Am-Pro Yamaha ’ s Stu Baylor , FMF KTM ’ s Josh Toth , along with Delong and teammate Thad Duvall . At the completion of the first lap of racing , Ashburn lead over Russell and Grant Baylor . The entire field was together , only separated by 33 seconds .
Over the course of the extended 16-mile track for the afternoon race , lap times approached the 40-minute mark , allowing even more passing opportunities for the riders than usual . As the battling ensued , the riders stayed grouped together . Ashburn would lead the way through on lap two , with Delong now taking over the second position , less than three seconds behind . Toth would follow in third , with Stu Baylor and Duvall rounding out the top five .
At the halfway point of the race , Baylor would put on a charge , moving from 4th to 2nd , close enough to tap Ashburn ’ s rear tire . Delong was still close in third , with Russell moving back up the field after a crash , with Toth following in fifth . On lap four however , the Mountaineer winner Baylor , would suffer a crash that would damage his front wheel . Unable to push , and with the National Enduro championship still a possibility , the South Carolina rider elected to call it a day . With the white flag out , Delong would put in a blazing fast lap to take over the lead from the number 3 . If it finished in this order , Delong would not only claim his
LANE WHITMER
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 92