New Berlin, NY – Factory FMF/KTM rider Kailub Russell took the win at the tenth round of the GNCC Series after an all-day battle with teammate Charlie Mullins. Russell’s win at the Unadilla track allows him to take over the championship points lead as they head to the next round.

The two factory riders have been racing close since the opening round of the GNCC Series back in March. Despite their constant nail biting performances, the two riders managed to finish in an even tighter battle than usual – this time crossing the line just a second apart.

It was Mullins who grabbed the holeshot at the start of the race and was able to lead the first lap. Russell made a pass on Mullins for the lead at the beginning of the second lap but Mullins never fell back. The two riders remained within 5 seconds of each other for the eight lap race. After the halfway mark, they were joined by the third place ride of Josh Strang who had stepped up to challenge for the lead position. The three riders continued their close battle.

Despite being pressured the entire race, Russell was able to hold on to take the victory while Mullins held off Strang to secure second place. Now ten rounds into the series, Russell leads the championship point chase by 5 points over Mullins.

“It feels really good to get the win here today and take over the point lead,” stated Russell. “As usual, Charlie gave me a good battle the whole day and I am happy I was able to come out on top.”

KTM support rider and current GNCC XC2 Pro Lites point’s leader, Grant Baylor, grabbed the holeshot off the start of the XC2 race but crashed in the second corner. When he recovered, he was nearly dead last and had to spend the rest of the race trying to catch the leaders. At the end of the race, he was able to move up to 4^th position. He still holds a 37 point lead on the championship.

Factory FMF/KTM rider Maria Forsberg put together her sixth win in the Women’s GNCC class. She was challenged by fellow KTM rider Kacy Martinez for the first half of the race before Martinez suffered a crash and lost some time to Forsberg. Forsberg went on to pull a 3 minute lead on the pack before crossing the checkers to take the win in her class, but also the overall for the morning class of a recording-breaking 715 riders. Martinez joined her on the podium earning second overall for the morning class.

Next Event: Gusher, PA – September 21-22, 2013

Overall Results GNCC XC1 Class –

1. Kailub Russell – KTM
2. Charlie Mullins – KTM
3. Josh Strang
4. Rory Mead – KTM
5. Jordan Ashburn
6. Jonathan Girroir – KTM
7. Chris Bach – KTM
8. Ricky Russell
9. Thad Duvall
10. Takeshi Koikeda

Overall Results GNCC XC2 Pro Lites Class –

1. Andrew Delong
2. Zach Osborne
3. Scott Grills
4. Grant Baylor – KTM
5. Shane Hufford – KTM
6. Jesse Groemm
7. Ian Blythe – KTM
8. Jason Klammer – KTM
9. Layne Michael – KTM
10. Samuel Evans – KTM

Overall Results Women’s Class –

1. Maria Forsberg – KTM
2. Kacy Martinez – KTM
3. Sarah Baldwin – KTM
4. Ashley Copeland – KTM
5. Becca Sheets
6. Felicia Robichaud – KTM
7. Jessica Patterson
8. Hannah Otto – KTM
9. Mandi Mastin – KTM
10. Brooke Cosner

Overall Point Standings GNCC XC1 Class –

1. Kailub Russell – 260
2. Charlie Mullins – 255
3. Josh Strang – 174

Overall Point Standings GNCC Pro Lites XC2 Class –

1. Grant Baylor – 227
2. Jason Thomas – 190
3. Andrew Delong – 151

Overall Point Standings GNCC Women’s Class –

1. Becca Sheets – 155
2. Maria Forsberg – 154
3. Kacy Martinez – 153