Also on the XC2 line was Jesse Ansley as he got a great jump when the flag waved and stayed close to the front group of racers as they headed through the cornfield and out into the Indiana woods. Through the first lap Ansley moved his way up towards the front pack of racers until a poor line choice up Ironman hill set him back a little bit. Ansley went on to spend the rest of the fast, high intensity race working his way through the pack, making up ground, and trying to catch the next competitor in front of him. Jesse stated that he felt a bit off throughout the day but said “The tables have turned though and I really shined in the technical bike only section. Which is awesome to know because I’ve been working really hard at that.” Ansley finished the day with 8th place in XC2 and 17th overall.

As the green flag waved in the WXC class, Taylor Johnston got off to a good start as she found herself midpack in class as they headed through the corn fields and out into the woods. As they made their way through the river crossing on lap one, Johnston made the smart decision to take her time in order to stay dry on this cool day, until a fellow racer sent a splash over her heading drenching her completely. As she struggled to stay warm, and to be able to see with her now useless goggles, she fell back from the group she was pacing herself with and checked in 9th in class. Taylor put on a charge to catch up to her competition ahead of her through the sea of 1000 racers on the course, and by the end of lap two she was on the rear tire of 8th place. Following behind and waiting for the opportunity to make the pass, Johnston found herself in some more bad luck as a lapped rider bobbled into her on a hill climb and got his bike tangled in hers. Although she lost touch with the battle for 7^th place, Taylor continued on and finished her day strong. As the checkered flag waved Johnston crossed the line 8th place in WXC. With one round left in the 2020 season Taylor said, “I’m really hoping to get an even better start in the last round, a holeshot would be incredible. Other than that, I want to finish out the season strong and hopefully match or better my best finish so far. I want to end the season on a good note.”

On the150A class line Brayden Nolette was quick off the start and made his way up to second place as they headed off into the woods. Nolette battled for the lead throughout the first lap as they went wheel to wheel through the course and sat 8 seconds behind as they rounded the first lap. Through laps 2-4 Nolette remained in 2nd place as they settled into their positions and some distance grew between them, but as the fifth lap came around Nolette put on a charge and started making up ground. By lap 6 Nolette made the pass into the lead, dropped the hammer, and pulled away from the competition to take the win in the 150A class for the day and 28th overall. This finish allowed Brayden to clinch the 2020 150A Championship one round early. Heading into the last race of the season Nolette said, “This next race I am going to race my KTM 250 XC-F and see how I do on the bigger bike to start to get ready for next year!”