KTM riders Kailub Russell and Grant Baylor up their win streaks and series points leads at the Can-Am Unadilla GNCC.
Kailub Russell is homing in on another AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Championship, and the Factory FMF/KTM rider advanced his cause with a dominant performance during round 10 of the series at the legendary Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New Berlin, New York, today.
Russell led every lap of the three-hour GNCC race en route his 20th career AMSOIL GNCC win, and he extended his National Championship points lead in the XC1 Pro. KTM Support rider Grant Baylor also put together another strong performance, landing the XC2 Pro Lites class win and finishing fourth overall.
N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Paul Whibley was the fastest man at the start of the race, as he netted the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award, but Whibley’s lead didn’t last for long. Russell grabbed the race lead as the field entered the famed Unadilla motocross track. Whibley maintained second while Factory Husqvarna rider Andrew DeLong, Rockstar Energy Racing/WMR KTM’s Ryan Sipes and N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Jordan Ashburn ran in the top five. RideMPS.com/AMSOIL Honda’s Thad DuVall went down on the opening lap and was stuck back in 10th place, but he would become a podium contender as the event progressed.
The running order behind Russell was in flux early, as lapped traffic became after with 360 racers doing battle on the 9-mile course. Ashburn crashed on lap two and needed several pit stops to correct a damaged front end. That allowed Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Josh Strang and JCR Honda/Rockstar Energy’s Chris Bach to advance, and the two riders had a race-long battle for a podium position.
Russell ran fast but comfortable pace out front, but Bach rode fast enough to narrow Russell’s lead to 15 seconds. Bach would cut the fastest lap of the race with a time of 20 minutes, 39.8 seconds.
DuVall was also on the move, and he worked his way into second place after halfway mark. DuVall, Bach, Strang and Delong then made it a four-rider battle for second and third place, with lappers making it all the more difficult for the podium contenders to find places to make a pass. DuVall was able to make the necessary moves to get clear of the traffic, but Bach got snarled in the fray and crashed, allowing Strang to pass him for third.
Russell never put a wheel wrong all day as he crossed the finish line 27 seconds ahead of DuVall. The win upped his 2014 GNCC win streak to four consecutive races; in fact, Russell has led every one of the 26 laps through the last four rounds. Russell’s hot streak has given him a 50-point lead over Strang in the series standings.
“I’m glad I was able to get the win today and increase my points lead heading into the final three rounds,” Russell said. “I’m already looking forward to a rock race in a couple weeks in Pennsylvania. It’s going to be fun!”
DuVall’s rode a Honda CRF450 at Unadilla rather than his usual Honda CRF250, and it may have helped him.
“I usually don’t feel as comfortable on the 450 as I did on the 250F but we spent all summer testing the 450 and raced it at a local race, and now I love it,” DuVall said. “Especially on this Unadilla track, I was able to ride in a higher gear and I think it helped out a lot.”
Strang held off Baylor for third overall, and the finish allowed him to take over second place in the National Championship standings.
“Third place isn’t where I’d like to be obviously but I’m glad to finish on the podium and keep working to get that win this season,” Strang said.
After running as high as second place, Bach finished fourth in XC1 and fifth overall for the day, his strong charge hampered by numerous crashes late in the event. DeLong finished a solid sixth overall with Whibley in seventh overall, Japan’s Takeshi Koikeda eighth overall and Ashburn ninth overall.
XC2 Pro Lites points leader Baylor not only won his class again, he came within three seconds of finishing on the overall podium. Although class rival Trevor Bollinger pressured Baylor in the first half of the race, Baylor set a pace in the second half that pulled him clear of Bollinger, who had to settle for second in XC2.
Baylor’s victory marked his third consecutive class win, and he now has a 29-point lead over Raines Riding University/Atlas Cycles’ Ricky Russell in the class standings. Bollinger currently sits third place in the championship standings, courtesy of two consecutive podium finishes.
KR4 Arrive-N-Ride KTM’s Nick Davis began his afternoon outside of the top 10 in the XC2 class but the Pennsylvania native quickly began picking his way through the pack. By the mid-way point, Davis had made his way into third, and he held it for the rest of the race to claim his third consecutive podium finish this season.
Pennsylvania’s Craig Delong earned the $125 American Kargo Top Amateur Award with 17th overall, while grabbing the 250 A class win at Unadilla.
The morning race was an all-out battle between WXC competitors Kacy Martinez and Sarah Baldwin for the overall win. The two went back and forth before the Factory FMF/KTM-backed Martinez took the win. KR4 Arrive-N-Ride’s Baldwin finished a career-best second overall, as well as second place in the WXC division. N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Becca Sheets rounded out the WXC podium with a third-place finish in the class.
South Carolina’s Cole Mattison made it seven-in-a-row on Sunday with the Youth overall victory, as well as the Super Mini (14-15) class win. Mattison was joined atop the podium by Tennessee’s Sam Thurman in second and North Carolina’s Conner Smith in third.
The 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series heads to Somerset, Pennsylvania, September 20-21, for the Car-Mate Mountain Ridge GNCC.
Can-Am Unadilla GNCC
Unadilla Valley Sports Center
New Berlin, New York
Results: September 7, 2014 (Round 10 of 13)
XC1
1. Kailub Russell-KTM
2. Thad DuVall-Hon
3. Josh Strang-Yam
4. Chris Bach-Hon
5. Andrew Delong-Hus
6. Paul Whibley-Yam
7. Takeshi Koikeda-Hon
8. Jordan Ashburn-Yam
9. Ryan Sipes-KTM
10. Adam Bonneur-Kaw
*AMSOIL GNCC Overall National Championship Standings (After 10 of 13 rounds)
1. Kailub Russell-263/7 wins
2. Josh Strang-186
3. Charlie Mullins-180/3 wins
4. Jordan Ashburn-166
5. Grant Baylor-152
6. Paul Whibley-137
7. Andrew Delong-134
8. Ricky Russell-117
9. Chris Bach-108
10. Steward Baylor-102
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2014 National Champion.
XC2
1. Grant Baylor-KTM
2. Trevor Bollinger-Hon
3. Nick Davis-KTM
4. Ricky Russell-Yam
5. Ian Blythe-KTM
6. Michael McGinnis-KTM
7. Callan May-Yam
8. Drew Torrance-KTM
9. Phillipe Chaine-KTM
10. Jesse Groemm-KTM
AMSOIL GNCC XC2 Standings (After 10 of 13 rounds)
1. Grant Baylor-262
2. Ricky Russell-233
3. Trevor Bollinger-210
4. Layne Michael-127
5. Jesse Groemm-119
6. Callan May-115
7. Shane Hufford Jr.-114
8. Sam Evans-104
9. Chris Douglas-99
10. Nick Davis-90
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