Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green’s Steward Baylor Jr. Scores Yamaha Rattlesnake National Enduro Win, his third victory of the season in the Redline Oil AMA National Enduro Series, presented by MSR and Beta Motorcycles.

Comprised of a grass-track, wood chip pile, logs, and an over-under bridge, the approximately two-and-a-half-minute Super Test on the Saturday added something new for NEPG racers with a head-to-head EnduroGP-style showpiece.

The new Super Test score counted as their first test result of the event and was broadcast live on the National Enduro Promoters Group YouTube channel (rewatch that here: National Enduro Series YouTube Channel).

On Sunday, racers completed six sections of the Yamaha Rattlesnake National laid out by the Brandywine Enduro Riders. They rode a 3-mile test to kick off the day, followed by a 6-mile section. Then, competitors tackled two 6.5-mile sections. The day ended with two 6-mile sections. With a little rain before key time, conditions were a little slick to start but improved as the day went on. 

Overall Podiums

Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green teammates Steward Baylor Jr. and Josh Toth each had two wins coming into this round. Baylor Jr. was able to emerge victorious, capturing the Yamaha Rattlesnake National by more than a minute over Toth.

NE Pro1 rider Baylor Jr. scored second in the Super Test and went 1-1 through the first two tests on Sunday, followed by 2-1-1-3 results. He noted that the team has spent a lot of time with tire testing which benefited them this round.

“This is the first year on Pirelli tires for us.” Says Steward Baylor Jr. “And I think that was the advantage that I needed today. Just seemed to read the track very well… I started with the normal tires that we usually race on for the rear and then went to a gummy for the middle few and then came back to that standard tire for the last test with the 32. So, yeah, it just seemed to suit [the terrain]. And when it’s been slick this year at any round, whether it’s National Enduro or GNCC. I feel that we’ve got a clear advantage over the competition with that rear tire.”

Josh Toth, winner of the event in 2024, struggled in the Super Test – taking seventh in class. On Sunday, he was able to score the runner-up position in the first two tests of the day and followed it up with a test win aboard his KX250X. Toth went 4-6-4 on the three remaining tests and earned second overall in Pennsylvania.

“It was just a very difficult weekend overall,” said Josh Toth. “Very slick, and I had a little bit of a tip over yesterday. I had some issues and got it straightened up for today. Stu was just riding great, came out swinging. Test three, I had just a huge crash and got tangled with the bike and my arm in the wheel and stuff. It kind of set me back, and I was just beat up and kind of just cruised it in.”

Taking third overall was Enduro Engineering Triumph Off-Road Racing Team’s Ricky Russell. It marked his first enduro podium of the year and Triumph’s first time on the National Enduro box in recent decades. He also won the Super Test on Saturday. After Russell put his Triumph 250x in third to start out Sunday, he went on to score 3-4-5-3 in NE Pro1 through the next four sections before claiming the test win to cap off the day. 

“The super test was really cool,” said Ricky Russell. “New event and we all enjoyed that yesterday. Kind of finished on a high note and came into today feeling confident. I started off just in the mix all day. I had one test I lost a good bit of time. Me and Ben [Kelley] and Grant were all within 10 seconds going to the last test, and I knew it was kind of all or nothing.”

NE Pro2 Podium

After only racing Round 1 this year, Thorn Devlin returned to take on the Yamaha Rattlesnake National to claim the NE Pro2 win and sixth overall. Despite a rough go in the Super Test and the opening test on Sunday, taking ninth in both, he quickly turned his luck around. He scored a test win and took second in the next aboard his KTM. He finished the day with three NE Pro2 test wins.

Beta USA’s Jhak Walker also struggled through the Super Test in Pennsylvania, taking 11th in class. On Sunday, went 1-2-1-2-2 before capturing fourth in the last test to ultimately secure second in class and seventh overall at the event. It marks his fourth NE Pro2 podium this season.

Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green’s Nicholas Defeo also secured his fourth podium of the year by taking third in NE Pro2 and ninth overall. He started the weekend off on a high note, claiming the Super Test win for NE Pro2. On Sunday, he went 4-8-4 and ended the day with three third-place test finishes.

Women’s Elite Podium

Rieju’s Rachel Gutish extended her points lead with another Women’s Elite class win, notching her third victory of the year. Her weekend began with the Super Test win for her class. She finished fourth to start out Sunday’s tests. Gutish went 1-2-2 through the middle part of the day before closing out strong with two final test wins.

Landing on the podium for the fourth time this year, Enduro Engineering’s Shelby Turner secured third in the Super Test. She then went 1-4 to start out Sunday. As was noted by many riders, tire decision was critical to navigate the wet, rocky conditions. Turner was happy with her ride overall but wished she had chosen a different tire for some tests. Aboard her GasGas, she collected 3-1-2-3 finishes throughout the remainder of the competition.

Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green’s Rachael Archer, Women’s Elite reigning champion, noted that she “always seems to struggle with this place” and experienced a few crashes throughout the day that caused her to ride a little more timidly. She collected second in the Super Test. Her 2-3-1 results through the first half of the day on Sunday helped propel her onto the podium. She boosted her score by taking third and fourth before grabbing second in the final section. It earned her third in class.

Overall Results – Yamaha Rattlesnake National (top 15):

Say what? Pro rider podium interviews

Top Amateurs

Missouri’s James Jenkins captured his fourth 250A class win of the season aboard his Kawasaki and took 15th overall. Even with a bit of a struggle in the Super Test, taking 19th in class, he went on to sweep all six 250A test wins on Sunday.

In the AA class, Lane Whitmer has earned the win at every round this year and the Yamaha Rattlesnake National was no exception. After earning third in the Super Test, he bounced between first and second in class on Sunday. His performance not only netted him the class win, but 19th overall as well.

More information and full event results: www.nationalenduro.com

Words Credit: Heather @ HighGearSuccess.com

Photo Credit: Mack Faint?