words & photos : Shan Moore Bergholz , OH ( Aug 22 , 2021 )
FMF / KTM ’ s Ben Kelley claimed his first AMA National Enduro Series win of the 2021 season with a strong and consistent performance at this weekend ’ s Lumberjack Enduro in Bergholz , Ohio . Despite not winning a test all day , Kelley topped AmPro Yamaha ’ s Steward Baylor by 11.477 seconds for the overall .
With the win , Kelley became the fourth winner in six rounds of the series this year . The win was also Kelley ’ s first since the 2019 season .
“ It ’ s been a long time coming ,” said Kelley . “ The climbs were huge . Everything was on a hill , so you had to be cautious and try not to slide off the trail . A lot of off-cambers , deep ups and downs . I ’ m happy to get a win a national enduro win , especially since they ’ re not my strong suit . A little surprised for me , but pumped to get the win .”
Baylor won two of the six tests en route to the runner-up slot . He extended his lead in the championship chase to 40 points with just three rounds remaining . Baylor was fast , as usual , but missed an arrow in test one , which got him off on the wrong foot .
VOL . 6 ISSUE 9 - SEPTEMBER 2021 // PAGE 147