Shan Moore | April 25, 2022
Layne Michael put his AmPro Yamaha in the win column for the first time this season by claiming the overall win at round six of the U.S. Sprint Enduro Series this weekend at Track 93 in Fairmont, West Virginia. Michael beat out series points leader Josh Toth by just over eight seconds after two days of racing.
Michael took the win on the first day of racing by 1.9 seconds ahead of the FMF/KTM-backed Toth, after a tight day of racing that went back and forth between the two riders. However, Michael tidied up some lines on day two to take a more comfortable win and the overall.
Needless to say, Michael was pleased to get the victory.
“It’s been a frustrating year at these, so it’s good to finally get this win,” said Michael. “I feel like I’ve been just barely getting beat. I just haven’t been able to put it together. This weekend was really good. I just started off strong on Saturday and then stayed off the ground all weekend.”
Layne Michael got back to his winning ways in the U.S. Sprint Enduro Championship after winning in West Virginia. Photos: Shan Moore
On Saturday, it was pretty much back and forth between Michael and Toth, with Michael getting the upper hand by a couple of seconds in the cross test, while Toth would have a two-second edge in the enduro test. Amazingly, Toth nearly hit a deer that wandered onto the racecourse in the second enduro test and went down, losing eight seconds to Michael. But then came back in the final enduro test to out-pace Michael by nine seconds, leaving the two riders with less than two seconds separating them at the end of the day.
“We were pretty close all day on Saturday,” said Michael. “He did have a crash in the second one, but then that last test I was puzzled. I was just wondering where I could make that time up. Honestly, I went out there and I didn’t see any new lines. So, I just kind of put my head down and did the best I could.”
On Sunday, Michael was able to pick up a little speed in the enduro test, which was the difference in the two days, and the overall.
“We were a lot closer today, so that felt nice,” said Michael. “I was still able to put a little time on him in the cross test, but that second enduro test today really kind of gave me the confidence going into that last test. He still nabbed me by a few seconds, but I’ll be honest, I was pretty nervous going into that last little bit. I made it through the hard stuff. I rode pretty crappy the last little bit. Just didn’t want to make a mistake.”
With two rounds remaining in the series, Toth still holds a comfortable lead in the chase to the championship, meaning that Michael would need to win all four remaining days.
Josh Toth was second overall but still leads in the championship by nine points over Michael.
“I felt like I rode strong all weekend,” said Toth. “I really only had one bad enduro test. Unfortunately, I think it kind of cost me the overall. Layne was riding great. He really picked it up in the enduro test and was pretty much matching my time before. I couldn’t keep it on him in the cross test. So, I just needed to figure things out a little bit better in the grass track and not lose any time there so I could just get ahead, but Layne picked it up.”
Making his first appearance in the series for 2022 was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong, who came away with a solid third overall. DeLong is testing the waters for a potential trip to France for the ISDE.
“I’d like to go to Six Days; that’s something I would like to cross off my bucket list before I’m done in however many years,” said DeLong.
Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cody Barnes was fourth overall and first in the Pro 2 division despite starting off the weekend with a huge crash.
“First day right off the bat I had a pretty good crash in the cross test, but was able to kind of recoup and just ride solid,” said Barnes. “I didn’t have any other crashes throughout the weekend, which was a big thing. There was a lot of off-cambers and little rocks and things that could catch you off guard. For me, it was a good weekend. It’s awesome to get another Pro 2 win. So, hopefully we can keep it going. We have two more rounds and we’ll see what happens.”
Cody Barnes topped the 250cc Pro class in fourth overall.
Coastal Racing GasGas’ Ryder Lafferty made a rare sprint series appearance at the West Virginia event and came away with fourth in the Pro division and fifth overall. Lafferty decided to race a 350 instead of his 250 in preparation for an upcoming National Enduro.
RPM Racing KTM’s Angus Riordan had his best weekend of the season and came away with sixth overall and second in the Pro 2 division.
Tely Energy Racing’s Liam Draper had a bit of an off–weekend and finished up seventh overall.
Seven-Sixty Husqvarna’s Thorn Devlin rounded out the podium in the Pro 2 class with an eighth overall.
Forbes Racing KTM’s Cole Forbes topped the 250 A division in ninth overall.
KTM-mounted Jason Tino won the Pro-Am division with a 10th overall finish.
Trail Jesters Racing KTM’s Korie Steede turned in a spectacular performance to win the Women’s Pro division, coming from behind in the final test on both days to steal the victory from Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Tayla Jones.
Korie Steede won the Women’s Pro class.
FXR Racing KTM’s Shelby Turner was third each day and third overall.
2022 AMA Sprint Enduro Round 6 Results Overall Results
- Layne Michael (Yam)
- Josh Toth (KTM)
- Craig DeLong (Hus)
- Cody Barnes (Hon)
- Ryder Lafferty (GG)
- Angus Riordan (KTM)
- Liam Draper (KTM)
- Thorn Devlin (Hus)
- Cole Forbes (KTM)
- Jason Tino (KTM)
Get the complete results here.
See all the latest off-road motorcycle racing news and results here.
