This was the start of test #1 and would be the best conditions these guys would see all day.
By Gary Walton
With 12-18″ of snow hammering central Minnesota, my racing buddy Troy Phillips and I hit the road for southern Indiana and the Red Fox national enduro. Since we weren’t going to be able to accomplish much on a local race we have been organizing we thought why not make a move and get in a little warm weather seat time. Plus, we had just finished a Steward Baylor replica build for a story in our upcoming issue of the magazine, so it was the perfect chance to meet up with the reigning champ and get some pics.
Often times I make these trips solo and catch up with the regular contingent of District 23 riders who frequent the nationals, but when I offered Troy the keys to the 2018 Tely Energy Racing 350 SX-F with .1 hour on the meter, he was in. Substantial overnight rain swirled into the heavy clay soil in the rolling coal country of Lynnville, Indiana and didn’t provide us with much in the way of local hospitality, but the same could be said for about 80% of the riders who struggled to finish more than two or three tests, so we took it in stride and called it a learning experience.
Nearly cooking a motor and making some ridiculous demands on my clutch meant I got to jump into the woods and catch the survivors on camera, rounding out the multi-purpose road trip.
