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Grant Baylor Claims Pro 1 Class Victory as Kawasaki Wraps Up 2026 National Enduro Season
Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green™ wrapped up the inaugural Redline Oil American National Enduro Championship Series presented by MSR at the Enduro Engineering Bob Reese Memorial National Enduro in Illinois. Grant Baylor and Nick DeFeo highlighted the team's weekend, with Grant returning to the top step of the Pro 1 Class and DeFeo securing a podium finish in the Pro 2 Class, while Josh Toth battled through a challenging final round of the season.
The team entered the weekend without Steward Baylor, who announced earlier in the week that he suffered a broken neck in a crash at the Ironman Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) race. Steward remained mathematically eligible for the championship heading into the finale, but the injury will require surgery and brought his 2026 racing season to an unfortunate end.
Despite the disappointing circumstances, the team continued into the final round looking to finish the season on a positive note.
After a slower start to the day, Grant found his rhythm and claimed wins in the final three tests to secure the Pro 1 Class victory.
“It was a little bit of a struggle for me in the beginning of the day,” Grant said. “In the first three tests I was around sixth to 10th place, then I won Test 4 and was second overall in the final two. I was over riding a bit in the beginning, but I backed it down a bit and was able to get things to flow better.”
Reigning Pro 2 Champion DeFeo continued his comeback from a broken femur suffered earlier in the season, earning a third-place finish in Pro 2 and his first podium since returning to competition.
DeFeo entered 2026 looking to defend his championship and held the Pro 2 points lead when his injury sidelined him. After months away from racing, DeFeo has been working to regain both his speed and confidence, making his return to the podium an important milestone.
"It feels good," DeFeo said. "Just getting past the mental state of hitting my body against a tree, because there's a lot of trees out there. It feels good to get back on the podium."
DeFeo also showed flashes of his championship-winning speed, claiming a test victory during the day.
"I think I rode pretty well for today," DeFeo said. "I got one test win, so I'm happy about that one."
While DeFeo admitted he would have liked to finish higher, the podium was another step forward as he continues rebuilding toward the 2027 season.
Toth entered the final round carrying momentum from his overall victory at the previous round.
Toth battled setup issues early in the day but improved as the race progressed and found a better rhythm.
Unfortunately, a crash in the final test resulted in Toth hitting his head, bringing a difficult end to what had been a promising day. Despite the setback, Toth's late-season overall victory and continued speed provided plenty of positives for the team to carry into the offseason.
The Bob Reese Memorial marked the conclusion of a season filled with both success and adversity for Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green. From Toth's return to the top step of the overall podium to DeFeo's comeback from injury, the team showed its determination throughout the year.
With the 2026 National Enduro season officially complete, the team's focus now shifts toward recovery, preparation, and returning to championship contention in 2027.