GNCC Racing

Russell Makes it Two-in-a-Row at The Maxxis General GNCC

Russell Makes it Two-in-a-Row at The Maxxis General GNCC

Sunday, March 15, 2015 | 9:50 PM
Sunday, March 15, 2015 | 9:50 PM

The 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, made its way to Washington, Georgia for the annual Maxxis General GNCC. With rain accumulation through the week leading up to Sunday’s race, Aonia Pass Motocross Park presented muddy conditions all weekend long. However, Factory FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell emerged victorious despite the conditions to secure his second straight victory in as many rounds.

Kailub Russell makes it two in a row at The General GNCC
Kailub Russell makes it two in a row at The General GNCC Photo: Ken Hill

Russell grabbed the early lead with the $250 All Balls Racing Holeshot Award but AirGroup/Rockstar Energy/Husqvarna’s Ryan Sipes tucked in close behind and applied pressure to the two-time champion early on. Russell ran into a few issues on the opening lap, evening dropping back to the fourth place position, but it wasn’t long before he made up the time and gained the lead once again.

Russell also took the $250 All Balls Racing Holeshot Award surrounded by Yamaha machines
Russell also took the $250 All Balls Racing Holeshot Award surrounded by Yamaha machines Photo: Ken Hill

Sipes pushed hard on the opening lap but the Kentucky rider ran into issues after getting stuck in a mud hole on the second lap. Sipes lost a substantial amount of time working his way out of the mudhole, where he spent the rest of the race catching up.

Strang put in another solid second place finish at round two
Strang put in another solid second place finish at round two Photo: Ken Hill

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Josh Strang put himself into a favorable position early on. However, as he worked his way into the second place position, Strang got together with a lapped rider, resulting in a damaged brake rotor on the front side. The 2010 GNCC National Champion came into the pits for a quick front wheel swap and returned to the course a couple positions back. Strang quickly made up that time and returned to the second place position, as a hard charging Thad DuVall began his charge through the pack.

DuVall put on a hard charge to finish atop the podium for the first time in 2015
DuVall put on a hard charge to finish atop the podium for the first time in 2015 Photo: Ken Hill

Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KR4/FAR’s DuVall came from outside the top five off the start and moved into the third place position. The West Virginia native experienced a couple issues throughout the three-hour race that caused him to lose substantial time in the overall running, but a late-in-the-race charge allowed him to maintain a podium position heading into the final lap of racing.

Jordan Ashburn rode consistent all afternoon to finish fourth
Jordan Ashburn rode consistent all afternoon to finish fourth Photo: Ken Hill

N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Jordan Ashburn interjected himself into the podium battle early on where he went back and forth with DuVall for a majority of the afternoon. Near the end of the six-lap race, Ashburn went head-to-head with JCR Honda’s Chris Bach to capture the fourth place position. Bach, who also began the race outside the top five, charged his way through the pack to battle for a podium position.

XC1 Podium: (left) Josh Strang, Kailub Russell, (right) Thad DuVall
XC1 Podium: (left) Josh Strang, Kailub Russell, (right) Thad DuVall Photo: Ken Hill

N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Grant Baylor finished sixth, with Factory FMF/KTM’s Russell Bobbitt in seventh. Visiting Canadian Motocross Lites Champion Tyler Medaglia finished eighth in XC1 on a Husqvarna Canada/Parts Unlimited Canada machine, with Funmart Cycle/FLY/Maxxis/Powersport Graphx-backed Adam Bonneur and Sipes rounding out the top ten in XC1.

Photo: Ken Hill

The XC2 Pro Lites class saw one of the most exciting battles of the day between DirtWise/Maxxis/KLIM’s Jason Thomas and Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KR4/FAR’s Nick Davis. Thomas and Davis went back and forth all afternoon, exchanging the lead several times throughout the three-hour race. On the final lap, it was Davis who had the advantage coming into the final segment of the racetrack but Thomas was able to make his move in time to take the checkered flag and his first win of the season just 11 seconds ahead of Nick Davis. Thomas finished an impressive seventh overall for the day with Davis coming in eighth.

Following a rough start to the season at round one, Moto-Tech/KTM’s Trevor Bollinger landed atop the podium with a third place XC2 finish and ninth overall at round two. Bollinger maintained a steady pace, keeping himself inside the top five all afternoon.

XC2 Podium: (left) Nick Davis, Jason Thomas, (right) Trevor Bollinger
XC2 Podium: (left) Nick Davis, Jason Thomas, (right) Trevor Bollinger Photo: Ken Hill

Davis holds a four-point lead over Thomas in the XC2 Pro Lites Championship standings as the series heads to North Carolina in two weeks for the FMF Steele Creek GNCC.

Ryan Lojak edged out Nick Davis for the $100 Hot Cams XC2 Holeshot Award
Ryan Lojak edged out Nick Davis for the $100 Hot Cams XC2 Holeshot Award Photo: Ken Hill

Lojaks Cycle Sales/Yamaha/DP Brakes-backed Ryan Lojak captured the $100 Hot Cams XC2 Pro Lites Holeshot Award and the early lead in the class. Lojak ultimately finished 17th in the XC2 Class at round two.

Mark Heresco earned the $125 American Kargo Top Amateur Award
Mark Heresco earned the $125 American Kargo Top Amateur Award Photo: Jen Kenyon

Pennsylvania’s Mark Heresco put in a hard fought performance to capture the $125 American Kargo Top Amateur Award with 22nd overall and a big victory in the 250 A class.

The 1 p.m. race was broadcast LIVE in its entirety on RacerTV.com and can be viewed as an archived video now online by visiting the GNCC LIVE page on RacerTV.com.

The 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series resumes March 28 and 29 with the FMF Steele Creek GNCC in Morganton, North Carolina. For more information on the series, visit www.gnccracing.com.

Stay up-to-date with exclusive content from the AMSOIL GNCC Series by following the series Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Maxxis General GNCC
Washington, Georgia
Round 2 of 13
Sunday, March 15

XC1 Event Results:

  1. Kailub Russell (KTM)
  2. Josh Strang (HSQ)
  3. Thad DuVall (HSQ)
  4. Jordan Ashburn (YAM)
  5. Chris Bach (HON)
  6. Grant Baylor (YAM)
  7. Russell Bobbitt (KTM)
  8. Tyler Medaglia (HSQ)
  9. Adam Bonneur (KTM)
  10. Ryan Sipes (HSQ)

*Overall National Championship Standings:

  1. Kailub Russell (60)
  2. Josh Strang (50)
  3. Thad DuVall (39)
  4. Chris Bach (37)
  5. Nick Davis (28)
  6. Jordan Ashburn (28)
  7. Grant Baylor (26)
  8. Jason Thomas (26)
  9. Tyler Medaglia (26)
  10. Craig DeLong (16)

*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2015 National Champion.

XC2 Event Results:

  1. Jason Thomas (KTM)
  2. Nick Davis (HSQ)
  3. Trevor Bollinger (KTM)
  4. Craig Delong (HSQ)
  5. Layne Michael (HON)
  6. Cory Buttrick (BET)
  7. Justin Sode (BET)
  8. Sam Evans (KTM)
  9. Callan May (YAM)
  10. Brad Bakken (YAM)

XC2 Series Standings:

  1. Nick Davis (55)
  2. Jason Thomas (51)
  3. Craig Delong (34)
  4. Layne Michael (31)
  5. Cory Buttrick (29)
  6. Ricky Russell (25)
  7. Brad Bakken (23)
  8. Trevor Bollinger (23)
  9. Tegan Temple (19)
  10. Phillipe Chaine (17)