On The Pegs August 2018 - Volume 3 - Issue 8 | Page 69

On The Pegs
Vol. 3 Issue 8 - August 2018
P 69
I think all of those factors led to my perfor-
mance today.”
Toth gained a few points on Steward in the
series standings, although Steward still holds
a nine-point advantage over the Connecticut
rider with five rounds to go.
Steward rounded out the podium in third,
despite dealing with an injured knee and a
case of the flu this week.
“I haven’t been able to train over the last
couple of weeks and I think that affected my
timing,” said Steward. “I’ve been sick all week
and the heat today didn’t help any.”
Steward came on strong in the final two tests,
but came just short in his bid to catch Toth.
KR4 Husqvarna’s Cory Buttrick turned in his
best performance of the season with a fourth
place, missing the podium by just under a min-
ute. Buttrick is one of the only Pro riders that
does his own maintenance at the track.
Buttrick finished second to Grant Baylor in
the fourth test.
“It was satisfying being towards the front
again,” said Buttrick. “It’s also satisfying doing
it on your own, although my wife, Mackenzie,
helps were she can. It’s tough not being able
to catch your breath all day.
“It was really tough to keep it upright, there
were a lot of roots. I always have a good time
when I come here, I really love this place.”
SRT Racing’s Evan Smith rounded out the top
five with a steady and nearly error-free day.
“It was actually a pretty clean day; I didn’t fall
or hit any trees,” said Smith. “I really don’t feel
like fifth reflects how well I rode today. I don’t
live too far from here, so I was right at home in
this stuff.”
Solid Performance KTM’s Ryder Lafferty
finished sixth overall, which also gave him the