VOL. 52 ISSUE 5 FEBRUARY 3, 2015 P87
Briefly...
Zach Hayes won the Rekluse
Expert-AA division, which is con-
sidered a stepping-stone for young
riders hoping to move into the Pro
ranks. The South Carolina rider was
seventh fastest in the fifth test and he
beat out fellow KTM rider Drew Hig-
gins by three minutes and 49 sec-
onds for the AA-Expert class-win. He
also finished 12
th
in the final overall
standings. "I was really tight in the
first test, and in test two I went over
the bars, but then I started getting it
together and rode strong for the rest
of the race," said Hayes. Higgins
had to overcome arm pump to finish
second, while Motosport Yamaha's
Ryan Belue was 23 seconds back
in third.
Jesse Groemm, the number-two-
ranked rider from last year, and a
Beta USA rider, pulled out of the
Sumter race in test three and was
taken to the hospital. According to
a source from within the team, Gro-
emm crashed at a local riding area
on Wednesday before the race and
was knocked unconcious. He was
taken to a local doctor for a checkup
but was cleared to ride after having a
CAT scan. However, during the race,
Steward Baylor is
back on top after
struggling all of last
year with a nagging
wrist injury. The
Mototech KTM
rider won two
tests and topped
Kailub Russell by 13
seconds for the win.
BACK ON OP
FORMER CHAMP
STEWARD BAYLOR
RETURNS TO THE
TOP OF THE BOX AT
NATIONAL ENDURO
SERIES OPENER
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHAN MOORE
I
t's been a long and hard road for Steward Baylor who is coming back
from a nagging wrist injury, but the 2012 National Enduro champ proved
he's finally back to his old form and ready to fight for another National
Enduro title after scoring an impressive win at the opening round of the
2015 Kenda AMA National Enduro Series in Sumter, South Carolina.
Baylor missed all of last year due to his injury and even had to put
together his own team for 2015 after factory opportunities dried up
for the South Carolina rider. While the Sumter race is a home race for
Baylor, this year's series opener featured a stacked field of off-road
heavyweights, including defending GNCC champ Kailub Russell, so get-
continued on next page
