Josh Strang claims his first overall win in three years at Powerline Park, and Grant Baylor wins his second straight XC2 Pro Lites Championship.
Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Josh Strang and KTM Support rider Grant Baylor had plenty to celebrate at the ITP Powerline Park GNCC in St. Clairsville, Ohio, Sunday.
Former AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Champion Strang came from behind to earn his first GNCC overall win since 2011, and Baylor won in his final appearance aboard an XC2 Pro Lites machine to capture a second consecutive class championship.
But Strang’s win didn’t come without a fight from two-time AMSOIL GNCC champion Kailub Russell, who literally banged bars with Strang in an intense battle for the lead while aboard a 150cc KTM two-stroke.
N-Fab AmPro Yamaha-backed Paul Whibley and Factory FMF/KTM-backed Russell jumped out front when the XC1 Pros left the starting line. Whibley captured the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award, but Factory FMF/KTM’s Charlie Mullins showed that was ready to go in his first race back from injury, and he led the opening lap with the hard-charging Russell on his tail. N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Jordan Ashburn settled into third place, with Factory FMF/KTM’s Steward Baylor, Bel Ray Husqvarna’s Andrew Delong, Whibley and Thad DuVall running close together on the opening lap.
Russell was getting the most out of his little two-stroke, and made his way into the lead with Baylor and Mullins close behind him. Meanwhile, Strang was making his way through the pack after a poor start left him at the back of the pack.
“I started falling on the starter before the flag flew and the bike just started,” Strang said. “I knew I was in trouble so I tried to make as many passes as I could because I knew I was going to get a penalty.”
Race officials strapped Strang with a 15-second penalty after the first lap, but it must have motivated him, because Strang laid down the $150 KR4 Performance fastest lap of the race on lap three while closing the gap to Russell. When the two-lap card fell, Strang was within striking distance of Russell. When Strang caught the champ, the fireworks began.
Russell and Strang banged bars for the rest of the race, and their battle was especially heated on the final lap just before the pro pits. Russell came through first but was forced to stop for fuel and to repair his brake pedal. That allowed Strang to get a clear lead. That made all the difference, as Strang went on to claim his first overall GNCC win since 2011.
“It’s been a really long time since my last win, so it feels good to get up here,” Strang said. “Kailub was obviously on a 150 today, so yeah he was riding awesome considering it was such a little bike. I’m happy I won either way. It’s good to be up here, it’s a relief.”
Russell didn’t let the challenge riding of the smaller two-stroke machine hinder his performance, although he was clearly down on power.
“It was really rough, especially in the open stuff and not having enough power to go up some of the hills and through the bumps,” Russell said. “But I saw Josh [Strang] coming, and he was riding well. We kind of came together over by pro pits, but I wasn’t going to let up. This is racing.”
The battle for third was just involved more riders, as Ashburn, Mullins, Steward Baylor and JCR Honda/Rockstar Energy’s Chris Bach swapped positions all afternoon. After leading the opening lap, Mullins settled into third place for most of the race, but the pace of the event took its toll, and Mullins admitted that he struggled toward the end of the three-hour event. Ashburn passed Mullins for third on the last lap and held it to the flag to secure the final podium spot. Ashburn now sits only eight points behind Strang in the battle for third place in the championship standings.
“I felt like I really needed be on the podium points-wise,” Ashburn said. “Going into the second-to-last lap I knew I needed to make up some time. On that last lap, I pushed real hard and when I came up on the guys I knew I had to get in front and get out.”
Mullins finished fourth overall, followed by Steward Baylor in fifth and Bach in sixth. Australian 4-Day Enduro Champion Daniel Milner finished eighth overall, behind Grant Baylor, in only his second GNCC appearance aboard the N-Fab AmPro Yamaha machine that he will also ride at the season finale in Indiana. Whibley finished ninth overall, with Moto Vations Suspension/Palmer Motorsports’ Takeshi Koikeda finishing 10th overall.
Grant Baylor ended his XC2 Pro Lites career just the way anyone probably would. The KTM Support rider charged hard all day long to win the XC2 class by over 4 minutes, while also finishing seventh overall for the day, and he clinched his second consecutive XC2 Pro Lites Championship.
“I am very excited that I was able to repeat my championship this year,” Baylor said. “I have worked hard this season to stay up front and be healthy throughout the year to ensure that I could give this championship my best, and it has paid off. I would like to extend my thanks to my team, family and friends for their support in helping me achieve this goal.”
There was an intense battle for second place in the XC2 class between KR4 Arrive-N-Ride KTM’s Nick Davis and RideMPS.com/AMSOIL Honda’s Layne Michael. The duo battled back and forth all afternoon, but Michael prevailed for second place, while Davis finished third.
The 10 a.m. race saw a few shake-ups in the overall running as 200 C Schoolboy (12-15) winner Hunter Shelton and 125 B/C winner Timmy Crosby were in podium contention on adjusted time. Masters A (50+) rider Vance Earl scored the overall victory, followed by Shelton in second and Crosby in third.
KR4 Arrive-N-Ride’s Brooke Cosner captured her first-ever WXC victory, finishing sixth overall for the day. The N-Fab AmPro Yamaha duo of Becca Sheets and Jessica Patterson completed the WXC podium in second and third respectively.
In a hard-fought battle for the Youth Overall, Tennessee’s Sam Thurman came out on top with his second overall victory of the season, as well as the Super Mini (14-15) win. Thurman was joined atop the podium by South Carolina’s Cole Mattison in second and Pennsylvania’s Austin Bryant in third.
The 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series heads to Crawfordsville, Indiana, for the final event of the season, the AMSOIL Ironman GNCC, October 25-26.
AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series
ITP Powerline Park GNCC
St. Clairsville, Ohio
Results: October 5, 2014 (Round 12 of 13)
XC1
1. Josh Strang-Yam
2. Kailub Russell-KTM
3. Jordan Ashburn-Yam
4. Charlie Mullins-KTM
5. Steward Baylor Jr.-KTM
6. Chris Bach-Hon
7. Daniel Milner-Yam
8. Paul Whibley-Yam
9. Takeshi Koikeda-Hon
10. Andrew DeLong-Hus
AMSOIL GNCC Overall National Championship Standings (after 12 of 13 rounds)
1. Kailub Russell-318/8 wins*
2. Josh Strang-216/1 win
3. Jordan Ashburn-208
4. Charlie Mullins-198/3 wins
5. Grant Baylor-191
6. Paul Whibley-164
7. Andrew Delong-160
8. Chris Bach-123
9. Steward Baylor Jr.-118
10. Ricky Russell-117
*Clinched the 2014 AMSOL GNCC National Championship.
XC2
1. Grant Baylor-KTM
2. Layne Michael-Hon
3. Nick Davis-KTM
4. Scott Grills-Kaw
5. Trevor Bollinger-Hon
6. Craig DeLong-Hus
7. Callan May-Yam
8. Michael McGinnis-KTM
9. Ian Blythe-KTM
10. Justin Sode-Bet
AMSOIL GNCC XC2 Series Standings (After 12 of 13 rounds)
1. Grant Baylor-322**
2. Trevor Bollinger-251
3. Ricky Russell-233
4. Layne Michael-152
5. Callan May-142
6. Nick Davis-132
7. Sam Evans-125
8. Jesse Groemm-119
9. Shane Hufford Jr.-114
10. Jed Haines-105
**Clinched XC2 Pro Lites Class Championship
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