Steward Baylor Jr. Conquers Motion Pro Gobbler Getter National. Grant Davis Captures NE Pro2 Championship for 2024
STANTON, Ala. – While some racers had already wrapped up championships for the year, others were still in a fierce battle to claim an AMA No. 1 plate after nine months of competition. The finale of the Redline Oil AMA National Enduro Series, presented by MSR and Beta Motorcycles, offered up dry, dusty conditions to more than 560 riders. In the low 80s for much of the day, competitors navigated the hard-pack soil at the Motion Pro Gobbler Getter National.
The day opened with a short 4-mile test before launching riders into a 6.4-mile section. Section 3 offered up 9.2 miles of trail in Stanton, Alabama, while the next test treated riders to 10 miles of single-track. Tests 5 and 6 were technical, at 9.2 and 10 miles in length, respectively, and that wore down many riders’ energy.
Overall Podium
Steward Baylor Jr. was able to notch another overall win in the 2024 season, after capturing his first victory of the year at Round 8. The Red Bear Racing Kawasaki rider kicked off the day with two test wins. In Section 3, he captured the runner-up spot – just five seconds off of the pace of this year’s series champion Josh Toth. He went 1-2 through the next two tests before finishing first in NE Pro1 and second overall through the final test of the day.
“I had a couple issues out there in the middle of the race,” Steward Baylor Jr. said. “In the last two tests, I was mainly just trying to navigate without catching people at the wrong time. You got to play it smart and make sure that you don't rush and make those mistakes, which I've done before. The last section here is always a challenge. I know a lot of people complain about it, but I honestly had more fun in the last test than any of the other ones. You just really have to think about that one. I’m glad to close out with a win. It's been very, very few days that we could find a kink in this guy's armor [Josh Toth]. I thought that him being on a different bike might slow him down. But, based on the first five tests, I think the most it ever separated us was just a few seconds. So, obviously, he can jump on anything, ride anything, and still keep me on my toes. Overall, a great day, and I'm stoked to be back up in the center.”
After securing his inaugural AMA National Enduro Championship at the penultimate round and helping the U.S. on the Trophy Team place second at the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) in October, Enduro Engineering’s Josh Toth narrowly missed out on adding another win to his record. The Connecticut native has earned seven out of 10 wins this year. After racing his GasGas machine through Round 9, he switched to a Triumph for the final round of the year. It’s been many decades since the brand has been represented at the series, primarily dating back to the 1960s when Bill Baird won seven-consecutive national enduro championships. Toth marks a new generation contributing to the relaunch of Triumph’s efforts in off-road racing. A solid ride through the first five tests, he struggled in the last test of the day – taking sixth in class and seventh overall through the section.
“The bike was awesome today,” Josh Toth said. “I don’t really have much experience riding it in the woods. It’s been great. I think I've learned a few things today. To change the stock gearing and go to an 18-inch wheel would have helped, but it held up awesome and worked well. Me and Stu were just neck and neck all day. He was riding great, so I'll give it to him. I was able to grab a couple of test wins and just a few seconds separated us going into the last test. Pretty early on, I got a big kind of a detour and got a big branch in the front wheel. It was kind of dragging my front wheel down, and I ended up tucking the front and going down. Once I stopped to yank that out, the heat definitely caught up to me and just really took the wind out of my sails. But props to Stu for being there all day and putting in a good ride.”
NE Pro1 rider Ricky Russell managed to put together a strong finish to a tumultuous season, in part due to injury. With his first podium of the year at the prior round, the AmPro Yamaha rider was able to repeat that performance at the Motion Pro Gobbler Getter National. Maintaining top-five results in NE Pro1 throughout the day, he went 3-5-3-3-5-4.
“It was a good day,” Ricky Russell said. “We started off right there, in third place, but not too far off of these guys [Josh Toth and Steward Baylor]. That second test really killed me. I lost a lot of time there; I struggled. After that, I found my flow again and was kind of able to run a few tests close to these guys, but they're just on another level. I was able to kind of get a little gap from the guys behind me, but I was a good ways behind these guys. Happy with my riding, getting my speed back up and just being healthy. So, nothing to complain about.”
