Stew Baylor Jr. and Rachel Gutish Take Round 1 of the 2025 Redline Oil National Enduro Series
Story: NEPG Press Release
February 10, 2025
Rachel Gutish (Sherco USA / Moose Elite / Enduro Engineering) on her way to the Round 1 NEPG win in Sumter, SC.
Image Mack Faint courtesy NEPG
Round 1 of the Redline Oil AMA National Enduro Series, the FMF Sumter National, went off in the sandy pine woods of South Carolina this past weekend. Stew Baylor Jr. (Rock Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki) and Rachel Gutish took the Pro Men and Pro Women victories, with Jason Tino (Flatrock Motorclub GasGas Factory Racing) taking home the Pro2 win.
Pro 1 Men
Stew Baylor Jr. on his way to the overall victory at the FMF Sumter National Round of the 2025 AMA National Enduro series.
After finishing the 2024 season in the runner-up spot, Red Bear Racing’s Steward Baylor Jr. was eager to build momentum early on this year. The Kawasaki rider achieved that, delivering a winning performance at Round 1. He took third through the first test of the day but powered his way to Test 2 and 3 wins. After landing second in the fourth section, he refocused to capture the win in the last two tests.
“I think this is the sixth time I've won this event as a professional,” said Steward Baylor Jr. “Josh [Toth] and I were talking a little bit about that last section -- probably 30 to 40 percent of that is old harescramble trails that I grew up riding. You remember little bits and pieces. You remember, especially in there, don't get off the track because there are some stumps that would get you... We went back and forth in the off season [about paddle tires]. I felt like when I made a mistake and needed to recover, the paddle tire was there. So, I ended up going with the paddle tire. I heard a rumor this was going to be really tight from some of the guys from the dual sport last week. When you get in those really tight, twisty sections of the track, it's easy to make mistakes and figured it would come in clutch.”
Josh Toth, the 2024 season champion who’s since joined the Red Bear Racing Kawasaki Team alongside Baylor Jr., finished just 32 seconds off of his teammate. With seven out of 10 wins during the 2024 season, he won’t let his competitors off easy in his journey to defend his title. The Connecticut native swapped positions with Baylor Jr. throughout the entire day, taking the wins in Test 1 and Test 4.
“It was good,” said Toth. “Stu [Baylor Jr.] was ripping all day. I really felt good. The trails were fast in a lot of sections but had a lot of really tight stuff too that was just really technical, especially with the heat coming on. I felt good, like I said. I was really putting in good tests all day, but Stu was there and consistent and just ripping. So yeah, no excuses. A new team. A new bike. We're working great.”
After suffering an injury in January of last year, FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers’ Ben Kelley had to sit out all but the final round of the series as he recovered from surgery. He was able to rebuild his stamina and skills over the winter, which resulted in him returning with a vengeance aboard his KTM 350 XC-F in Sumter, South Carolina. The NE Pro1 rider went 6-3-3-3-5-4 to secure third overall.
“It's a physical track out there,” said Kelley. “Honestly, this is kind of the start of the warm weather, too, so that zaps it out of you... A lot of tight stuff out there. A lot of big bumps, so you're pushing the bike and pulling the bars. It's physical. I felt good, rode fast. Being back a ways helps at times. The ruts are built up; the track is worked in. [I had a] couple crashes but rode good. Long tests all day long, which is cool. I dig it. You got your money's worth out there, and the trails were really good. The dirt was really good, and I'm just excited to be back up here in the mix... Feeling good starting the year off strong, and hopefully we can keep this ball rolling.”
Pro Women
A strong contender in the Women’s Elite class during the 2024 season, Rachel Gutish kicked off this year in style, piloting her Sherco to victory at the season opener. She scored three wins and three second-place results on the day to capture her first-ever win in Sumter, South Carolina.
Rachael Archer struggled with a broken rear brake and jet lag after returning to the US from New Zealand, but was still able to take P2 at the FMF Sumter National.
Image Mack Faint courtesy NEPG
Rachael Archer (Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki), the reigning Women’s Elite Champion, captured the first two test wins before taking the runner-up spot through the next two. She fought her way to another test win in Section 5, despite encountering issues with her brakes. Archer followed it up with a second place in the final test. Her performance earned her silver in the Palmetto State.
Defending ISDE Women’s World Trophy Champion Brandy Richards picked up P3 in her second ever NEPG.
Image Mack Faint courtesy NEPG
In her second-ever national enduro, Brandy Richards put in a solid day aboard her FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers. She bounced between third and fourth throughout the day, earning a podium finish. Richards, the reigning ISDE Women’s World Trophy champion is certainly very experienced at test racing, look for her to move up the standings as she comes to grips with the tight tracks of the National Enduro series.
Pro 2
Jason Tino took the Pro2 Round 1 win in South Carolina.
Image Mack Faint courtesy NEPG
Flatrock Motorclub GasGas Factory Racing’s Jason Tino clinched the NE Pro2 class win at the FMF Sumter National. He powered his GasGas EX 250F through the first two tests of the day in the top spot for his class. In the third test, he slipped to second. However, Tino regained his momentum to snatch the win in the final three tests, ultimately earning the NE Pro 2 win for the day.
Stepping up to the NE Pro2 class this year, Chase Landers -- backed by FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers -- put his machine on the second step of the podium after going 4-5-1-2-5-4 through the day’s six tests.
Beta USA’s Jhak Walker landed third with 5-3-5 results through the first three sections. The fourth test saw him end seventh. Walker then took sixth in Test 5 and was able to climb to third in Test 6.
Event Classification
Pro 1 Results.
Pro Women Results
Pro2 Results
