On The Pegs June 2020 - Volume 5 - Issue 6 | Page 61

On The Pegs VOL. 4 ISSUE 7 - July 2020
61
For the second race in a row, FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell had to make a pass on the final lap
to keep his perfect 2020 record intact, however, this time it was because he was suffering
from heat dehydration after leaving his Camelback at home. His team through water
on him in critial places around the course, but he was still suffering enough that Coastal Racing
Husqvarna’s Ricky Russell and Battitt’s Online Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Josh Strang caught him
on th final lap.
Ricky Russell even made a pass for the lead, but Kailub came back with an aggressive
pass. Then, at the about the four-mike marker the two leaders took seperate
trails when the course took a split and when the trail converged they hit, sending
Ricky over the bars, puncturing his leg and severing his femoral artery.
Ricky was transported to the hospital and is going to be just fine (see sidebar
later in this story), and Kailub went on to claim the 64th XC1 win of his career.
Just over four seconds behind Kailub came Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/
Team Green Kawasaki’s Josh Strang in second place. In four races now, the Aussie
off-road star has four podiums: two runner-up finishes and two third-place finishes.
“Yeah, it was a pretty good day,” said Strang. “I got an okay start. I think I was
seventh. I just couldn’t see. You just had to wait until everyone spread out a little
bit and I could catch up to them one at a time. At one stage I think there was four
of us together. It was pretty dusty then, but for some reason I made two quick
passes where a couple other guys it took me three-quarters of the lap to get close
enough to be able to pass them. Then I caught up to Ricky with a lap and a half to
go or something and then we both started catching Kailub. Their pace picked up,
and once there was two guys in front of me it got real dusty. So they gapped me
a little bit and then Ricky crashed there. So I got back into second and got close to
Kailub at the end.”
Turning in one of the best rides of the day was Rockstar Energy/Factory Husqvarna
Racing team’s XC2 rider, Craig DeLong, who actually led the race early on with
adjusted time. The Pennsylvania rider finished third overall and first XC2 rider.
“I got a good start and got out to a pretty good lead in the beginning. Kind of
got into a pace there. I got a little too comfortable, though, I guess and a Ryder Lafferty
ended up running me down. Made for an interesting last two and a half laps.
He rode good. He kept me on my toes. It was a battle all the way to the end. I had
no idea we were closing in on third.”
Am Pro Yamaha’s Layne Michael was fourth overall and third XC1 rider, taking
advantage of a second-place start off the line.
“I was kind of up out of some of that dust,” said Michael. “This Yamaha 450 man,
she lights up like a beast. Definitely grateful for that. Just kind of got in behind
Kailub there. I was just trying to pace off of him. I knew he was going to probably