the lead by a few seconds over Kelley , with Garcia losing time but still close with the leaders . Medaglia would suffer mechanical issues and drop out of the race . By lap three , Kelley had taken over the lead from Ashburn and begin to pull away , with over a thirty second lead by the end of the lap . Unfortunately , the Australian Strang would get collected while trying to pass a lapped rider , leading to a broken arm , and taking him out of the race . Ricky Russell would also exit the race , as he would tangle with a lapped rider as well , sending him over the handlebars and reinjuring an aggravating shoulder injury .
When the two-lap board came out , Kelley had stretched his lead to 1:55 over Ashburn . Garcia meanwhile had put a charge of his own together and was only fourteen seconds behind Ashburn . KTM mounted Toth however had succumbed to the 86 degree temperatures and was off the side of the track being treated for heat exhaustion mid-way through lap 5 . Taking over 4th and 5th were the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna teammates of Craig Delong and Trevor Bollinger . As the white flag flew , Kelley now had a commanding 3:10 lead over Ashburn , who was still in a fight with Garcia for the runner up spot on the podium .
Kelley would claim the checkered flag with four minutes to spare over a hard charging Josep Garcia who would outduel Ashburn for second
VOL . 7 ISSUE 4 - APRIL 2022 // PAGE 97