On The Pegs March 2019 - Volume 4 - Issue 3 | Page 63

On The Pegs
Vol. 4 Issue 3 - March 2019
P 63
It was like stepping back in time
watching Russell Bobbitt win the
Sumter National Enduro, with the
sound of a rung-out two-stroke
exhaust echoing off the trees. It
was also surprising to see the six-
time national champ win the first
three tests and then hold on to
claim his first national win since
2016.
At the end of the day, Bobbitt
took the win over defending na-
tional champ Steward Baylor by
16 seconds after six tests and 64
miles of racing.
Bobbitt started fast, winning
the first three tests, as dark
clouds threatened to dump rain
on the area. Heading into the
fourth test, Bobbitt enjoyed
a 54-second advantage over
Husqvarna/ Max Motorsports/
FXR Racing’s Evan Smith, with
Baylor another four seconds
back.
Baylor, who has been dealing
with a nagging knee injury, made
things worse when he took a
practice crash a week before, but
he was still able to get settled in
during the second half of the race
and started reeling off test wins
in an effort to catch Bobbitt.
Baylor would catch and pass
Smith in the final test of the day,