Kailub Russell scoots back to the top of the GNCC podium, and Nick Davis earns the XC2 Pro Lites win at the Mountaineer Run GNCC in West Virginia.
Factory FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell may have expressed satisfaction with his runner-up finish at the last round of the 2015 Amsoil Grand National Cross Country series, but he rebounded with a strong victory during the 4th annual Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Mountaineer Run GNCC at Marvin’s Mountaintop in Masontown, West Virginia, today.
Russell, the reigning AMSOIL GNCC Champion, got off to a fast start in the CX1 Pro race by earning the $250 All Balls Racing Holeshot Award. AirGroup/Rockstar Energy/Husqvarna’s Ryan Sipes was right on Russell’s tail when they entered the woods, however, and the two riders traded the lead numerous times through the first couple laps. On lap three, Russell made the winning pass, carding his sixth overall GNCC win in 2015.
“I was really happy to get the holeshot today,” Russell said after the race. “I thought I could pull away early on but Sipes kept on me for a while. It was hard with both of us not really knowing the course those first few laps. Once I finally got it down, I was able to pass, pull a gap and take the win.”
Although he can no longer claim to be perfect, Russell’s six wins in seven rounds of the series has given him a massive lead in the overall national championship point standings. He is currently 79 points ahead of the next closest man, N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha’s Grant Baylor.
It was still a good day for Sipes who battled with Russell and officially led the first two laps before dropping back later in the race. Even so, Sipes’ runner-up finish marked the best GNCC result of his career.
“Me and Kailub had a good time out front there,” Sipes said. “That pace was fun definitely wore me out towards the end of the race.”
After crashing out of round six in New York two weeks ago, Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/KR4/FAR’s Thad DuVall came back strong with a third-place performance in the Mountaineer Run. DuVall didn’t get off to the best of starts, but he charged during the final two laps to grab the final podium spot.
Grant Baylor began the day just outside the top five, and he failed to make it on the podium, but he can stlll count the Mountaineer Run as progress since his fourth-place finish moved him up to second place in the national championship point standings. Though he undoubtedly would not wish it to be the case, Baylor’s move up in the points was aided by the absence of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Josh Strang, who suffered a separated shoulder while practicing just before the last round.
JCR Honda’s Chris Bach battled with Baylor and ultimately backed up his Dunlop Tomahawk GNCC win with a fifth-place finish in the Mountaineer Run. Grant Baylor’s N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha’ teammate, Jordan Ashburn, finished sixth in XC1 and seventh overall, followed by Moto Tech KTM’s Steward Baylor, who finished seventh in XC1 and and ninth overall.
It was a bad day for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Andrew DeLong, who started well and ran third during the first two laps before pulling into the pits to have repairs made after an apparent crash. DeLong lost valuable time and wound up 15thh overall, but eighth in the XC1 class.
Funmart Cycle/FLY/RidePG.com’s Adam Bonneur ran inside the top 10 all afternoon, swapping positions with Maxxis/FLY/Factory Connection’s Chris Douglas. Bonneur would finish the Mountaineer Run GNCC ninth in XC1, while Honda’s Takeshi Koikeda rounded out the top 10 in XC1.
Husqvarna Support Rider Craig DeLong earned the $100 Hot Cams XC2 Holeshot Award, but DirttWise/Maxxis/KLIM’s Jason Thomas quickly move into the lead before requiring a pit-stop on lap five to change his rear tire. That was all the advantage Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/KR4/FAR’s Nick Davis needed, as he moved into the lead and went on to earn his second XC2 Pro Lites win of the season.
Raines Riding University/Atlas Yamaha/OffRoadViking.com’s Ricky Russell displayed more consistency with a second-place finish in the XC2 class and eighth overall. Ride On Cycle/Moto Playground’s Tegan Temple backed up Dunlop Tomahawk GNCC finish in New York with another podium finish today. Temple was third in the XC2 class.
2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series
Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Mountaineer Run GNCC
Marvin’s Mountaintop
Masontown, West Virginia
Results: May 24, 2015 (Round 7 of 13)
XC1
1. Kailub Russell-KTM
2. Ryan Sipes-Hus
3. Thad DuVall-Hus
4. Grant Baylor-Yam
5. Chris Bach-Hon
6. Jordan Ashburn-Yam
7. Steward Baylor-KTM
8. Andrew DeLong-Hus
9. Adam Bonneur-KTM
10. Takeshi Koikeda-Hon
2015 AMSOIL GNCC Overall National Championship Point Standings (After 7 of 13 rounds)*
1. Kailub Russell-205/6 wins
2. Grant Baylor-126
3. Josh Strang-118
4. Chris Bach-115/1 win
5. Thad DuVall-102
6. Ryan Sipes-97
7. Jason Thomas-75
8. Jordan Ashburn-74
9. Ricky Russell-60
10. Layne Michael-60
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2015 National Champion.
XC2
1. Nick Davis-Hus
2. Ricky Russell-Yam
3. Tegan Temple-KTM
4. Jason Thomas-KTM
5. Jesse Groemm-Bet
6. Layne Michael-Hon
7. Trevor Bollinger-KTM
8. Austin Lee-Yam
9. Craig DeLong-Hus
10. Ryan Lojak-Yam
2015 AMSOIL GNCC XC2 Class Point Standings (After 7 of 13 rounds)
1. Jason Thomas-167
2. Layne Michael-127
3. Craig DeLong-121
4. Ricky Russell-119
5. Trevor Bollinger-113
6. Cory Buttrick-94
7. Tegan Temple-90
8. Nick Davis-87
9. Austin Lee-77
10. Callan May-65
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