Lafferty wins National Enduro Opener
The opening round of the 2024 Red Line Oil AMA National Enduro Series presented by Beta Motorcycles and MSR was the FMF Sumter National Enduro. The event is held near the air force base in Sumter, SC. Sandy soil and epic conditions met the riders as they began the series.
Ryder Lafferty came into the season ready to make a statement. He did just that winning 5 out of the 6 test sections onward to a 43 second victory. Ryder says “I got 2nd place here the last 2 years. I wanted to make sure I came in and took a win away from the Baylors.” Ryder is continuing on the Coastal GasGas Factory Racing team and now holds the points lead after the first round.
Second overall was Steward Baylor Jr onboard his new ride with the newly formed Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki team. Steward said “I really made sure that we got our team with the right equipment and get the bike dialed in so we can come out swinging in the first round.” Steward was the only rider that was able to take a test win away from Lafferty in test 5.
A new face to the National Enduro scene of Johnny Girroir takes the final spot on the NE Pro1 podium in 3rd overall on his Factory KTM. Johnny had a get off in the first test of the day to put him in a hole early. Johnny said “I hit something in a fast straight that sent me flying through the air. After that I put my head down and put in a charge to make up some time the rest of the day. I am happy to finish on the podium.” Johnny was able to take the second fastest time in 3 of the tests later in the day.
Fourth overall on the day was AM-Pro Yamaha rider Ricky Russell. Fifth overall was Enduro Engineering GasGas rider Josh Toth. Sixth overall was Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki rider Thad Duvall. Evan Smith was able to take seventh overall on his Max Motorsports Husqvarna. Defending National Enduro Champion Grant Baylor suffered a mechanical problem in Test 5 knocking him out of contention after running within the podium.
First place in the NE Pro2 Class and eighth overall was Landers KTM rider Grant Davis. Grant won the first two tests of the day before giving some time back in the middle portion of the day. The sixth and final test Grant put in the fastest Pro2 time to take the win by 21 seconds.
Nathaniel ‘Bubz’ Tasha was ninth overall and second in NE Pro2 aboard his AM-Pro Yamaha. Bubz said “I am really happy with my bike. I feel like I can go fast because I am comfortable on it.” Bubz was able to win the third test on the day.
Another new face on the Pro podium was tenth overall and third in NE Pro2. That rider was Babbitt Kawasaki rider Nicholas Defeo. Defeo rode 1 other National Enduro in 2021 in the B class. Sumter was his first NE Pro2 race and he was able to take the final spot on the Podium.
Winning the Womens Elite class at the FMF Sumter round was Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki rider Rachael Archer. The New Zealand rider won final three of five sections. She found her groove on the later part of the day and was able to stretch the margin to over a minute over second place.
Rachel Gutish was second in the Womens Elite class on her new Sherco ride. Gutish was able to grab the first two test wins. Gutish said “Im happy to be on a real enduro bike with a head light and kickstand. I had a pretty smooth day and happy with how I rode.”
Fresh off of two knee surgeries last year was the Womens Elite third place rider Shelby Turner on her new Enduro Engineering GasGas ride. The Canadian rider said she was getting better as the day went on and felt the best at the end of the day.
Top AA rider was Caleb Baltimore on a KTM. Overall A winner was Chase Landers on a KTM. Jacob McPherson was the top B class rider. Brayden Clark on a Kawasaki was the fastest C class rider.
The next stop on the 2024 Red Line Oil AMA National Enduro Series circuit is on April 7 in Forest Hill, LA for the Beta Motorcycles Cajun Classic National Enduro.
