Steward Baylor wins second AMA National Enduro

Steward Baylor claimed his second win in a row with an impressive performance at this weekend’s Cherokee National Enduro, round two of the AMA Rekluse National Enduro Series in Greensboro, Ga.

After taking a surprise win in the sand at the series opener in South Carolina, the Fly/RidePG/WP Racing USA/Leatt/KTM-sponsored Baylor backed it up with a solid performance in the Georgia mud, finishing nearly two minutes clear of second place finisher Cory Buttrick in an event that went from challenging to treacherous after heavy rains the night before the race turned the local farmland to slime.

In all, Baylor won two of the six tests and was near the front in the other four.

“It feels awesome to get this win,” said Baylor. “When I started the year I never expected to do this well. I didn’t feel so comfortable when I was watching the rain come down, I know there are a lot of strong mud riders here, but I just kept pushing and it all came together.”

Buttrick, who won this event two years ago, improved on his fourth place finish in South Carolina by claiming the runner-up position at the Cherokee, the FMF KTM rider edging eight-time champ Michael Lafferty by nine seconds to do so.

In the meantime, Lafferty nabbed the final podium spot on his factory Husaberg, beating FMF KTM’s Russell Bobbitt by eight seconds.

Bobbitt is still feeling the effects of a wrist injury he sustained at the end of last year, but admitted that he felt much better than he did at the opener two weeks ago.

Fourth went to Jordan Ashburn, despite the fact that the AM Pro Yamaha rider exploded a hub in the third test.

Nick Fahringer, another rider returning from injury, was sixth on his factory Husaberg, while 2010 champ Charlie Mullins won three tests on the day, but finished a disappointing seventh after he lost five minutes in the final test with a blown rear brake caliper.

With two rounds in the books, Baylor holds a clear lead in the series standings with 60 points, 14 points ahead of Lafferty at 46. Buttrick is third with 43, with Mullins and Bobbitt rounding out the top five at 35 and 33 points, respectively.

The AMA Rekluse National Enduro Series, which once again experienced a record entry at Georgia, returns to action on March 4th, for round three of the series in Salley, South Carolina. For more information visit www.nationalenduro.com.