Defending AMSOIL GNCC Champion Kailub Russell will be after fourth-straight round win in Indiana this weekend.
With his win at the inaugural CST Tires Camp Coker Bullet GNCC in South Carolina, Kailub Russell is back atop the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series points standings, and he is hoping to make it four wins in six rounds at this weekend’s Limestone 100 GNCC in Springville, Indiana.
After a rough start to the season, Russell now finds himself in familiar territory as he heads into Lawrence County Recreational Park in Springville, as he is the defending event champion.
“Limestone is a nice track with some good dirt,” Russell said. “Of course it’s a riding park so there are a lot of different trails in all conditions. I’m just going to work hard during the week and go for another win.”
Former AMSOIL GNCC Josh Strang is going to do his best to stop Russell’s three-race win streak and get back to his own winning ways after claiming the first two round wins of the season. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing/Bel-Ray-backed Australian was tied on points with Russell prior to the Camp Coker round but dropped to second place in the series standings after posting a sixth-place finish in the XC1 Pro class.
Third-placed JCR Honda/Lucas Oil/Maxxis/FLY Racing’s Chris Bach is no stranger to the track conditions at the Lawrence County Recreational Park, and the Indiana native will use his local knowledge and home turf advantage to go for his first overall win of the season. N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha’s Daniel Milner currently sits fourth in the points standings even though he has not enjoyed a podium finish since the Wild Boar GNCC. Milner will attempt to turn his season around via another podium finish at the Limestone 100 GNCC.
Westfield Powersports KTM Presented by Moose Racing’s Jordan Ashburn now sits tied for fifth in the series standings Coastal Racing/Rockstar/Husqvarna’s Ryan Sipes. Ashburn finished second at the Camp Coker Bullet GNCC while Sipes missed the round as he recovered from surgery for an injury he sustained prior to the event. Sipes is expected to be back in action this weekend at the Limestone 100.
After winning the first four XC2 Pro Lites division races, JCR Honda/Lucas Oil/Maxxis/FLY Racing’s Trevor Bollinger saw his win streak halted at the Camp Coker Bullet GNCC due to a mechanical failure, but Bollinger is expected to be back in the fight for the XC2 class win at the Limestone 100 GNCC. Coastal Racing/Husqvarna/MSR’s Layne Michael won the Camp Coker round and will be hoping to build on that success by contending for another win at the Limestone 100 GNCC.
Sunday’s race schedule is as follows: Youth Bike racing begins at 8 a.m., followed by amateurs and women at 10 a.m. and pros and top amateurs at 1 p.m.
2016 AMSOIL GNCC National Championship Points Standings (after 5 of 13 rounds)*
1. Kailub Russell-123/3 wins
2. Josh Strang-117/2 wins
3. Chris Bach-89
4. Daniel Milner-69
5. Jordan Ashburn-66
6. Ryan Sipes-66
7. Steward Baylor Jr.-62
8. Trevor Bollinger-62
9. Craig Delong-51
10. Grant Baylor-50
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2016 National Champion.
2016 XC2 Pro Lites Class Points Standings (after 5 of 13 rounds)
1. Trevor Bollinger-123/4 wins
2. Craig Delong-104
3. Jesse Groemm-85
4. Layne Michael-82/1 win
5. Tegan Temple-81
6. Benjamin Kelley-65
7. Austin Lee-63
8. Trevor Barrett-59
9. Samuel Evans-56
10. Joshua Toth-53