Factory KTM riders are the stars as Kailub Russell earns his third straight XC1 win and Grant Baylor takes the XC2 Pro Lites win at the Big Buck GNCC.
Factory FMF/KTM rider and reigning AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Champion Kailub Russell is getting on the kind of roll that might make his competition nervous.
After finishing off the podium at the opening round of the 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, Russell went on to win the next two rounds, and at today’s VP Racing Fuels Big Buck GNCC in Union County, South Carolina, Russell won again to push his win streak to three straight.
In a stark contrast to the previous three rounds, today’s event took place in near-ideal weather conditions, with sunny skies and temperatures in the high 70s. But while climate was nice, the course conditions and the competition were there usual brutal selves, and Russell had to work to keep his win streak rolling.
N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Paul Whibley secured the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award, but his teammate Jordan Ashburn quickly moved into the lead at the start of three-hour race. Russell, on the other hand, was hindered by a fallen rider and lost serious ground. Russell’s determination was strong, however, and tore through the pack of riders in front of him. Russell’s teammate and opening round winner Charlie Mullins had assumed the lead prior to lap three, but Russell was able to reel-in Mullins and set a fast pace that would eventually earn him the $150 KR4 Performance Fastest Lap award. Mullins rode a solid race at the front and went on to cross the finish line about 1 minute ahead of Mullins to claim the win.
“I was about 30 seconds down from Charlie’s lead and it was tough to make moves real fast and get around those guys quick so I just chose good lines,” Russell said. “I knew that if I could catch him I was going to wind.”
Although he yielded to Russell, Mullins kept the pressure on the leader throughout much of the race. However, small mistakes added up to substantial time lost in the final laps.
“I clipped a lapper and ended up hitting a tree and hitting my hand pretty good,” Mullins said. “The last few laps were pretty tough, but I just did the best I could and didn’t really make up any time.”
Rocky Mountain ATV&MC/N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Josh Strang was hoping to earn his first AMSOIL GNCC win of the year and also become a three-time Big Buck GNCC champion, but those hopes hit a snag when his Yamaha failed to fire up quickly at the start of the race. Strang tucked in behind Russell on the opening lap and eventually made his way into the third place. Strang ran down Mullins and challenged the KTM rider for second place, only to crash and lose time. An aggressive last-lap charge left Strang just short of Mullins, and Strang had to settle for another third-place finish.
“I caught Charlie and he picked up the pace and I couldn’t hang there at the end of the race,” Strang said. “I used a little more energy trying to catch those guys. I wanted to give it a go and I nearly did at the end, but once I had that crash I was pretty much done.”
Former XC2 Pro Lites standout Andrew Delong enjoyed his best run yet in his rookie year in the XC1 Pro Class. Delong also struggled off the start but made his way inside the top five, bringing his factory Husqvarna home in the fourth place, ahead of N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Paul Whibley, who also had to make a come-from-behind charge. N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Jordan Ashburn finished sixth, followed by factory FMF/KTM’s Steward Baylor finished seventh, followed by Maxxis/KLIM/DirtWise KTM Race Team’s Jason Thomas, Rockstar Energy/WMR/KTM’s Ryan Sipes and HR Motorsports-backed Takeshi Koikeda.
It was a tough day for the Honda-backed rides of RideMPS.com/AMSOIL/Honda’s Thad DuVall and Johnny Campbell Racing (JCR) Honda’s Chris Bach, who both succumbed to the vicious conditions out on the course. Both riders spent some time in their pit areas making suspension adjustments, but neither was able to score championship points.
The XC2 Pro Lites championship battle heated up at the Big Buck GNCC when reigning XC2 Pro Lites Champion Grant Baylor took over the points lead with a big win in his home state. Like Kailub Russell, Baylor has to earn it, as he chased down Raines Riding University/Yamaha-backed Ricky Russell, who led five of the six laps. Russell had the win in sight but crashed on the final lap, allowing Baylor to move into the lead and take the win. Russell held on to finish second, while North Carolina’s Trevor Bollinger, who won the previous XC2 round, landed in the podium with a third-place finish.
The amateur competition was just as intense as ever at the Big Buck GNCC. Pennsylvania’s Craig Delong grabbed the $125 American Kargo Top Amateur Award with sixteenth overall for the day, while also topping the 250 A Class, but today was one for the veterans, as Master’s A (50+) winner Vance Earl earned his first Amateur Overall victory of the season. Earl was joined on the overall podium by Master’s A runner-up Michael Crane and Super Senior A (45+) Class winner Rick Matteson, who finished third overall.
Former Women’s National Motocross Champion Jessica Patterson secured her first career WXC Class win on N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha ride. Patterson battled with second-place finisher and current WXC points leader Kacy Martinez, who is a member of the powerhouse factory FMF/KTM squad. Ashley Copeland finished third to earn her first podium finish of the season.
In the 8 a.m. Youth race, the Super Mini (14-15) riders once again dominated the overall podium. South Carolina’s very own Cole Mattison captured his first overall victory of the season, with Tennessee’s Sam Thurman in second and Alabama’s Kyler Godwin completed the podium.
The 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series resumes April 26 and 27 with the Dunlop Limestone 100 in Springville, Indiana. For more information on the series, visit www.gnccracing.com.
2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis
VP Racing Fuels Big Buck GNCC
Union, South Carolina
Results: April 13, 2014 (Round 4 of 13)
XC1
1. Kailub Russell-KTM
2. Charlie Mullins-KTM
3. Josh Strang-Yam
4. Andrew Delong-Hus
5. Paul Whibley-Yam
6. Jordan Ashburn-Yam
7. Steward Baylor-KTM
8. Jason Thomas-KTM
9. Ryan Sipes-KTM
10. Takeshi Koikeda-Hon
AMSOIL GNCC Overall National Championship Points Standings (After 4 of 13 rounds)*
1. Kailub Russell-97/3 wins
2. Charlie Mullins-95/1 win
3. Josh Strang-79
4. Jordan Ashburn-65
5. Paul Whibley-59
6. Steward Baylor-57
7. Grant Baylor-52
8. Andrew Delong-48
9. Ricky Russell-44
10. Trevor Bollinger-44
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2014 National Champion.
XC2
1. Grant Baylor-KTM
2. Ricky Russell-Yam
3. Trevor Bollinger-Hon
4. Layne Michael-Hon
5. Jesse Groemm-KTM
6. Callan May-Yam
7. Sam Evans-Yam
8. Shane Hufford Jr.-KTM
9. Jebediah Haines-Yam
10. Mark Heresco-KTM
XC2 Series Points Standings (After 4 of 13 rounds)
1. Grant Baylor-96
2. Ricky Russell-93
3. Trevor Bollinger-90
4. Shane Hufford Jr.-65
5. Rory Mead-56
6. Callan May-56
7. Layne Michael-51
8. Sam Evans-45
9. Chris Douglas-36
10. Jesse Groemm-31
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