FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
US Sprint Enduro Series
Round 1
January 22-23, 2022
Moree’s Paradise Raceway
Sellers, South Carolina
Johnny Girroir drew first blood in the 2022 US Sprint Enduro Series. The Coastal Racing GasGas rider took a dominating win at this weekend’s Moree’s Paradise US Sprint Enduro, round one of the series held at Moree’s Paradise Raceway in Sellers, South Carolina. It was Girroir’s maiden race in the Pro division.
Snow and freezing temperatures greeted the riders; however, the weather did not deter a large group from racing in what turned out to be a very successful and enjoyable weekend.
Girroir dominated Sunday’s action, winning all six tests, which backed up his strong performance on Saturday, where he won four of six tests.
“Everything went smoothly,” said Girroir. “I had a little crash in the last enduro test on Sunday, but I had a pretty mistake-free weekend. The woods test was kinda sketchy, so I felt more comfortable on the cross test. It got pretty gnarly out there; just mud, ruts, and roots. That really keeps you on your toes, but I felt good in both tests.”
Josh Toth was second overall, with one test win and a series of consistent second and third place test finishes. The FMF/KTM rider came to South Carolina to get in some sand riding to tune up for the new year.
“I haven’t raced in a while, and this was a last-minute decision,” said Toth. “Just trying to stay sharp on the bike. I did have expectations for myself, but no pressure. I would say I rode a little cautious. Of course, I came into the last two seasons with injuries, so I’ve been a little on the cautious side and just staying smart, really.”
Defending series champion Layne Michael had a weekend he’d rather forget. After winning the first test on Saturday, the Am Pro Yamaha rider admittedly struggled for the remainder of the day. Michael got back into the groove on Sunday, but could not stop Girroir from sweeping the day.
“I just struggled this weekend,” said Michael. “I felt like I kind of got back on track there today but in the last test I made a small mistake and crashed. I just kind of clipped a root wrong and it pitched me pretty good. Just some mental errors this weekend. Hopefully, figure that out for the next one and come back stronger for sure.”
Phoenix Honda’s Cody Barnes capitalized on a strong performance on Saturday to take the win in the Pro 2 class and finish fourth in the overall standings. Babbitt’s Racing Team Green Kawasaki’s Lyndon Snodgrass beat out Barnes for top Pro 2 honors on Sunday, but it was not enough to erase the lead that Barnes had built on Saturday.
“I had a really good day on Saturday,” said Barnes. “I made only one mistake. Only had one crash. Then today, I struggled a little bit on the cross test, but all in all, it was a good day. I was able to come out with the overall for the weekend. It’s a good way to start off the year.”
Considering the conditions, Snodgrass was happy with his overall performance.
“I’ve never really ridden in ice or snow or anything like that before, so right off the bat I was kind of just too hesitant,” said Snodgrass. “I kind of just didn’t really get into a flow. I wasn’t really confident on that slippery, icy dirt. Never really got a flow going. We come out today and made a couple of changes this morning before I went and rode. I think that helped. Right off the bat, first cross test, I was a lot more competitive. Just had a much better day today.”
Thorn Devlin put his 760 Husqvarna into sixth overall and third in the Pro 2 division, finishing just 15 seconds behind Snodgrass. After riding for another team in 2021, Devlin was making his first ride on a new bike.
“First go on the new bike and everything went well,” said Devlin. “Yesterday, I was just trying to maintain on the cross test and then do the work in the enduro test where I kind of shine a little bit more. It was kind of a management day today, and then just kind of watched the times and making up when I could and be reserved when it was appropriate.”
Australian Mason Semmens made his debut ride in America and came away with seventh overall. The Trail Jesters Racing KTM rider was also fourth in the Pro 2 division.
“The sprint enduro format is definitely cool,” said Semmens. “Coming from a motocross background, the enduro test seemed tight, so it was definitely a big learning curve. My knuckles are pretty busted up, and my neck, too. The trees definitely don’t move when you run into them, but all in all it was a good learning weekend.”
Tely Racing KTM’s Liam Draper returned to racing having spent the last four months recovering from knee surgery and came away with fourth in the Pro division and eighth overall. Meanwhile, RPM Racing’s Angus Riordan of Australia was ninth overall and fifth in the Pro 2 class.
Bubz Tasha (KTM) won the Pro-Am division with a 10th overall finish.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Tayla Jones took the win in the Women’s Pro class after topping nine of the 12 tests.
“I was a little nervous about racing in the snow but it turned out to be fun,” said Jones. “I got some test wins and got settled into my new bike so all is good.”
Trail Jesters Racing KTM’s Kori Steede won three tests and was second overall in Women’s Pro. Meanwhile, Bonanza Plumbing KTM’s Rachel Gutish rounded out the podium in third.
First in the 250A class was KTM up-and-comer Cole Forbes, who also claimed the Top Amateur award, while James Skinner won the Open A class ahead of Tim Murphy and David Hojnowski Jr.
The US Sprint Enduro Series returns to action on February 12-13 for round two of its series at South of the Border MX in Hamer, South Carolina. The round also doubles as an ISDE Qualifier. For more information go to www.ussprintenduro.com.
OVERALL RESULTS
1. Johnny Girroir (GG)
2. Josh Toth (KTM)
3. Layne Michael (Yam)
4. Cody Barnes (Hon)
5. Lyndon Snodgrass (Kaw)
6. Thorn Devlin (Hsq)
7. Mason Semmens (KTM)
8. Liam Draper (KTM)
9. Angus Riordan (KTM)
10. Bubz Tasha (KTM)
