AmPro Yamaha Race Report - AMA National Enduro Series Round 1

Rider: Jordan Ashburn 7^th Place (Pro Class)

Over the past three years, the National Enduro Series has rebuilt its program to become one of the most respected and distinguished offroad racing series in the country. This year's season opener in Sumter, South Carolina filled up in less than a week, bringing in the best offroad racers from across the US.

AmPro Yamaha's Jordan Ashburn sat on the 38^th row, eagerly awaiting the start of race. The tight, sandy course, riddled with roots and trees was sure to be a challenge for even the most experienced racers. When the time came, Jordan fired up his freshly prepped Factory Yamaha YZ250 Two-Stroke and headed out onto the course. The first section was rough and tight through the trees and the AmPro rookie struggled to find his pace. Unfortunately, for the young rider the second section wouldn't prove to be any easier. As Ashburn entered one of the many blind corners on the track, a rider from an earlier minute decided to take an untimely stop, causing Ashburn to fly off the single track course and crashing into the woods. Unscathed, Jordan picked up his bike and headed back onto the course, focused on the task at hand. The next couple sections took a turn for the better and seemed to go perfectly as he kept a pace that was on par with the leading riders. However, just as Jordan was starting to find his pace, small crashes in the final sections of the course would cost him even more time, reducing his chance of a top five finish.

"This was definitely a tough one for me," says Ashburn. "National Enduro's are all about consistency and I struggled with that this weekend for sure. At the GNCC's I can go out there and battle the guys next to me and gauge my pace that way. Here, I have to battle myself and the clock and hope I'm going as fast as the other guys. It's just going to take me a couple races to get use to this format. Having a 7 time National Enduro Champ (Randy Hawkins) in my corner is very encouraging and we have a lot to work on in the next couple weeks."