Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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IN THE WIND P46 ASHBURN TOPS VIRGINIA FULL GAS SPRINT ENDURO B eta USA's Jordan Ashburn topped both days of competi- tion to claim the overall win at the Hill Billy Sprint Enduro, round five of the Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series presented by PRI Powersports Insurance in Rural Retreat, Virginia, July 8-9. Ian Blythe (KTM) finished second while Evan Smith (Integrity Acqui- sitions KTM) was third. It was the second straight Sprint Enduro victory for the Beta rider who used outright speed and con- sistency—not to mention four test wins—to get it done. "For me, it's just been about getting used to the sprint series format," said Ashburn, who is in his first full season with the series in 2017. "It was another good weekend and I just tried to be consistent and hit my lines and it paid off." Blythe was strongest in the Cross tests but came up just a few seconds short of beating out Ash- burn for Sunday's victory, though he was happy to come away with second overall. "I knew I was struggling in the Enduro test so my goal was to fo- cus on the Cross test and just try to maintain in the Enduro test. I wound up winning all three of the Cross tests (Sunday), but Jordan was just too fast in the Enduro tests," said Blythe. Smith, fourth on Saturday, finished off his strong week- end with a third-place finish on Sunday, giving him third overall for the weekend. It was his best finish ever in the championship. "I usually fall off the pace a little bit on the second day but this weekend I think I found another gear on Sunday," said Smith. "It was great to get on the podium and I'm looking for- ward to the rest of the series." Championship leader Stew- ard Baylor (SRT KTM) was fourth on Saturday but did win a couple of tests. Baylor did not suit up for Sunday's competi- tion, instead heading to Ohio for the GNCC. Kentucky KTM rider Vance Francis turned in some solid rides to claim fourth overall in the Pro division, beating out Yamaha rider Brandon Nero by nearly three minutes for the spot. Sixth went to Cory Buttrick, who was in contention for a podium until suffering a brake- pedal issue, costing him valu- able minutes to repair. Ashburn now leads the championship with 226 points, Jordan Ashburn took the overall win at the Full Gas Sprint Enduro in Virginia. He's also the new points leader.