OFF ROAD
AMSOIL AMA GRAND NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY SERIES, PRESENTED BY MAXXIS
ROUND 9/JUNE 22, 2014
SNOWSHOE MOUNTAIN/SNOWSHOE, WEST VIRGINIA
P100
comfort zone in the XC1 class this
season. However, Delong dis-
played the heart and desire of a
champion, as he pushed through
the adversities of the grueling
Snowshoe course, including a
couple of mishaps that sent him
outside of the top five running at
times.
"I got stuck so many times the
last two laps but I had to dig deep
and try to keep on moving," De-
long said. "It was a very tough
race, it was physically demand-
ing and you had to be smart, pick
good lines and keep your mo-
mentum high."
Delong charged through the
pack to reclaim the third place
position en route to his first ca-
reer podium finish in the XC1 Pro
class.
"Before this, I wasn't getting
the results that I wanted this year
and I would go home and work so
hard and I kind of burned myself
out," Delong added. "I actually
had to take a couple weeks off
after the last round to let my body
heal, so I think I only rode like
four times this week just to keep
in touch. But I think it helped, I
came out here and had an awe-
some day."
Factory FMF/KTM's Steward
Baylor Jr. had a stellar come-
from-behind performance, mov-
ing up the pack from outside
the top 10 on the first lap. Baylor
turned it up in the final laps of the
three-hour race to finish fourth
in the XC1 class and fifth overall.
JCR Honda's Chris Bach stuck
with Baylor all afternoon, finish-
ing just behind in fifth.
After running just outside the
top three overall in the beginning
of the race, Strang finished the
day sixth in the XC1 class, and
ninth overall.
"It was a rough day," Strang
said. "I was hoping for a top five
but a destroyed moose [inner
tube] and a wheel change put me
back a ways. I'm disappointed
but happy to get out of that place
safe."
Maxxis/KLIM/DirtWise KTM
Race Team's Jason Thomas
maintained a top 10 running all af-
Andrew Delong slipped onto the podium with a third-place finish.
