Josh Strang will try to make it three wins in three rounds at the FMF Steele Creek GNCC in North Carolina; Trevor Bollinger also undefeated in XC2 so far.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing/Bel-Ray’s Josh Strang and JCR Honda’s Trevor Bollinger are off to sensational starts in the 2016 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC) presented by Maxxis. Both men have yet to be defeated in their respective classes through two rounds of the series, and they hope to keep their win streaks going at the series’ third stop, the FMF Steele Creek GNCC in Morganton, North Carolina, this weekend.
The 27-year-old Strang is no stranger to success in the ultra-competitive GNCC series, nor is he unaccustomed to racking up consecutive round wins. Six seasons ago, Strang, who hails from Inverell, Australia, reeled off four straight wins in the first four rounds of the 2010 AMSOIL GNCC series. He added two more wins later that season, including a brilliant last-lap pass of rival Charlie Mullins at the Ohio round to win the 2010 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Championship crown. The 2016 season has seen Strang explode out of the gate to claim victories in the first two XC1 (premier class) rounds, in Florida and Georgia, and he now heads into North Carolina seeking his third-straight win. Strang said that he particularly enjoys the North Carolina round. The state is his home away from home.
“There’s always a huge fan turnout,” Strang said. “It’s a great track, and I’m just going to keep training how I have been and just have a good time as I go for the win.”
However, to do that will mean battling with a group of top-level off-road superstars, reigning AMSOIL GNCC Champion Kailub Russell being chief among them. Russell, who also lives in North Carolina, has shown solid results in the first two GNCC rounds of 2016, finishing third at the series opener in Florida and improving to second at round two in Georgia, but the FMF/KTM Factory Racing man has yet to regain the dominant form that allowed him to cruise to his third consecutive GNCC title in 2015 where he clinched the number one plate an amazing four rounds early.
Strang’s 2010 GNCC title rival and the man who displaced him to claim the number one plate in 2011, Mullins is expected to make his first GNCC start of 2016 after missing the first two rounds while recovering from surgery for a serious wrist injury. If his wrist is up to the punishment, the FMF/KTM Factory Racing-backed Mullins could figure heavily in the outcome of the race. Strang’s countryman Daniel Milner has also gotten off to a decent start in the 2016 GNCC title battle, finishing third at the series opener in Florida. The N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha rider slipped to ninth at round two in Georgia but is a good bet for a return to the podium this weekend.
Other contenders for the win will include 2015 International Six Days Enduro Individual Champion Ryan Sipes of the Coastal Racing/Rockstar/Husqvarna team. Sipes has had to come from behind to net fifth- and seventh-place finishes in the first two rounds, and he still looking for his first career AMSOIL GNCC win. Sipes is currently fifth in the AMSOIL GNCC National Championship standings on account of the brilliant wins posted by XC2 Pro Lites rider Bollinger, who is currently fourth. Just behind Sipes is an apparently rejuvenated Steward Baylor, who scored his first GNCC podium finish in four years–third place–at the previous round. The SRT/KTM/Kenda Tires-backed Baylor is brimming with confidence heading into the FMF Steele Creek GNCC.
“Steele Creek has been a long-time favorite of mine,” Baylor said. “It’s normally a lot of tight trails, and it makes for good racing. My plan is to get a good start and stay up in the front.”
Like Strang, Bollinger has been unstoppable through the first two rounds of the 2016 GNCC campaign, scoring clean wins in the XC2 Pro Lites class in Florida and Georgia, but a win at round three would be even more special, as the FMF Steele Creek GNCC is Bollinger’s home race. Beta USA teammates Tegan Temple and Jesse Groemm are currently tied for second in the class, with Coastal Racing/Husqvarna/MSR’s Craig Delong fourth and Connecticut’s Benjamin Kelley fifth.
The pro classes of the FMF Steele Creek GNCC get underway at 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday April 3 after the 8 a.m. Youth race and the 10.a.m. Amateur/Women’s race.
2016 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Championship Series Points Standings (after 2 of 13 rounds)*
1. Josh Strang-60/2 wins
2. Kailub Russell-46
3. Daniel Milner-37
4. Trevor Bollinger-33
5. Ryan Sipes-30
6. Steward Baylor Jr.-29
7. Chris Bach-25
8. Grant Baylor-24
9. Jesse Groemm-20
10. Ricky Russell-20
*Indicates the Overall National Championship Standings that will determine the 2016 National Champion.
XC2 Pro Lites Series Standings (after 2 of 13 rounds)
1. Trevor Bollinger-60/2 wins
2. Tegan Templ-43
3. Jesse Groemm-43
4. Craig Delong-37
5. Ben Kelley-29
6. Zack Hayes-27
7. Trevor Barrett-24
8. Layne Michael-22
9. Sam Evans-20
10. Austin Lee-19
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