Another race, another win for defending GNCC Champion Kailub Russell at the 2015 season opener in Florida.
FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell opened up the 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis in the same way he finished his championship-winning campaign in 2914, with another win.
Russell once again came out on top when the 2015 GNCC series kicked off its 41st year of racing with the Moose Racing Wild Boar GNCC in Palatka, Florida, to lead off Daytona Bike Week.
Russell got off to a good start as soon as the XC1 Pro riders went on the clock, running behind N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Jordan Ashburn, who picked up the $250 All Balls Racing Holeshot Award. However, Russell wasted little time in making a pass on Ashburn for the lead. Russell continued to put time on Strang, the 2010 GNCC National Champion, for the rest of the race.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Josh Strang battled back-and-forth for third place with fellow Husqvarna-mounted riders Ryan Sipes and Thad DuVall early in the race, and JCR Honda’s Chris Bach soon found his way into the fight as well. By the halfway point, Bach had made his way past all of them with DuVall moving into fourth place. Sipes would suffer a huge crash just after the halfway mark, prematurely ending his hopes for a podium finish. DuVall caught up to Bach on the final lap but just barely missed out on third place.
Canadian Motocross Lites Champion Tyler Medaglia made an appearance at the opening round, finishing an impressive fifth overall for the day. Medaglia joined an onslaught of Husqvarna machines inside the top 10. Sipes settled for sixth place while N-Fab AmPro Yamaha teammates Grant Baylor and Jordan Ashburn finished seventh and eighth respectively. HR Motorsports-backed Takeshi Koikeda finished ninth and Cory Graffunder rounded out the top 10.
Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KR4/FAR’s Nick Davis came away with the first XC2 Pro Lites win of the year at the Wild Boar GNCC. Tegan Temple took the $100 Hot Cams XC2 Holeshot, but Davis made his way to the front by lap two and went on to victory.
Zack Hayes captured the victory in the Open A division, which was good enough to earn a $125 American Kargo Top Amateur Award with 22nd overall.
The 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series will be back in action next weekend, March 14 and 15, with the Maxxis General GNCC in Washington, Georgia.
2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series
Moose Racing Wild Boar GNCC
Palatka, Florida
Results: March 8, 2015 (Round 1 of 13)
XC1 Pro
1. Kailub Russell-KTM
2. Josh Strang-Hus
3. Chris Bach-Hon
4. Thad DuVall-Hus
5. Tyler Medaglia-Hus
6. Ryan Sipes-Hus
7. Grant Baylor-Yam
8. Jordan Ashburn-Yam
9. Takeshi Koikeda-Hon
10. Cory Graffunder-KTM
AMSOIL GNCC National Championship Point Standings (After 1 of 13 rounds)*
1. Kailub Russell-30/1 win
2. Josh Strang-25
3. Chris Bach-21
4. Thad DuVall-18
5. Tyler Medaglia-16
6. Nick Davis-15
7. Ryan Sipes-14
8. Ricky Russell-13
9. Jason Thomas-12
10. Grant Baylor-11
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2015 National Champion.
XC2 Pro Lites
1. Nick Davis-Hus
2. Ricky Russell-Yam
3. Jason Thomas-KTM
4. Tegan Temple-KTM
5. Craig Delong-Hus
6. Layne Michael-hon
7. Cory Buttrick-Bet
8. Michael Witkowski-KTM
9. Brad Bakken-Yam
10. Drew Torrance-KTM
AMSOIL GNCC XC2 Point Standings (After 1 of 13 rounds)
1. Nick Davis-30
2. Ricky Russell-25
3. Jason Thomas-21
4. Tegan Temple-18
5. Craig Delong-16
6. Layne Michael-15
7. Cory Buttrick-14
8. Michael Witkowski-13
9. Brad Bakken-12
10. Drew Torrance-11
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