Back in the opening round in Georgia at the Full Gas Sprint series last February, Ryan Sipes had an absolute dominance in the race and managed to win a clear one but as the second round approaches in Virginia, which was altered completely. Even though he managed to succeed in winning the 12 Cross tests in the two day span of racing, he didn’t carry his speed across each test.
On the contrary, Grant Baylor raced in consistency and managed to win three Enduro tests that are just enough during the Cross tests. Sipes on the other hand, managed a couple of sixths during the Enduro test that nearly cost him the overall. Grant Baylor managed to outrun Sipes during the Saturday’s event by less than a second despite of Sipes’ speed that he has shown in the Cross test. On Sunday, Sipes departed into the concluding test of the weekend through a 14-second benefit more than Grant. Nevertheless, a number of errors wiped all other than 1.5 seconds and had Sipes claimed his succeeding triumph in a row.
“I made way too many mistakes in that last test. It was an emotional rollercoaster for me this weekend. I would kill ‘em in the Cross test, and then they would get me back in the Enduro test. I was a little upset about Sunday’s race, losing eight seconds in the last test. But overall, it was a good weekend. I’ve got two overall wins in two races and I think I’m getting better in the Enduro tests with every race.” told Sipes.
Having his most excellent finish of the series; including a triumph on Saturday as well as a second overall, Grant Baylor is quite satisfied at the end. He was just fast enough during the Cross test to battle for the overall and was the strongest contender in the Enduro Test.
Following his accident more than 2 weeks ago this resulted in a broken bone, Baylor said after the race that that incident wasn’t a factor in his overall performance : “I got off to a slow start, but I picked up the pace starting with the second Cross test.”
“I won the Enduro test twice on Saturday and I was second in the Cross test, and that was enough to take the win for the day. I started off struggling on Sunday, and I was making mental mistakes, but I managed to get it together for the final few tests and I think Ryan had a problem in that last one, which made it close. He had a good lead on me in that last test, but I knew I could beat him. I figured he would back it off a little since he had a big lead, but I came up just short, but I’m happy with second overall.” said Baylor.
Rounding up the last spot of the podium was Josh Strang who made it in for the second race in a row with a third in the overall. He started strong through a second place within the opening Cross test, followed by a triumph during the Enduro test. Nevertheless, Strang went down during the concluding Enduro test on Saturday. This resulted in him losing important time and maybe his shot at the first place. On Sunday, he had a hard time in the drier environment but he was still racing in a steady pace and managed to finish the race in third.
“It really dried up a ton from Saturday, so the track ended up being slick,” said Strang. “We were all pretty close in the Enduro test, but it was just a bit unsettling in places. Sipes just destroyed us in the Cross test. I felt like I was riding well, but I was getting seconds and thirds. Overall, it was a good weekend, but I need to work on a few things before the next round.” told Strand.
Layne Michael finished a huge illustration in Virginia. He won one of the Enduro tests in addition to having four seconds as well as a third for fourth overall. Steward Baylor rounded up the top five who made great effort on Saturday. He never finished upper than fourth in any of the tests. On Sunday, Steward was sixth fastest during the first test; however, he seemed to catch fire through a couple of seconds, followed by a win in the Enduro test.
The Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series will recommence scheduled on May 19-20 through round three of the series at Lake Suger Tree Raceway inside Axton, Virginia.
