OFF ROAD
KENDA AMA NATIONAL ENDURO SERIES
ROUND 2/MARCH 23, 2014
BLACKWELL, TEXAS
P92
DeLong got off to a slow start,
but came on strong at the half-
way point to edge out Hufford for
third.
"I was kind of timid in the first
test because I didn't want to
chunk my tires in this stuff," said
DeLong. "I was up-shifting and
just sort of trail riding, but you
can't do that, you have to be
aggressive. I was a little more
amped up in the second test and
I started to feel good. I finally quit
worrying about the tires and I
started going good."
DeLong actually gained some
ground on Baylor in test four, but
he ran into trouble in test five.
"There was a guy in front of me
who was from the next row and
he was kicking up a lot of dust so
I was trying to catch him and I hit
a tree and went down," said De-
Long. "After that, I was just off a
little bit for the rest of the test."
Hufford's fourth was a career-
best, and the KR4 Arrive-n-Ride-
backed KTM rider said his secret
was to not over-ride the bike.
"I felt real comfortable all day
and I felt like I didn't have to push
it," said Hufford. "I was just solid
all day, I didn't fall and I didn't
blow that many turns."
Nick Fahringer was expected
to be a top finisher in Texas, the
AirGroup Racing Husqvarna rider
usually does well in Texas and
admits that it's one of his favor-
ite races. However, he struggled
with a setup issue and by the time
he sorted it out it was too late.
"I honestly thought I would do
good today," said Fahringer. "But
I just didn't get along with the
bike until the fourth test.
"I spent all day yesterday test-
ing tires and I ended up having a
problem with the bike once the
race started. Once we figured
out the problem, I was able to get
in a groove and pick up the pace,
but by that time it was too late."
Groemm had a disappointing
(Above) Nick Fahringer was hoping
for something a little better than
fifth.
(Above right) Former champ
Steward Baylor made it two Baylors
in the top six.
