On The Pegs VOL . 4 ISSUE 12 - DECEMBER 2020 41
Steward , and they were hindering me somewhat too . You got close to those guys and it took almost two miles just to catch them after you caught their dust . You would catch their dust , and then two miles later you would catch them . Luckily Steward had Cole Kirkpatrick out there in front of him the last test and I ended up edging him out by just a few seconds , so it was awesome .”
Steward , who just signed with AmPro Yamaha for 2021 , came just a few lappers from taking the win .
“ I felt like I was definitely the best rider today ,” said Steward . “ Starting off at the front of the pack puts you right at the back of the pack of the AA ’ s . I had to deal with a lot of dust . I think that was the game changer there at the end .”
Switching back to his KTM 450 XC-F for the Texas race , FMF / KTM ’ s Ben Kelley put in a solid ride to round out the podium , his 3-2-4-3-3 finishes in the five tests were good enough for third overall .
“ It was a good day overall ,” said Kelley . “ I decided to ride the 450 and I think it was a good choice in this terrain , although It was completely foreign to us . But I think that ’ s what made it fun . I felt surprisingly well . Had a bit of arm pump , but overall I had a smooth day . I stayed off the ground which was nice .’