Red Bear Racing Kawasaki Team riders sweep Pro podiums at the MSR Little Racoon National Enduro – Josh Toth goes from Southwick Pro Motocross to AMA National Enduro win in one weekend.

Enduro competitors can’t escape the rain this year, no matter what state they’re racing in. Southern Ohio got pounded with rain the night before the MSR Little Racoon National Enduro, but it didn’t stop racers gearing up for their chance to collect a raccoon skin hat on Sunday.  

The Redline Oil AMA National Enduro Series, presented by MSR and Beta Motorcycles, began with a five-mile test, one of the shortest sections of the day. For the second test, they were on the gas for a whopping nine miles. The third and fourth sections were seven miles each, followed by a six and half-mile test. The day concluded with a five-mile test and a little more rain coming down.

Overall Green podium

Red Bear Racing Kawasaki Team Green swept the overall podium for the second time this season. Josh Toth, last year’s Little Raccoon National winner, captured his second win of 2025, beating his teammate Steward Baylor Jr. by nearly 25 seconds.

While capturing the overall is impressive on an average race weekend, Toth really showcased his stamina and determination in Ohio after he and his crew drove through the night to line up for the event. On Saturday, he’d competed in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship round in Southwick, Massachusetts. He captured 25th overall against the world’s most talented motocross competitors, proving his talent crosses disciplines.

The reigning champion’s day started with a second through the opening test, followed by three test wins. He closed out the day with 2-3 results in the final sections. “I had to find that dog in me,” said Josh Toth. “I was worn out coming into today. I talked a lot of crap on Stu [Baylor Jr.] online, so I had to back it up -- that's for sure. Just a physical day but these conditions suited me awesome. It was just very slick, one rut in a lot of it and just technical enough for it to keep you on your toes. I had to be very cautious on the throttle, and it just suited me well.”

Toth’s teammate, Steward Baylor Jr., started his day on a high note, scoring the initial test win by mere milliseconds over teammate Toth. The NE Pro1 class competitor continued an intense battle with Toth through the next three sections where Baylor Jr. took the runner-up spot through Tests 2, 3 and 4. He put his KX450X at the top of the last two tests and was able to earn second overall on the day after a mid-race tire swap.

“We did a little bit of testing this week,” said Steward Baylor Jr. “I was planning to race this tire with the rain. I had a different tire on there for the first few sections and just didn’t really feel super comfortable. I smoked a few trees, and I was just not riding my absolute best. But we made that change and won the last two sections.”

Baylor Jr. said Toth has always ridden well at the MSR Little Raccoon National: “Today, I knew it’d be the same. Everybody asked what my thoughts were with him riding Southwick. This guy goes to ISDE. Southwick’s nothing. That’s a walk in the park… So when that clock rolled over, I knew Josh would still be strong.”

Baylor Jr. added that it was a year ago to the day that he inked a deal with this factory Kawasaki team and was trying to build the dream team: “I was sitting here just a couple weeks beyond now with results I had written down and shared with Kawasaki, and I said, ‘mark my words, we’re going to mop up every national enduro podium. As long as everybody’s healthy, we will mop up every podium.’

A lot of work, obviously. I didn’t sleep for two months last year trying to build this. Everything I told the sponsors we were going to do, we’ve done it. So yeah, it’s a good year, and I’m stoked on the team.”

Younger brother and fellow Red Bear Racing Kawasaki Team Green rider Grant Baylor rounded out the overall podium, bouncing between third and fourth for all six sections of the race.

“It was a pretty good day,” said Grant Baylor. “I just made a few too many mistakes. I hit the ground quite a few times, probably five or six times out there. I was just blowing a lot of turns and making too many little mistakes. But yeah, we’re coming back and getting closer. Just not happy with third, so we’ll come back swinging and see what we can do in Pennsylvania.”

Say what? pro podium interviews

NE Pro2 Podium

Scoring his second NE Pro2 class win of the year, Red Bear Racing Kawasaki Team Green’s Nicholas Defeo topped his class through the first four tests. He then finished second in the final two sections. When the day finished, he was one minute and 43 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. Defeo’s speed also placed him within the top five overall.

Hall Cycle’s Jhak Walker celebrated a podium result for the third time this year. Consistency was key through the first four sections, where he claimed second in class. He powered his Beta to a test win in Section 5. A fourth-place result in the last section, after three crashes in the test, ultimately earned him second in class on the day.

Will Sievenpiper, aboard his Kawasaki, rounded out the NE Pro2 class podium. He secured third in class through the first test and landed sixth through Test 2 after a crash damaged his bike. After that, he went 6-3-4 before capturing the last test win. He also placed inside the top 10 overall, in ninth.

Women’s Elite Podium

The Little Raccoon National has been good to Red Bear Racing Kawasaki’s Rachael Archer, winning Women’s Elite in 2024 and collecting the class win again this year. She scored test wins in every section of the day, except Test 5 where she took a runner-up finish. She said she had a few minor crashes but was still able to come out ahead.   

Rachel Gutish secured second through the first four tests on her Rieju. In Test 5, she placed third. She wrapped up the day with a second-place result in the last test, ultimately earning her second in class on the day.  

Rounding out the Women’s Elite podium in southern Ohio was Enduro Engineering’s Shelby Turner. She went 3-3-3-3 aboard her GasGas, battling slippery roots and clay, before scoring the Test 5 win. She closed out the day with a third place in Section 6.

Top Amateurs

For the fourth time this year, Lane Whitmer has topped the AA class aboard his GasGas. His momentum for the day started with second place through Test 1. From there, he scored every test win for the remainder of the day in the AA class. His performance also earned him 12th overall.

James Jenkins of Missouri returned to the top of the 250A podium for the third time this season. With 2-1-2-1 class results in the early part of the day, he put his Kawasaki in first for Section 5 and third for Section 6.

Overall Results – MSR Little Raccoon National

View full event results and more information: www.nationalenduro.com