The AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series kicked off the second portion of its 2013 season on Sunday with Round 10 of the 13-race series from the legendary Unadilla Raceway in New Berlin, New York. After a three-hour, all-out battle to the finish, KTM rider Kailub Russell secured his fourth consecutive win of the season to take over the points lead in the National Championship standings, while Husqvarna’s Andrew DeLong dominated the XC2 Pro Lites Class.
Factory FMF/KTM’s Charlie Mullins kicked off the three-hour battle with the $250 All Balls Racing Holeshot. In his first GNCC appearance of the season, Massachusetts’s Jonathan Girroir immediately joined the lead battle with Mullins and Russell on the opening lap. Russell eventually made his way past Girroir on lap two, and from there it became a head-to-head battle betwen Mullin and Russell for the lead early in the race. Rocky Mountain ATV/MC’s Josh Strang got a top five-start, hooking up with Shenandoah Honda/USWE-Sports.com’s Thad DuVall, along with AmPro Yamaha’s Jordan Ashburn and Nytro Handgaurds/B.R.E KTM’s Chris Bach early on. After the first three laps, DuVall began experiencing problems and eventually pulled into his pit area. The pit crew swapped out the rear wheel and DuVall returned to racing, despite losing a substantial amount of time and several positions along the way.
Just as DuVall dropped back, FMF/RPM/KTM Team Maxxis’ Rory Mead gained four positions right away, making his final passes on Girroir and Strang to take over third place. Mead turned the pace up another notch around the halfway point as the New Zealand native pushed cut into the gap between him and the lead battle of Mullins and Russell, who were just a few seconds ahead. But With two laps to go, Strang passed Mead to reclaim third place. From there, it was a three-way battle to the finish as Russell, Mullins and Strang battled wheel-to-wheel throughout the final lap of racing.
Russell led the way into the final stretch of the Unadilla motocross track while Mullins and Strang rode side-by-side in the final turns before the finish line. Russell was able to hold off the two former GNCC champions and claim his fourth consecutive victory in 2013. In an exciting conclusion, Mullins held his line and bested Strang for second place, while Strang came in a close third. Mead maintained a comfortable position behind the lead battle where he finished a season-best fourth overall for the day.
In only his second race back from injury, F.A.R Husqvarna’s Andrew DeLong topped the XC2 Pro Lites Class en route to a fifth-place overall finish. DeLong jumped out front early on, taking advantage of a first-turn incident that claimed XC2 points leader Grant Baylor and DirtWise Schools/KTM-Parts.com/Maxxis rider Jason Thomas. DeLong was joined out front by GEICO Honda’s Zach Osborne, the motocross/supercross star jumping in behind DeLong on the opening lap.
Meanwhile, Thomas continued to work his way through the pack, where he ran as high as fourth place in the class. However, the defending XC2 Champion was forced to return to the pits on lap three where his crew replaced a pipe and radiator during the race. Thomas returned to action but wasn’t able to salvage championship points with a 22nd place finish in the class.
DeLong went on to capture his fourth XC2 victory of the season, while Osborne finished a GNCC career-best of second place at Unadilla. Ohio’s Scott Grills (pictured above) maintained a consistent ride amidst all the chaos, capturing a season-best third place in the XC2 class. Baylor finished fourth for the day where he maintains the points lead over Thomas with three rounds remaining.
North Carolina’s Trevor Bollinger grabbed another victory in the Four-Stroke A Lites Class, also securing the Top Amateur Award with 20th overall for the day. The next finishing amateur rider was 250 A winner Dylan Macritchie with 23rd overall.
The 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series continues September 21 and 22 with the Car-Mate Gusher GNCC. For more information on the series, visit www.gnccracing.com.
Unadilla Motorsports Complex
New Berlin, NY
September 8, 2013 (Round 10 of 13)
XC1
1. Kailub Russell-KTM
2. Charlie Mullins-KTM
3. Josh Strang-Kaw
4. Rory Mead-KTM
5. Jordan Ashburn-Yam
6. Jonathan Girroir-KTM
7. Chris Bach-KTM
8. Ricky Russell-Yam
9. Thad DuVall-Hon
10. Takeshi Koikeda-Hon
XC2
1. Andrew DeLong-Hus
2. Zach Osborne-Hon
3. Scott Grills-Kaw
4. Grant Baylor-KTM
5. Shane Hufford Jr.-KTM
6. Jesse Groemm-KTM
7. Ian Blythe-KTM
8. Jason Klammer-KTM
9. Layne Michael-KTM
10. Sam Evans-KTM
XC1 Series Standings
1. Kailub Russell-260
2. Charlie Mullins-255
3. Josh Strang-174
4. Chris Bach-172
5. Thad DuVall-169
6. Paul Whibley-143
7. Jordan Ashburn-139
8. Takeshi Koikeda-125
9. Adam Bonneur-120
10. Rory Mead-119
XC2 Series Standings
1. Grant Baylor-227
2. Jason Thomas-190
3. Andrew DeLong-151
4. Shane Hufford Jr.-131
5. Layne Michael-104
6. AJ Stewart-102
7. Travis Coy-98
8. Scott Grills-97
9. Zach Nolan-96
10. Michael McGinnis-92
*Overall National Championship Standings
1. Kailub Russell-250
2. Charlie Mullins-248
3. Chris Bach-163
4. Josh Strang-143
5. Thad DuVall-140
6. Paul Whibley-127
7. Grant Baylor-119
8. Jordan Ashburn-106
9. Jason Thomas-106
10. Andrew DeLong-77
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2013 National Champion.
About GNCC Racing
The AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country series is America’s premier off-road racing series. Founded in 1975, the 13-round championship is produced exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross-country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The grueling three-hour GNCC races lead as many as 1,500 riders through tracks ranging in length from eight to 12 miles. With varied terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed. The series draws talent from all over the U.S., Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. GNCC Racing is televised weekly on NBC Sports and RacerTV.com. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.
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