Five More Riders Earn Invitations to X Games Enduro X
Three men and two women get coveted X Games invites

Steward Baylor – Photo courtesy Digital Offroad

Irvine, CA (May 16, 2012) – The X Games staff announced the X Games 18 Enduro X qualification process and pre-qualified riders a few weeks ago and five more riders have earned invitations. For both the male and female riders, the top two non-qualified finishers at the opening round of the GEICO AMA EnduroCross series in Las Vegas on May 4th would earn spots. Those riders are as follows:

Men’s Enduro X, top two finishing riders that were not already pre-qualified
Cory Graffunder CAN
Max Gerston USA

Women’s Enduro X, top two finishing riders that were not already pre-qualified
Louise Forsley USA
Chantelle Bykerk CAN

The X Games competition staff also extends “Wild Card” invites to top racers from around the world and there is perhaps no rider more deserving of this than eighteen year old Steward Baylor. The South Carolina resident won the 2011 Grand National Cross Country series XC 2 Pro class championship and has won five races of the first six races in 2012. On top of that, Baylor has won four out of five rounds thus far in the AMA National Enduro championship against a strong field of pro riders. Based on these results, Baylor has been invited to his first X Games Enduro X.

“The X Games is an amazing opportunity for these top racers to show off their skills in front of a huge live and television audience” stated Eric Peronnard, the creator of EnduroCross and X Games Enduro X Sports Organizer. “I especially enjoy seeing the young or relatively unknown riders get introduced to the world”, he continued.

If you want to see the riders that will be mixing it up at X Games 18, you can go to the Staples Center on Sunday, July 1st or catch many of those same riders at any of the other seven GEICO AMA EnduroCross events in 2012.

Round two of GEICO AMA EnduroCross championship will take place on Saturday, June 9th in the Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, California. It will be the first ever visit to Northern California for the series and the last chance for non-qualified riders to earn a coveted X Games invitation.

For more information, go to www.EnduroCross.com.

EnduroCross tracks incorporate various elements of extreme off road racing into a supercross-style setting, including rocks, boulders, logs, sand, mud, a water-hole…and even a few special obstacles like giant tires thrown in! Known as the “toughest racing on two wheels,” this indoor off road racing will certainly keep you on your feet. Don’t miss your chance to see GEICO AMA EnduroCross “Live”. ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will combine to telecast 25 hours of live X Games 17 competition, which will include Enduro X. For the six remaining EnduroCross events, be sure to log-on to www.motorsportshour.com for local air dates/times for the Lucas Motorsports Hour on the Versus network.

ENDUROCROSS is a registered trademark of Source Interlink Magazines, LLC.
For rules and race information visit www.EnduroCross.com or email endurocross@sorc.com.

About EnduroCross
EnduroCross has quickly become recognized as the most exciting and entertaining form of motorcycle racing in America. Introduced to the states in 2004 as a single, stand alone event, the Maxxis National EnduroCross grew to a three-round series in 2007. To celebrate its success in 2008, GEICO EnduroCross expanded to a six-round series playing to key markets across the United States. www.EnduroCross.com

About GrindMedia
Media giant Source Interlink Media’s GrindMedia is home to renowned action and adventure sports magazine brands and the leading provider of online action sports and entertainment content. With flagship action sports brands including Surfer, Surfing, Snowboarder, Skateboarder, Powder, Bike, Canoe & Kayak, SUP-Standup Paddler and Paved, as well as their standalone websites, GrindMedia is the leading action and adventure sports magazine publisher in the United States. Delivering significant reach across both action sports enthusiast and various in-market consumer audiences, GrindMedia also produces more than 20 leading events and webcasts such as Surfer Poll Awards, Powder Video Awards, Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro, EnduroCross and International Surfing Day. GrindMedia is also the action and adventure sports content provider for Yahoo! Sports. To learn more, visit www.grindmedia.com.

About Source Interlink Media Motorsports
Encompassing the highly successful GEICO AMA MiniMotoSX presented by Monster Energy and Braaap USA, the GEICO AMA EnduroCross Championship Series, presented by Lucas Oil and the AMA EnduroCross Grand Championships, the Source Interlink Media Motorsports brands reach millions of motorcycle enthusiasts with live events, DVD packages, web sites, television and magazine coverage. Visit www.minimotosx.co or www.EnduroCross.com

About Source Interlink Media
Source Interlink Media is the premier source of special interest media in the United States. With more than 70 publications, 90 websites, 400 branded products, 65+ events, and TV and radio programs, SIM is the largest provider of content to enthusiast communities interested in automotive, action sports, marine and other niche activities. The organization’s strategy is to wholly focus on targeted audiences by leveraging and expanding upon its core market-leading brands through a multiplatform media approach.

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