VOL. 55 ISSUE 18 MAY 8, 2018 P25
need a last-second flurry to over-
come a nine-second deficit he
held heading into the final test to
beat out FMF KTM's Josh Toth for
the bridesmaid's spot. In the end,
Steward edged Toth by just a few
tenths of a second for second.
"I struggled the first two tests
and I just couldn't seem to find a
groove," said Steward. "I managed
to work my way back into con-
tention in test five, so I was nine
seconds behind Toth heading into
the final test, and I just went for it
in that last one and I managed to
barley get the job done."
Toth won tests two and three,
but two crashes in the final test
sealed the Connecticut rider's
fate.
"I fell in the fifth test and then I
crashed twice in the final test, just
trying to catch Grant and that cost
me second," said Toth. "I rode
pretty consistent but I didn't ride
my best today, for sure."
Thad Duvall gave Grant Baylor
a run for his money in the first
two tests, where the Rockstar
Energy Husqvarna Factory rider
took a second and a win in the
two tests. However, a navigation
snafu in section five cost Duvall 40
seconds, relegating him to fourth
overall.
Like Steward Baylor, Ben Kelley
started slow but finished strong to
claim fifth overall.
"I was off the pace in the be-
ginning, I just wasn't aggressive
enough at the start," said Kelley. "I
tried to turn it around and my last
two tests were faster, although I
had a couple of crashes. The first
two tests were pretty slick and I
think I was just a bit timid."
Shan Moore
Overall
1. Grant Baylor (KTM)
2. Steward Baylor (KTM)
3. Josh Toth (KTM)
4. Thad Duvall (Hus)
5. Ben Kelley (KTM)
6. Evan Smith (Hus)
7. Cory Buttrick (Hus)
8. Russell Bobbitt (KTM)
9. Ryder Lafferty (KTM)
10. Andrew DeLong (GG)
Josh Toth got on the podium in third.