Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/956070
VOL. 55 ISSUE 11 MARCH 20, 2018 P43 On lap two, Bollinger went down, dropping the Honda rider to fifth. A lap later, Ricky Rus- sell suffered a punctured radia- tor, which caused his engine to overheat and eventually lock up. Duvall inherited the lead at the point, followed by Russell, Strang, Ashburn and Baylor. Defending XC2 250 Pro champ Josh Toth (FMF KTM) also suffered problems when he caught his hand on a vine, sending him to the pits. Toth was running sixth at the time and first in the XC2 division. After getting his hand taped up, Toth returned to the race in an effort to salvage points. He was eventually cred- ited with 23rd in class. After Toth went down, Pascal Rauchenecker (Coastal Racing Husqvarna) inherited the lead in the XC2 class, but it would be short-lived as last week's XC2 winner, Ben Kelley (Trail Jest- ers KTM), would eventually take control of the class. With one lap to go, Kailub Rus- sell and Duvall started their sprint to the finish, with each rider taking a turn at the front. Duvall took the lead at the seven-mile mark of the 13-mile course, only to have Russell take the lead for good at the nine-mile mark. "I knew what I wanted to do when Thad was up front," said Russell. "We were both kind of cruising and waiting for that last lap. I was able to make a move and get to the front and I started a pretty fast pace but Thad was able to stay right there. We swapped back and forth a couple of times. He got in front of me at about seven miles into the lap, but I got him back with four miles to go and I was able to hold on for the win despite a couple of close calls. It was a fun race and Thad and I had a good battle." Duvall crossed the line three- and-a-half seconds behind Rus- sell. "I'm happy with today's ride compared to my first two races," said Duvall. "I feel like I rode the best that I could. Kailub and I passed each other two or three times on that last lap but he just had the upper hand at the finish." Baylor was able to work his way into the final podium posi- tion by the end of the race. "I got sick on the first lap; once we got in the woods I had to pull over and puke," said Baylor. "I basi- cally dealt with that for most of the race but then I just decided I needed to get going. I know I had the speed, but it just wasn't my day." Bollinger recovered from his second-lap fall and turned in another solid top-five finish with a fourth. "I had the speed to run up front today and I was battling with those guys the first half of the race, I just had a few mistakes which cost me some time," said Bollinger. Like last week in Florida, Strang had the speed to run up front during the first half of the race, but fell off the pace on the final lap and settled for fifth. "I felt pretty good, and it was a step in the right direction, but I blew the nozzle off my camel back on the first lap so I didn't have any water," said Strang. "I tried to drink from bottles but the track was so rough it made it difficult. I ran with the leaders for the entire race except for right at the end and I think I just ran out of steam from being dehydrated." Kelley won the XC2 250 Pro class with a sixth-overall finish, and by doing so the Connecticut rider took sole possession of first Ben Kelley grabs gas while leading the XC2 class.