in fourth , with seven time world endure champion Steve Holcombe rounding out the top five aboard his Liqui Molly Factory Beta . All five riders within fifteen seconds of each other . Barely into the start of lap two however , disaster struck for Ashburn as an unexpected electrical issue kept him from restarting his bike , finally getting going just before the XC2 leaders caught him . At the completion of lap two , Toth would still hold the lead over Kelley by two seconds , with Bollinger making his way into third with the misfortunes of Ashburn , who would come across the line in seventh .
At the halfway point of the race , Kelley would take over the lead from Toth with four seconds to spare as a new rider would come into the mix , as Rockstar Energy Husqvarna ’ s Craig Delong would make his way to third at the end of lap three . The order wouldn ’ t change as the two lap board came out , but Toth would begin to fall off the pace of Kelley slightly , feeling the effects from the DNF in Florida . He would still hold a 45 second advantage over third place Delong . When the white flag came out , Kelley had extended his advantage over Toth to nearly 45 seconds in his own right , while Toth still had his near minute advantage over Delong back in third , with Bollinger and Ashburn rounding out the top five .
With the checkered flag waving , Kelley would cruise to his third
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 108