Cycle News Staff | June 11, 2024
Round four of the 2024 Redline Oil AMA National Enduro Series, presented by MSR and Beta Motorcycles, took place at the historic Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Cherokee National Enduro in Greensboro, Georgia, on June 11. All-time excellent conditions led to great racing action as Josh Toth took his third consecutive win of the season.
Josh Toth scored the overall win at the Cherokee Enduro National in Georgia. Photos: Mack Faint
Toth came out in the 10-mile-long first section and put in a commanding lead of 43 seconds right from the get-go. Toth then built the lead by winning five of the six counted tests after test seven was thrown out for the day. By day’s end, Toth won by one minute and 28 seconds. He now has a 21-point lead in the series standings over Steward Baylor Jr.
“I feel like I caught the boys sleeping in test one,” Toth said. “I was able to build a pretty good lead, and from there, I just tried to be smooth and consistent the rest of the day.”
Johnny Girroir came back swinging to grab the runner-up position.
Second overall on the day was FMF Factory KTM rider Johnny Girroir. After missing the previous round due to injury, Girroir came back swinging to grab the runner-up position.
“I started the day off kind of slow,” Girroir said. “By the end of the day, I found a good flow and was feeling pretty good. I was glad to get a test win in the middle of the day.”
Pro podium.
Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Red Bear Racing Kawasaki rider Steward Baylor Jr. took the third spot on the overall podium. Baylor said, “I knew Josh was going to be good here today and hard to beat. I tried to hammer down and put a charge against him. I was glad to see I finally won a test at the end of the day but bummed to see that section thrown out. It was a good day for our whole team, with me on the podium and Rachael [Archer] winning the Women’s class.”
Grant Baylor, the Babbitt’s Online Monster Energy Kawasaki rider, took the fourth overall position, while Coastal GasGas’ Ryder Lafferty rounded out the top five. Sixth overall was Am-Pro Yamaha’s Ricky Russell, who also had a return-from-an-injury ride.
Nathaniel “Bubz” Tasha was the Pro2 winner.
Max Motorsports Husqvarna rider Evan Smith finished the day in seventh-place overall after a penalty was assessed for missing a portion of the course in test five.
First place in the NE Pro2 class and eighth overall was Nathaniel “Bubz” Tasha. Bubz broke Grant Davis’ winning streak this season and put his Am-Pro Yamaha on the top step. Bubz said, “My bike is dialed, especially for enduros. I don’t have to worry about setup, and I can just do my thing on the track. That helped me secure the win today.”
Grant Davis secured second place despite battling some broken ribs.
FMF Factory KTM Landers Racing rider Grant Davis managed to secure second place in the NE Pro2 class and ninth overall, despite battling some broken ribs. “I broke some ribs at another race a few weeks ago, so I was dealing with the pain a little bit today and just tried to be smooth,” said Davis.
A new face to enduros, Tyler Palmer, aboard his Husqvarna, took his first podium at his first-ever enduro with third in NE Pro2 and 10th overall.
Pro2 Podium.
“I had a lot of fun today learning the enduros,” Palmer said. “This was the first time I ever rode one, and it feels good to put it on the podium. I was pumped to win a couple of tests, too.”
Keeping her win streak alive for the 2024 season in the Women’s Elite class was Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Red Bear Racing’s Rachael Archer. Second place went to Sherco rider Rachel Gutish, followed by Enduro Engineering GasGas rider Shelby Turner in the third spot.
Rachael Archer kept her win streak alive.
The top AA rider at the Cherokee was Coastal GasGas rider Lane Whitmer. Winning the overall A was a 250-rider Chase Landers. Open rider Jacob McPherson was the overall B winner, and the top C rider for the day was a 251+ rider Dallas Johnson.
The next round will take place in Wellston, Ohio, on June 30 for the 50th anniversary of the Little Raccoon National Enduro.
Women’s podium.
Logan Densmore
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Josh Toth (GG)
- Johnny Girroir (KTM)
- Steward Baylor Jr (Kaw)
- Grant Baylor (Kaw)
- Ryder Lafferty (GG)
- Ricky Russell (Yam)
- Evan Smith (Hus)
- Nathaniel Tasha (Yam)
- Grant Davis (KTM)
- Tyler Palmer (Hus)
