On The Pegs VOL . 4 ISSUE 10 - OCTOBER 2020 79
XC Gear / Enduro Engineering / Husqvarna ’ s Ryder Lafferty claimed his first-ever career National Enduro victory by a razor-thin margin at this weekend ’ s dry and rocky Lead Belt National Enduro in Park Hills , Missouri - round six of the 2020 AMA National Enduro Series .
After 47-miles of racing over six tests , Lafferty edged FactoryONE Sherco ’ s Grant Baylor by a mere . 662-seconds , while four-time National Enduro Champion Steward Baylor rounded out the podium another . 280 seconds behind , making for the closest 1-2-3 finish in AMA National Enduro history . Lafferty ’ s . 662-second winning margin was also the closest 1-2 finish in the history of the series .
Lafferty , Grant and Steward , who was riding with the help of Am-Pro Yamaha for the Missouri event , each took turns leading the event , with Grant taking the first test win , Steward winning the second and Lafferty winning the third .
After Steward and Grant traded wins in tests four and five , Lafferty entered the sixth and final test with a seven-second cushion over Grant , while Steward prepared to make his usual “ hero ’ s run ” in the final test to claim the win . Steward has typically won the “ waterfall ” test at the Lead Belt Enduro each time he has raced it , and this year was no different .