GNCC Racing

FMF KTM's Ben Kelley Takes National Enduro Season Opener in South Carolina

Monday, February 3, 2020 | 10:55 AM

FMF KTM’S BEN KELLEY TAKES NATIONAL ENDURO SEASON OPENER IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Darrin Chapman

WEDGEFIELD, S.C. – FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley came out swinging for the opening round of the 2020 AMA National Enduro Series where he secured his first-career overall victory with an impressive ride in South Carolina.

After a year off from the National Enduro Series, Kelley made his presence known in the premier division as he captured three of the six test-wins to kick off his first full-season aboard the KTM 350 XC-F.

Rain leading up to the race made for ideal course conditions with no dust and only a few mud holes throughout the course. The first test was 10 miles total, including a few miles of tight single-track. Kelley got off to a good rhythm right away as he secured the opening test-win by eight seconds. He quickly backed that up on test two, taking the win by five seconds. On test three, Kelley got held up at a mud hole when another rider ahead of him was stuck in the mud. He finally made his way around and finished fourth. He went on to secure third-place finishes in tests four and five before ending the day on a strong note finishing with a 14-second victory in the sixth and final test.

Ben Kelley:“It’s awesome to win the first race of the year and being that it’s a National Enduro, I don’t get to ride in the tight stuff very often so there were just a lot of unknowns coming in. But I’ve been working hard this off-season and I gave it my best out there today and it paid off.”

FMF KTM Factory Racing Team’s Josh Toth missed the opening round following a leg injury sustained during practice earlier in the week.

KTM-supported rider, Mackenzie Tricker, started her title defense off in a big way as she claimed the Women’s class victory at the opening round.

Next Round: March 22 – Turkey, Texas

NE Pro1 Results
1. Ben Kelley KTM, 2:19:27.17
2. Steward Baylor Jr., 2:19:36.684
3. Grant Baylor, 2:19:54.436

OTHER KTM
8. Russell Bobbitt, KTM

NE1 Pro Championship Standings
1. Ben Kelley, 30 points
2. Steward Baylor Jr., 25
3. Grant Baylor, 21