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Steward Baylor Dominates Iconic Snowshoe GNCC
Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green™ celebrated a milestone weekend at the Snowshoe Grand National Cross Country race, as Steward Baylor stood on the top step of the podium for the first time at the iconic West Virginia event.
After extensive tire testing leading into the race, Steward Baylor and the team committed to a planned mid-race wheel change that proved to be the difference. The team completed the pit stop in just 48 seconds, allowing Steward Baylor to rejoin the race quickly with a fresh tire and charge through the closing laps to secure the well-deserved win aboard his KX™450X.
"We put a lot of work into tire testing this week," Steward Baylor said. "I knew with a fresh tire I needed to charge, and that's exactly what we did."
The long-awaited victory marked Steward Baylor's first time holding up the coveted Snowshoe snowboard. The win moves him into second in the championship standings, only 12 points behind the leader.
"This has been a grind. It's been years, but what a ride," Steward Baylor said. "It takes a lot more than just the rider and mechanic to get these things done."
Grant Baylor battled back to finish third in XC1 after a difficult opening lap left him with work to do. A poor start forced the Kawasaki rider to fight his way through the field before settling into a strong rhythm and charging back into podium contention. Despite losing time after getting hung up in one of Snowshoe's notorious rock sections late in the race, Grant Baylor recovered to secure his second straight podium finish.
"I didn't get off to that good of a start," Grant Baylor said. "We started finding a flow and worked our way through the pack. I got stuck in the rocks there late, but we were able to bring it home for third."
Josh Toth rounded out another strong weekend for the Kawasaki squad with sixth overall and fourth in XC1. After lining up as the sole rider on the fifth row, Toth charged through the field to earn a season-best finish.
The team's double podium and another front-running performance highlighted the depth of the Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green program as the GNCC championship heads into the summer break.