“My goal today was to get a good start and to get out front,” said Ashburn. “A gap on the rest of the pack always helps out, and after I had my rear tire replaced I knew I needed to get back to the front because I had the speed to be there. I plan to be on the podium for the rest of the year.”

Meanwhile, N-Fab AmPro Yamaha-backed Grant Baylor got off to a not-so-favorable start, where he tipped over in the first corner. Baylor was able to rebound from the trivial mistake and work his way up to the front-runners checking in second on the first lap.

Within the second lap Ashburn had extended his lead by 37 seconds, but the running order tightened up immensely on the third lap when Duvall closed the gap by less than 10 seconds. Duvall would immediately move into the lead when Ashburn had to exit the track to make an extra pit stop due to his rear wheel’s bib disintegrating. The N-Fab AmPro team was able to make a quick change and Ashburn re-entered the track where he left off still holding onto a top five position.

Ashburn’s misfortune opened the doors not only for Thad, but also Baylor, to gain a position in the overall running. Baylor’s race management skills allowed him to catch up to Duvall, only trailing by 10 seconds. Baylor eventually passed Duvall as he stopped to get a splash of gas, but Duvall would not stay behind for long.

“Going into today’s race I was already excited because I tend to ride good in conditions like these,” reported Duvall. “I don’t necessarily like riding in the mud, but I always seem to do good. Baylor caught back up to me with two laps remaining and we battled it out, but I felt like I had a lot to give and I ended up in the middle of the box.”

Duvall’s stellar performance vaulted the West Virginia native into the lead for the final four laps, and also second into the overall points championship chase. Ashburn finished out strong, capturing third place in the XC1 Pro class and overall.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Josh Strang proved that he is still in the game by getting fourth overall, and behind Strang was JCR’s Honda-backed Chris Bach. AirGroup/Rockstar Energy/Husqvarna’s Ryan Sipes dealt with handlebar issues, putting him sixth. Following behind Sipes in seventh was N-Fab AmPro Yamaha rider Daniel Milner, Beta’s Cory Buttrick in eighth, Douglas in ninth, and rounding out the XC1 top ten was Funmart Cycle/FLY/RidePG.com’s Adam Bonneur.

Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/KR4/FAR’s Nick Davis was able to jump out to the quick lead claiming the $100 Hot Cams Holeshot Award, but struggled with holding the lead on the first lap to Thomas and Raines Riding University/Atlas Yamaha/OffRoadViking.com’s Ricky Russell. However, as the race wore on, Davis picked up his pace drastically, where he rode on uncontested for yet another win in the class, as well as an impressive fifth place overall finish.

“It was really hard to see at the start, and all I could think was ‘this is going to be a long three hours,’” reported Davis. “Then everything just started clicking, and I got back ahead of Thomas and Russell, and started pulling away.”

Thomas was able to hold on for a second place finish, which was a good enough placement to result in being crowned the 2015 XC2 Pro Lites champion. Thomas will remain in the XC2 division throughout the end of this season, but will move up to the premier XC1 Pro division starting in 2016.

“It’s been a long year, and we’ve done a lot of hard work behind the scenes. Everyone has been a big part of this, it wasn’t just me,” said Thomas. “My dad was able to make it this weekend, and it’s a big deal because he isn’t here every round like majority of the other guys’ dads. It really meant a lot to me that he could be here.”

Following behind Thomas was Connecticut’s Benjamin Kelley in the third place position. Kelley first made an appearance this season at the previous Unadilla round where he finished eighth in the XC2 class.

Mason Atherton went home with the $125 American Kargo Top Amateur Award, after claiming his first win in the 250 A class and finishing 16th overall.

The WXC front-runners dominated the 10 a.m. race once again, with two female competitors even making the overall podium. Factory FMF/KTM’s Kacy Martinez captured her 10th victory of the season, followed by N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Becca Sheets in second, and her teammate Tayla Jones came in third for her first podium appearance of the season.