BAYLOR MAKES IT TWO IN A ROW

Consistency paid off for Baylor as he was the only rider of the day to finish inside the top three in all six tests. Baylor took the test win at the second and sixth test setting a blazing pace that kept the other riders from taking over the lead. This win made two in a row for the young rider who now leads the series by 14 points. 

Factory FMF/KTM Team rider Cory Buttrick put in a solid ride to finish 2^nd overall for the day. The battle for 2^nd place was tight between Buttrick and his teammates Russell Bobbitt and Charlie Mullins plus Husaberg rider Mike Lafferty. Between every test the riders swapped positions and always remained within a few seconds of each other. At the end of the day Buttrick came out on top of the battle after putting in two solid rides in the final two tests to edge out Lafferty by 9 seconds. Bobbitt, who took one test win, and Mullins who nabbed three test wins, went on to finish 4^th and 7^th respectively. 

“I felt really strong today and am happy I was able to walk away with three out of the six special test wins,” remarked Mullins. “Unfortunately, my rear brakes went out on the final test and I had to take it easy to make it back in one piece. The final test was 14 miles and the muddy conditions took a toll on my brakes. Its just part of racing but I’m glad I made it back safe and I can look forward to round three.” 

Factory FMF/KTM Team Manager, Antti Kallonen, stated, “We are very happy for Baylor. He is riding very well right now and we are excited to see his improvement from last season. This was a great performance for Buttrick, Mullins showed he has the speed to run up front and Bobbitt is healing well from his injury and was much closer to the pace of the top guys this weekend. I think this is shaping up to be a great season and we are excited for the next round.” 

In her first National Enduro appearance of the season, Factory FMF/KTM rider Maria Forsberg took the win in the Women’s Pro class. “The race was a lot of fun today. I am from Washington so I’m used to riding in the rain. I am very excited to walk away with the win,” stated Forsberg. 

Next Round: Salley, SC – March 4, 2012 

Overall Results 

1) Steward Baylor – KTM

2) Cory Buttrick – KTM 

3) Mike Lafferty 

4) Russell Bobbitt – KTM 

5) Jordan Ashburn 

6) Nick Fahringer 

7) Charlie Mullins – KTM 

8) Jason Thomas

9) Jesse Groemm – KTM 

10) Chris Bach

Overall Point Standings – 

1) Steward Baylor – 60 

2) Mike Lafferty – 46 

3) Cory Buttrick – 43 

4) Charlie Mullins – 35 

5) Russell Bobbitt – 33 

Women’s Class Overall Results – 

1) Maria Forsberg – KTM 

2) Mandi Mastin

3) Rachel Gutish – KTM 

4) Dinah Dickerson – KTM 

5) Kelly Hall – KTM