Girroir Takes 5th Overall Win, Richards Top in Women’s Pro
Story: US Sprint Enduro Series
Dilliner, PA., May 25/26, 2024
Johnny Girrioir (FMF KTM Factory Racing) on his way to the overall at the High Voltage Raceway round of the 2024 US Sprint Enduro Series.
Image Shan Moore, courtesy USSE
Johnny Girroir has won eight-straight sprint enduro day rounds, accounting for four overall victories: some of them dominating and some of them nail-biters. Saturday’s US Sprint Enduro at High Voltage Raceway was of the nail-biter variety, thanks to Am Pro Yamaha’s Liam Draper. However, Sunday’s more technical event saw Girroir hammer the competition to easily amass his fifth overall victory of the series.
On Saturday, Girroir squeezed by Draper with a win by 0.3 seconds; Draper taking three wins, while Girroir took five. Needless to say, nerves were high going into Sunday’s event. “There was nothing really on the track to separate the riders on Saturday, so Liam and I had a pretty good battle and he won a few tests,” said Girroir. “It went back and forth and finally came down to the last test.” An overnight rain caused chaos, forcing the enduro course to be rerouted in places and causing a delay. It all played into Girroir’s hands, however. “Sunday was a whole new racetrack,” said Girroir. “Me and Liam were both on the ground in the first test, but after that I found my flow and rode much better than Saturday. I thrive in the really technical stuff.”
Draper is getting better with each race, and nearly won Saturday’s event, but in the end, settled for second for the day and second overall. Sunday was a lockout by Girroir, with the KTM rider
winning all six tests. “I started off a little slow and Johnny had a good cross test, but then I gained it back in the enduro test,” said Draper. “The last cross test on Saturday I crashed and you can’t crash when you are splitting hairs with Johnny. I won a few tests and I felt like I rode well, it’s just that you can’t crash at this level and expect to do well. On Sunday, Johnny just had too much for us. He was so good on that slippery track.”
Phoenix Honda’s Barnes claimed his best finish to date as a Pro with a third overall. On Sunday, Barnes battled with a rejuvenated Craig DeLong, with Barnes beating the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider by 1 second for third on the day and third overall. “Things went pretty well for me,” said Barnes. “I rode well in the cross test but I was a little behind in the enduro test, although I was able to pick up a few lines out there. After it rained, the track was challenging. I had a good first test but then my second test was not good at all, so me and DeLong kind of ya-yoed back and forth. Fortunately, I was able to get him by a second.”
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong was certainly not happy with his riding on Saturday, but came back a little stronger on Sunday to finish fourth overall. “Saturday was pretty piss poor, honestly, I was just low,” said DeLong. “I gotta get outta my head and stop being scared to hit the ground or crash. I just gotta pick it up and get some nerve. I had a couple of good times here and there, but I’m just timid; I’m not riding like myself. I think the short races and the time in between I’m still getting used to, but it will come around. On Sunday, the track was a little more technical and I was in the game. I just missed the podium by 1 second.” DeLong missed beating Cody Barnes for third by just under a 1 second again on Sunday.
Australia’s Gus Riordan (FMF KTM Factory Racing Landers) took P1 in Pro 2 and P5 overall to make a strong statement for his ISDE Junior World Trophy Team bid.
Image Shan Moore, courtesy USSE
FMF/KTM Factory Landers Racing’s Riordan came out on top of a close battle again, topping the Pro 2 class on both days after mixing it up with Precision Offroad’s Dominick Morse all weekend and finishing fifth overall. “It was pretty tight all weekend,” said Riordan. “On Saturday, it was a little closer than my liking, but I think everyone was stressed out. I got Dominick by 0.3 at the end of Saturday, so it was very close. On Sunday I kind of put myself on the backburner, going down twice. The boys picked up 10 seconds on me but I just put my head down and got with it. I think I gave my mechanic a few grey hairs.”
Sixth overall and second Pro 2 rider was Precision Offroad’s Dominick Mores, who gave Riordan all he could handle during the weekend, coming up just 0.3 seconds short on Saturday. “I got second in the cross test and then I think I won three or four in a row, so it was a good battle between me and Riordan,” said Morse. “Unfortunately, on Saturday, I crashed three or four times when put me behind, but I was able to battle back and just missed beating Riordan by 0.3. Going into the last woods test, I had him by about 3 seconds and he got me by 3.3 so it was a fun day.” Edging Babbitt’s Online Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Lyndon Snodgrass for seventh overall was Husqvarna’s Jason Tino, who had an up and down weekend.
Ninth overall and first in the Pro-Am class went to FMF/KTM Factory Lander’s Racing’s Cooper Jones, while Coastal GasGas’ Cole Whitmore rounded out the top 10 and was second Pro-Am rider.
Brandy Richards (FMF KTM Factory Racing)
Image Shan Moore, courtesy USSE
In the Women’s Pro division, FMF/KTM Factory Landers Racing’s Brandy Richards taking the win both days and the overall win over Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Kori Steede, however Steede made ’s Brandy’s final day tough finishing just 2 seconds behind the KTM rider. “The weekend definitely started off really good; I loved the grass track,” said Richards. “It was a little slick and pretty fast, while the enduro test was super-hard packed with no ruts and pretty slick. I was a little more patient on that test. We got a pretty good rain on Sunday night and that made part of the course pretty tricky. That last test was icy and slick, but, overall, it was a good weekend.”
Korie Steede (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing)
Image Shan Moore, courtesy USSE
The Sprint Enduro World Championship was announced and is slated for July 13-14-15 at Harleywood Raceway in Bristol, Virginia. Signup will begin June 1st .
