US Sprint Enduro: Nail-Biter at High Voltage – Girroir claims eighth win of ‘24
2024 High Voltage US Sprint Enduro round five results sees Johnny Girroir maintaining his 100% sprint enduro record this season with all major classes running to the wire in Dilliner, PA.
Johnny Girroir has now clocked eight-straight sprint enduro day wins this season, making four overall victories: some of which have been dominant while others have been nail-biters. Saturday’s US Sprint Enduro at High Voltage Raceway was of the nail-biter variety, thanks to Am Pro Yamaha’s Liam Draper. However, Sunday’s more technical event saw Girroir hammer the competition to easily maintain his 100% overall rate this season.
Saturday nail-biter in Pro 1
On Saturday, Girroir squeezed by Draper out with a win by 0.3 seconds; Draper taking three test wins, while Girroir took five. Needless to say, nerves were high going into Sunday’s event.
“There was nothing really on the track to separate the riders on Saturday, so Liam and I had a pretty good battle and he won a few tests,” said Girroir. “It went back and forth and finally came down to the last test.”
New race track for Sunday
Overnight rain caused chaos, forcing the enduro course to be rerouted in places and a delay. It all played into Girroir’s hands, however.
“Sunday was a whole new racetrack,” said Girroir. “Me and Liam were both on the ground in the first test, but after that I found my flow and rode much better than Saturday. I thrive in the really technical stuff.”
Draper is getting better with each race, and nearly won Saturday’s event, but in the end, settled for second for the day and second overall. Sunday was a lockout by Girroir, with the KTM rider winning all six tests.
“I started off a little slow and Johnny had a good cross test, but then I gained it back in the enduro test,” said Draper. “The last cross test on Saturday I crashed and you can’t crash when you are splitting hairs with Johnny. I won a few tests and I felt like I rode well, it’s just that you can’t crash at this level and expect to do well. On Sunday, Johnny just had too much for us. He was so good on that slippery track.”
Podium decided by 1 second
Phoenix Honda’s Barnes claimed his best finish to date as a Pro with a third overall. On Sunday, Barnes battled with a rejuvenated Craig DeLong, with Barnes beating the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider by one second for third on the day and third overall.”
“Things went pretty well for me,” said Barnes. “I rode well in the cross test but I was a little behind in the enduro test, although I was able to pick up a few lines out there. After it rained, the track was challenging. I had a good first test but then my second test was not good at all, so me and DeLong kind of ya-yoed back and forth. Fortunately, I was able to get him by a second.”
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong was certainly not happy with his riding on Saturday, but came back a little stronger on Sunday to finish fourth overall.
“Saturday was pretty piss poor, honestly, I was just slow,” said DeLong. “I gotta get outta my head and stop being scared to hit the ground or crash. I just gotta pick it up and get some nerve. I had a couple of good times here and there, but I’m just timid; I’m not riding like myself. I think the short races and the time in between I’m still getting used to, but it will come around. On Sunday, the track was a little more technical and I was in the game. I just missed the podium by 1 second.”
Just as close in Pro 2 class
FMF KTM Factory Landers Racing’s Angus Riordan came out on top of a close battle again, topping the Pro 2 class on both days after mixing it up with Precision Offroad’s Dominick Morse all weekend and finishing fifth overall.
“It was pretty tight all weekend,” said Riordan. “On Saturday, it was a little closer than my liking, but I think everyone was stressed out. I got Dominick by 0.3 at the end of Saturday, so it was very close. On Sunday I kind of put myself on the backburner, going down twice. The boys picked up 10 seconds on me but I just put my head down and got with it. I think I gave my mechanic a few grey hairs.”
0.3s between Pro 2 first and second
Sixth overall and second Pro 2 rider was Precision Offroad’s Dominick Mores, who gave Riordan all he could handle during the weekend, coming up just 0.3 seconds short on Saturday.
“I got second in the cross test and then I think I won three or four in a row, so it was a good battle between me and Riordan,” said Morse. “Unfortunately, on Saturday, I crashed three or four times when put me behind, but I was able to battle back and just missed beating Riordan by 0.3. Going into the last woods test, I had him by about 3 seconds and he got me by 3.3 so it was a fun day.”
Edging Babbitt’s Online Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Lyndon Snodgrass for seventh overall was Husqvarna’s Jason Tino, who had an up and down weekend.
Behind Snodgrass in P8, ninth overall and first in the Pro-Am class went to FMF/KTM Factory Lander’s Racing’s Cooper Jones, while Coastal GasGas’ Cole Whitmore rounded out the top 10 and was second Pro-Am rider.
Close contest in the Women’s class
In the Women’s Pro division, FMF/KTM Factory Landers Racing’s Brandy Richards taking the win both days and overall win over Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Kori Steede with both riders inside the top 20 OA (Brandy P16, Korie P18). True to form this weekend, second-placed Steede made Richards’ final day tough finishing just two seconds behind the KTM rider.
“The weekend definitely started off really good; I loved the grass track,” said Richards. “It was a little slick and pretty fast, while the enduro test was super-hard packed with no ruts and pretty slick. I was a little more patient on that test. We got a pretty good rain on Sunday night and that made part of the course pretty tricky. That last test was icy and slick, but, overall, it was a good weekend.”
Second in the Women’s Pro went to Korie Steede: “It started off pretty slow in that second enduro test, I had a pretty good get-off and hit my head,” said Steede. “It slowed me down a bit but my times slowly got better, but I’m not feeling so good. After the rain, the enduro test got pretty slick, but overall the track was pretty fun. On Sunday, the track was pretty gnarly and I think I rode as well as I ever have at one of these sprints.”
Third went to first-time sprint racer Judy Olivia on a KTM.
High Voltage 2024 Overall Combined Results:
Words and Photo Credit: Shan Moore
