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Steward Baylor Battles Back to Runner-Up Finish
It was a challenging day in the woods for Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green™, but Steward Baylor kept his championship hopes moving in the right direction with a hard-fought second-place overall finish.
After spending considerable time working on starts leading into the weekend, Baylor’s KX™450X fired off with the lead group. However, some wheel spin off the line cost him positions before contact, and changing lines in the opening corners sent him to the ground in the mud. Baylor remounted near the back of the field and was immediately faced with a long charge through the pack.
With championship points becoming increasingly important late in the season, Baylor quickly went to work. He steadily picked his way forward before finding his rhythm as conditions continued to deteriorate. Deep mud and standing water made line choice critical, but Baylor adapted throughout the race and continued climbing the order.
Keeping the motorcycle underneath him became equally important. The team took additional time in the pits to clear mud from the radiators and keep his KX™450X running cool, prioritizing getting Baylor to the finish as he worked his way into podium contention.
Despite battling fading brakes and difficult conditions, Baylor completed the comeback with a second-place overall finish. More importantly, he finished ahead of the two championship rivals he needed to beat, allowing him to close the points gap to just eight with only two points-paying rounds remaining.
“I’ve been chasing this thing for too long,” Baylor said. “I know I have the speed. We just had to keep the radiators clean, keep my bike cooled off, and make sure we finished.”
Behind Baylor, Josh Toth battled through the same demanding conditions to put his KX™250X inside the Top 10 with a ninth-place finish in the XC1 Class and 10th overall.
Toth announced that this would be his final time racing the course. “It’s bittersweet, this being my last time at John Penton GNCC, as this is my final season racing the series full time,” said Toth.
Although returning to racing at the Burning Rock American National Enduro a week prior, Nick DeFeo remained sidelined for the weekend as he continues to recover from the leg injury he suffered earlier this year
With three rounds remaining, the focus now shifts to the final stretch of the championship as Baylor continues to close the gap and Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green prepares for the next round.
