TOTH TOPS DREAMVILLE SPRINT ENDURO

By Shan Moore

“It’s been a while since I won a sprint race,” said Toth. “I was riding good this weekend, like I felt like I should have been at the first two rounds. It was very slippery: dry and slick the first day, and then wet and slick today. I laid it down a couple times, but nothing serious.”

Josh Toth took an impressive victory at round three of the US Sprint Enduro Series at Dreamville MX Raceway in Raeford, North Carolina. The FMF/KTM Factory rider won eight tests in all (five on Saturday and three on Sunday), finishing the two-day event with a 35-second advantage over runner-up finisher Cody Barnes (Phoenix Honda Racing). Barnes also claimed the win in the Pro 2 division. The race marked the second race in a row where Barnes has challenged the Pro riders from the Pro 2 class.

Barnes drew first blood on Saturday, posting the fastest overall time in test one ahead of Toth. AmPro Yamaha’s Layne Michael, who was nursing a grade 2 AC tear to his right shoulder from a crash the previous weekend, posted the third-fastest time. After six tests, Toth sat at the top of Saturday’s standings in first, while Barnes finished second overall (first in the Pro 2 class), and Devlin was third overall (second Pro 2). Michael was fourth overall and second Pro rider, while Tely Energy Racing’s Liam Draper was fifth overall and third in the Pro division.

“The track was fast and the cross-test was really hard packed, so I just tried to eliminate mistakes and not crash,” said Barnes. “Today we got a bunch of rain and it made the track gnarly. The woods test got super rutted and super rough. So, really it was just about not making mistakes and going down or even getting stuck. There were a couple spots that really rutted up. Overall, it was a great weekend. Hopefully can carry this momentum into the rest of the year.”

While Saturday’s race took place under clear skies and dry conditions, Sunday’s event was wet and slippery thanks to an all-day rain that set in over the area. Toth got off to a quick start in Sunday’s mud, taking the win in the opening test of the day. Barnes, however, kept Toth on his toes and would end up splitting wins with the Connecticut rider, with each rider claiming three wins. Barnes won four tests outright for the weekend (one on Saturday and three on Sunday) and claimed the runner-up slot for the weekend as well as first in the Pro 2 division.

Despite the injury to his shoulder, Layne Michael managed to salvage third overall and, more importantly, second place points in the Pro class.

The US Sprint Enduro Series returns to action on March 19-20 for round four of the series at Boswell Farm in Greensboro, Georgia. For more information go to www.ussprintenduro.com.

OVERALL RESULTS

Josh Toth (KTM)
Cody Barnes (Hon)
Layne Michael (Yam)
Liam Draper (KTM)
Thorn Devlin (Hsq)
Angus Riordan (KTM)
Bubz Tasha (Hsq)
Cole Forbes (KTM)
Cade Henderson (KTM)
Neil Enman (GG)