BEN KELLEY words : Steph Vetterly photos : Shan Moore Beckley , WV ( Sept 12 , 2021 )
After a two-month break from racing , which saw AmPro Yamaha ’ s Steward Baylor and wife Jade welcome their first child into the world ( welcome little Steward Levi ), the AMA Grand National Cross Country ( GNCC ) series returned to action with Round 10 at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Beckley , West Virginia . FMF KTM Factory Racing ’ s Ben Kelley found himself in an intense last-lap battle with Baylor . With Baylor keeping the lead over the three hours of racing and crossing the finish a full 1:17-seconds ahead , Kelley was able to maintain second place , and the overall series lead , albeit shortened from nine points to four .
“ I really like this course because of how technical it is ; it ’ s like Snowshoe ,” said Baylor . “ I got off to a mediocre start , but I bullied my way through and was able to get up front pretty quick . From there , I just kind of paid attention to the pit boards and maintained my lead . The track was demanding . You could push on it , but you could push too far . So , there was a lot of times I found myself saying , ‘ slow down ,
VOL . 6 ISSUE 10 - OCTOBER 2021 // PAGE 133