virginia.
PHOTOS: ART PEPIN
