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Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green™ Battles Through the Florida Sand
Round 2 of the Progressive Grand National Cross Country Series lived up to its reputation as one of the most grueling races on the circuit as the Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki riders battled through the demanding conditions of the course on Sunday.
Leading the charge was Steward Baylor in the XC1 Pro Class. Baylor got out to a mid-pack start and quickly worked his way through the field to the Top 5. A racing incident caused his shift lever to get bent, forcing him to make a pitstop and get it adjusted, losing several positions in the process. Baylor reentered the track and was able to charge back towards the front before contact to his bike damaged the radiator and hoses, ultimately ending his day. “I stopped to diagnose the bike, and knew exactly what was going on. I had just caught Ben [Kelley] and saw him and Grant [Davis] were right there side by side, and I was putting myself in a good position on the track, and I felt really good. It was just a bummer to not be able to finish out the race,” said Baylor.
Fellow XC1 Pro rider Josh Toth was involved in a first-turn pile-up that resulted in damage to his
front brake line. He had to navigate the 14-mile course with only a rear brake to get back to the
pits, where the team rushed to put on a new front brake system. Scrambling to make up time proved to be risky in the tough conditions for Toth, who is still recovering from a broken
femur from last season. Toth decided to save the fight for the next race after losing too much time to catch back up to the Top 20.
XC2 competitor Nick DeFeo came into Round 2 with the white plate, signifying his points lead after winning Round 1. Despite contending in the Top 5, DeFeo was forced into the pits to diagnose an issue with his bike. After resolving an electrical issue, DeFeo was able to get back on track and salvage much-needed championship points. He finished ninth in the XC2 Pro Class. “I’m really disappointed that I threw away the points lead at this race. It’s just frustrating, but we’ll look to come back better next week,” said DeFeo.
The team looks to rebound as the quickest turnaround of the season between races takes place at the world-famous Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama this coming weekend.