NE Pro2 Podium
FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers’ Grant Davis captured his fifth NE Pro2 win of the year after he nabbed four out of six test wins at the Motion Pro Gobbler Getter National. And, he was officially able to lock up the class championship for 2024.
“It was good,” Grant Davis said. “I can't thank my whole FMF KTM Factory Racing Team enough -- Chris Landers and my mechanic Andy. We got two championships this year in both series we raced, and I can't thank him enough. And my whole family, Moose, X Brand, Alpinestars and everybody else.”
Nicholas Defeo also had a powerful performance throughout the day, oscillating between second and first for the first five tests of the day in Alabama. The Team Babbitt’s Kawasaki rider scored fifth in NE Pro2 through the final section. Ending second in class on the day marked his fourth podium finish of 2024.
In only his third national of the year, Hunter Smith started the race day off with two sixth-place test finishes aboard his GasGas. He steadily advanced throughout the middle of the day, going 5-3-3 before placing fourth in the last test. His results earned him a spot on the NE Pro2 podium at the final round.
Women’s Elite Podium
Already declared the Women’s Elite 2024 AMA National Enduro Champion at Round 9, Red Bear Racing’s Rachael Archer was aiming to conclude the season on a high. She went undefeated in the first four tests of the day before Enduro Engineering’s Shelby Turner was able to edge her out in the last test. Archer ends the season with eight wins under her belt.
On the podium at every round of the 2024 season, Turner continued that trend. The GasGas rider finished just behind Archer in the first four tests before claiming the final test win.
Prestin Raines laid down steady results, netting third in all five tests. She earned her second podium of the year.
Top Amateurs
In the amateur ranks, Louisiana’s Grady Peevy secured the AA class win on his KTM, after earning four test wins and two runner-up results in Alabama.
Competing in his home state, Colby Yarbrough swept the 250A class at the Motion Pro Gobbler Getter National.
View full event results and series standings at nationalenduro.com/scoring.
Overall Results – Motion Pro Gobbler Getter National
1. Steward Baylor Jr. (KAW)
2. Josh Toth (GG)
3. Ricky Russell (YAM)
4. Trevor Bollinger (HUS)
5. Ben Kelly (KTM)
6. Evan Smith (HUS)
7. Ryder Lafferty (GasGas)
8. Grant Davis (KTM)
9. Nicholas Defeo (KAW)
10. Hunter Smith (KTM)
Series Overall Standings
1. Josh Toth (GG) - NE Pro1
2. Steward Baylor Jr. (KAW) - NE Pro1
3. Evan Smith (HUS) - NE Pro1
4. Johnny Girroir (KTM) - NE Pro1
5. Grant Davis (KTM) - NE Pro2
6. Will Sievenpiper (KAW) - NE Pro2
7. Trevor Bollinger (HUS) - NE Pro1
8. Ricky Russell - NE Pro1
9. Nathaniel Tasha (YAM) - NE Pro2
10. Nicholas Defeo (KAW) - NE Pro2
About National Enduro Promoters Group (NEPG)
Established in 2008, National Enduro Promoters Group (NEPG) has operated the AMA National Enduro Series, in collaboration with local off-road motorcycle clubs around the country, to layout fun and challenging single-track trail for both professional and amateur racers to enjoy. For more information, visit NationalEnduro.com.
About High Gear Success
High Gear Consulting LLC DBA High Gear Success is a motorsports communications and marketing strategy company located in Pataskala, Ohio, that helps racers, motorsports event organizers and motorsports companies get noticed and increase revenue. Fueled by passion, Heather Wilson, CEO, focuses strategies on engagement and awareness in order to drive results. Learn more at HighGearSuccess.com.
Photos by Mack Faint