| March 2, 2021
The U.S. Sprint Enduro Championship made its debut in Gaston, South Carolina, over the February 27-28 weekend. The new championship picked up where the former Full Gas Sprint Enduro Championship left off with a new crew, new promoter and new look. But once the green flag dropped, the racing looked the same with many familiar faces returning to the podium after all was said and done.
2021 U.S. Sprint Enduro Gaston Results
Steward Baylor topped both days in Gaston. Photo: Shan Moore
Many of the stars of the Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series were on hand for the inaugural U.S. Sprint Enduro Championship at the GTR Complex in South Carolina, including semi-retired racer Kailub Russell, Ryan Sipes, Ryder Lafferty, Thad Duvall and Layne Michael, but it was AmPro Yamaha’s Steward Baylor who occupied the top step of the podium at the end of both days.
An injury to Baylor’s hand (suffered a few weeks ago) that prevented him from competing in the opening round of the GNCC series just a week earlier, had Baylor debating whether or not he’d be able to race this weekend. But Baylor felt the hand was good enough to race and the decision proved to be correct, as the four-time AMA National Enduro Champion look as good as ever on the bike on the sandy and bumpy South Carolina terrain. Baylor won three of the six tests (all enduro tests) on Saturday and another three on Sunday.
“It was definitely questionable whether I should line up, but after three weeks the wounds seemed to be mostly healed,” said Baylor.
Baylor battled early on Saturday with Pro 2-class rider Coastal Racing GasGas’ Johnny Girroir, who struck first with a win in the opening Cross test, however, after sweeping all three Enduro tests, Baylor finished off Saturday’s event with an 11-second win over Girroir in the overall results.
With an 11-second advantage in his back pocket, Baylor rode smooth on Sunday to claim his second victory of the weekend by 15 seconds.
“I had a really flawless ride all weekend,” said Baylor. “I had some pretty sketchy moments. I clipped a few limbs that shot me off the track, but all in all, it was a really smooth weekend.”
Layne Michael turned in an impressive weekend, winning three tests on Sunday; however, a crash in the final test on Saturday (which bent his rear brake pedal) put him at a disadvantage. After two days of racing, Michael came out second in the Pro class on both days (3-2 overall).
“I felt like I maybe could have battled with Stew a little more, but kind of dug myself a hole [in the] final test yesterday with bending a brake pedal and ended up kind of having my brakes locked up,” said Michael. “I knew with how Stew was riding here it was going to be tough to make that up. All in all, it was good. I came back to get second overall.”
Tely Energy Racing’s Liam Draper was fourth on Saturday and fifth on Sunday in the Pro class, giving him the final podium position for the weekend in the Pro division.
“I crashed once this weekend out of twelve tests, so I was happy about that,” said Draper. “I just tried to stay smooth and hit my lines. The track got pretty gnarly. There were some big holes out there. It was fun and I’m happy with a third.”
Canadian Tyler Medaglia went 5-4 for fourth overall in the Pro class over the two days of racing. Medaglia put his moto skills to good use on the rough and choppy course.
Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GasGas Factory Racing’s Ryan Sipes was in contention during Saturday’s event, finishing third in the Pro division. However, a couple of get-offs on Sunday dropped the former ISDE Individual champ to 10th in Sunday’s race.
“I went down twice in test one on Sunday,” said Sipes. “All in all, I was fairly happy with how my Cross-test times were. But I was kind of bummed that I was pretty far off in that Enduro test. I haven’t done a woods race since ISDE 2019.”
Sipes sacrificed his weekend when he stopped to help Duvall in the final test. Duvall hit a tree and was laying in the middle of the course when Sipes arrived. Sipes parked his bike in the middle of the trail to shield Duvall and waited until help arrived. The club later compensated Sipes for stopping to help Duvall with an average time.
Duvall was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for several upper-body injuries.
FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell made one of his rare post-retirement races, using the race to prepare for the ISDE in Italy. The eight-time GNCC champ got off to a bad start by crashing in the first two tests on Saturday.
“I think this is the first sprint race I’ve ever came to and not won a single test,” said Russell. “Not a stellar weekend, by any means. Yesterday was rough. In the second test I had a good get-off, which knocked the wind out of me and bruised my ribs. I’ve still got some stuff I want to do and accomplish and just have fun, but definitely a rough weekend for me.”
Despite his big crash, Russell salvaged a sixth on Sunday, and came back with a third on Sunday.
After leading the first half of Saturday’s event in “combined overall scoring,” Girroir ended the weekend with two Pro 2 victories and third overall in the combined scoring.
“I got out to a great start on Saturday and actually ended up leading the overall the first four tests,” said Girroir. “Stew was creeping on all me day. A couple seconds here, three seconds there, and it caught up to me at the end. I think he was three seconds ahead of me going into the last test. I had some issues on the last test. Just trying to get around the last pro one rider, I hit a tree, tangled myself, had to pull back off the tree.”
Despite getting off to a slow start, Trail Jesters Racing KTM’s Jesse Ansley held off Husqvarna’s Ben Nelko and XC Gear/Enduro Engineering/Husqvarna’s Ryder Lafferty to claim a pair of seconds in the Pro 2 class.
“First two tests weren’t that great,” admitted Ansley. “I’m just kind of getting the bugs and the jitters worked out, especially with the sprint enduro format. It’s pretty tough, but I kind of overcame it. I thought I had some really good tests, high up in the overalls. I really can’t be happier with a second place and just how I rode altogether.”
Nelko went 3-4 for third overall in the Pro 2 class, while Lafferty went 4-3 for fourth in Pro 2.
In the Am-Pro division, Bubz Tasha topped both days with impressive rides. Babbitt’s Online Team Green Kawasaki’s JoJo Cunningham was second each day with Yamaha-mounted Dalton Seals finishing third each day.
In the Women’s Pro class, defending champion Tayla Jones kicked off another title defense with a double victory on her Magna1 Motorsports Husqvarna. Allie Spurgeon was second both days ahead of Elizabeth Perez, both on Husqvarna. CN
RESULTS
U.S. Sprint Enduro Championship
Round 1
Gaston, South Carolina
February 27-28, 2021
DAY ONE
| 1. |
Steward Baylor |
(Yam) |
| 2. |
Johnny Girroir |
(GG) Pro 2 |
| 3. |
Layne Michael |
(Yam) |
| 4. |
Ryan Sipes |
(GG) |
| 5. |
Liam Draper |
(KTM) |
| 6. |
Tyler Medaglia |
(KTM) |
| 7. |
Jesse Ansley |
(KTM) Pro 2 |
| 8. |
Ben Nelko |
(Hus) Pro 2 |
| 9. |
Bubz Tasha |
(Hus) Pro-Am |
| 10. |
JoJo Cunningham |
(Kaw) Pro-Am |
DAY TWO
| 1. |
Steward Baylor |
(Yam) |
| 2. |
Layne Michael |
(Yam) |
| 3. |
Kailub Russell |
(KTM) |
| 4. |
Johnny Girroir |
(GG) Pro 2 |
| 5. |
Tyler Medaglia |
(KTM) |
| 6. |
Liam Draper |
(KTM) |
| 7. |
Jesse Ansley |
(KTM) Pro 2 |
| 8. |
Bubz Tasha |
(Hus) Pro-Am |
| 9. |
Ryder Lafferty |
(Hus) Pro 2 |
| 10. |
Ryan Sipes |
(GG) |
