KTM Riders Display a READY TO RACE Performance Despite Muddy Conditions at the Red Fox National Enduro

LYNNVILLE, Ind. – KTM Factory Racing and support-riders displayed a READY TO RACE performance on Sunday despite muddy and technical conditions for Round 2 of the 2018 AMA National Enduro Championship in Lynnville, Indiana. With Tely Energy KTM's Steward Baylor, Jr. at the helm, KTM riders made up four of the top six positions in the NE Pro1 class, including an outstanding second-place ride by premier-class rookie and FMF KTM Factory Racing Team rider, Josh Toth.

The Midwest event saw heavy rainfall leading up to Sunday’s start time, making for unusually wet conditions for the Red Fox National Enduro. Baylor, who claimed season-opening victory, picked up right where he left off as he dominated the first two tests of the race. While Baylor dropped off the pace slightly through the middle of the day, the reigning champion remained consistent through the final three tests to clinch his second-straight victory of the season in Indiana.

As Baylor’s closest competitor all day, FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Josh Toth further proved that consistency is key in challenging conditions as he kept his KTM 250 XC-F inside the top-three for five of the six tests on the day. Toth rode his best in the fourth section, capturing the test-win and putting himself into the lead battle heading into the final two sections of the race. In test five, Toth finished back in fourth and despite posting a second-place finish in the final test, it wasn’t enough to best Baylor’s overall time, giving Toth a respectable second-place finish against the veteran champ, Baylor.

Toth: “I had a good day today, I rode well and tried to make the least number of mistakes I could, considering the gnarly conditions. I really enjoyed the race with all the rain we got, it made for really technical and tough conditions but that's the way an enduro should be in my opinion! I was happy to be up there fighting for test-wins and to come away with a second-place finish.”

Trail Jesters/KTM Racing's Ben Kelley finished just off the podium with fourth overall after a solid day of racing in Indiana. Kelley maintained a fourth-place running for most of the day but a few struggles in the penultimate test set him back from the podium battle late in the race. Despite the challenges, Kelley has proven his merit as he takes on the NE Pro1 class this season.

KTM-Supported rider Russell Bobbitt rode his Gnarly Routes/KTM to a sixth-place finish in the NE Pro1 class. The five-time AMA National Enduro Champion had a rocky start to the day but a few top-ten finishes put him just outside the top-five by the end of Round 2. 

Round 3: May 6 / Dragon’s Back National Enduro / Arrington, Virginia

NE Pro1 Results

1. Steward Baylor Jr., KTM, 2:19:11.757

2. Josh Toth, KTM, 2:19:39.569

3. Thad DuVall, HQV, 2:20:16.96

4. Ben Kelley, KTM, 2:23:30.488

5. Cory Buttrick, HQV, 2:25:22.689

6. Russell Bobbitt, KTM, 2:28:47.760

7. Evan Smith, HQV, 2:29:49.539

8. Andrew DeLong, GAS, 2:30:28.377

9. Nick Fahringer, SHR, 2:33:05.329

10. Mike Witkowski, BET, 2:34:53.687

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