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Josh Toth Returns to the Top at Burning Rock National Enduro
Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green™ put together a strong showing at the Burning Rock National Enduro, with both Pro 1 Class riders placing on the overall podium, as Josh Toth returned to the top step of the podium for his first National Enduro victory since suffering a broken femur last season.
Toth was nearly untouchable throughout the day, winning five of six tests aboard his KX™250X to take the overall victory. After making a few adjustments following the opening test, Toth quickly found his rhythm and took control of the race.
"It's been such a long road," Toth said. "It feels like about a year since I broke my leg at one of these, and I haven't won one since. It's bittersweet, and I had to dig deep today."
Toth knew early that he had the speed to win, especially through the technical terrain that suited his smooth, stand-up riding style.
"I just felt great," Toth said. "I rode the KX™250X and the handling was dialed. I knew I was riding really well. I kind of hit a wall at Test 5 and just really had to dig deep to finish strong.”
Behind him, Steward Baylor battled through a rough start and an injured foot to salvage third overall.
Baylor crashed in the opening test before ripping a footpeg off his bike in Test 2. Attempting to continue with only one footpeg, Baylor hit a stump and injured several toes, but continued racing the remainder of the day.
"From there, I just tried to forget about the pain," Baylor said. "I saw that Josh [Toth] was smoking me, so I knew from that point forward I had to get on my toes and try to keep that weight transfer smooth."
With Toth setting the pace, Steward adjusted his riding style to try and match the leader and the difficult terrain.
"Josh is a hard rider to follow," Baylor said. "All in all, it was a good day. The track was fun, it was difficult, and there were definitely some challenging sections."
The weekend also marked the return of defending Pro 2 Champion Nick DeFeo. DeFeo entered 2026 looking to defend his title and opened the season by sweeping all six tests at the Sumter National Enduro. He held the Pro 2 championship points lead before suffering a broken femur earlier in the season, bringing his title defense to an abrupt halt.
After months on the sidelines, Burning Rock marked DeFeo's first race back and an important step in his return to competition. He earned an impressive fifth-place finish in the Pro 2 Class and looks to build on the result before the season comes to a close.
With Toth back on top, Baylor fighting through adversity to reach the podium, and DeFeo finally back behind the gate, Burning Rock delivered a strong day across the board for Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green with one round remaining in the 2026 American National Enduro Championship.
