Weather was the biggest factor in the sixth round of the series as riders were faced with warm temperatures and high humidity. Hard rainfall dropped immediately prior to the start of the afternoon races which allowed for no dust during the race but a very slippery race course. The riders raced an 11.5 mile rocky loop for six total laps.

For the first time this season, Russell pulled the holeshot followed closely by his teammate Mullins off the start of the XC1 Pro line. The two riders immediately began a battle that would last the next three hours. Russell led the race until mile eight where he stopped to get goggles. This quick stop dropped him to 5^th place. By the end of the second lap, Russell was able to catch back up to 2^nd place behind Mullins. On that same lap, both riders came into the pits for goggles and Russell decided to refuel.

At the end of the third lap, Mullins stopped for gas which allowed Russell to get out front and pull a 16 second gap on Mullins. A few miles into that lap, Russell suffered a crash which allowed Mullins to close the gap. With two laps to go, only 10 seconds separated the teammates. On the final lap, Russell had to stop for a splash of gas which allowed Mullins to close within 5 seconds of him. Around the 8 mile marker of the final lap, Mullins was able to challenge Russell for the lead and made a pass to take over the top spot. Russell fell as a result of the contact made during the pass and lost a few seconds to Mullins. At the end of the race, Mullins took his third win of the season by a 6 second victory over Russell.

“It was a tough battle today,” stated Mullins. “Kailub (Russell) rode a strong race as he always does and we battled the whole time. I am happy to get a win here and gain a few more points toward the championship.”

Steward Baylor had a day he would like to forget in the XC1 Pro class. He started the race in the bottom ten, but got dizzy as a result of a concussion suffered at the third round of the series. The team decided it was best for him to pull off and seek medical attention. Baylor will be evaluated this week and it will be determined if he will need to sit out any remaining rounds to recover. 

In the XC2 Pro Lites class, Grant Baylor had an 8^th place start off the line. He quickly moved up to 3^rd place by the end of the first lap. On the second lap he was able to make a pass for the lead and never looked back. He went on to lead the remaining laps and took the win by 37 seconds over the 2^nd place ride of Ricky Russell. Baylor now holds the points lead heading to the next round.

In the WXC class, Martinez came out first around the opening corner and never lost her lead position. She led all four laps of the race to take her fifth win of the series over fellow KTM rider Sarah Baldwin. She now holds an 18 point lead in the championship standings.

Next Event: Masontown, WV – May 25, 2014