Heavy rainfall in the weeks leading up to Sunday’s race presented extreme conditions on the already challenging race course. Slick rocks and tree roots made up a majority of the 13-mile course but it was the infamous “Howard” mud hole that proved to be the most difficult obstacle of the afternoon. 

In a unique live-engine starting procedure, Kailub Russell took off from the front row alongside four other riders. The reigning XC1 Pro Class Champion quickly put himself into the lead on the opening lap where he swapped that position with Ryan Sipes early on. 

Thad DuVall then interjected himself into the mix, where he took over the lead on lap three, with Russell only 11 seconds behind in second. DuVall and Russell put on an exciting battle for the remainder of the afternoon, staying within five seconds of each other heading into the final two laps of the race. As the two-lap card fell, Russell powered his way into the lead and continued to put a gap on DuVall as the race closed out. 

Russell ultimately finished one minute and 20 seconds ahead of DuVall to capture his eighth victory of the season and his 30th career win in GNCC, where he sits third on the all-time wins list behind Rodney Smith with 33 wins. 

“I knew it was going to be a tough day after walking the track in the morning,” Russell said. “I had a fun day racing with Thad, he had a lot of good lines and I had some better ones in places so we kind of complemented each other all day. I’m glad I was able to put down a couple solid laps at the end to break away from him and get the win.”

Russell’s west coast teammate and member of the USA ISDE World Trophy Team, Taylor Robert, joined him at the ninth round, where he earned an impressive sixth place finish in the XC1 Pro class in his first-ever GNCC race. 

FMF KTM Factory rider Kacy Martinez captured her eighth win of the season in a very challenging two and a half-hour race, thus clinching the 2015 WXC Championship with four rounds left to go. Martinez battled with KTM rider Rachel Gutish early in the race but the now two-time WXC Champion put her head down on the final lap and finished over 30 seconds ahead of second place.

“It feels great to capture the championship a few rounds early for the second year in a row,” stated Martinez. “My team built me an amazing bike and I have had a successful season because of that. I am looking forward to the remaining rounds.”