Russell got off to a great start aboard his KTM 350 XC-F, where he led the first row of riders into the treacherous woods of Snowshoe Mountain. With 10 seconds of time adjustment between each row, Russell experienced an early battle for the lead with Thad DuVall, who began on row two. On the opening lap, Russell made a mistake in the infamous “Howard’s Hole” section of the track, which allowed DuVall to jump into the lead on time adjustment. 

From there, Russell upped his pace to reclaim the lead from DuVall and he continued to push in order to extend his lead. After the halfway mark, Russell had created a sizeable gap over Trevor Bollinger in the 2nd place position. 

Russell ultimately finished two minutes ahead of 2nd place; where he went on to capture his sixth victory of the season. Russell now holds a 15-point lead in the championship standings as the GNCC Series heads into a two-month summer break. 

“After I made the mistake in Howard’s Hole I was able to open the gap back up but I was hitting lappers in all the wrong spots and Trevor [Bollinger] was riding well, he kept me honest,” Russell said. “I’m happy to get the win and keep things rolling into the summer break.” 

Team Manager Antti Kallonen added, “It’s great to gain back the points lead heading into the summer break. We actually have a bigger points lead than we were expecting, so that’s a bonus.” 

Beginning on row four, Bobbitt got a good jump off the line aboard his KTM 250 XC-F, where he quickly made his way to the front of his start row. Unfortunately, Bobbitt and many of the riders on his start row took a wrong turn on the course, which led them into the wrong direction. Bobbitt and the others eventually rejoined the course but they lost several minutes in the process.   

From there, Bobbitt pushed hard to climb his way through the pack. However, as he was making up time and positions, Bobbitt lost use of his rear brake pedal and was forced to make a stop in the pits where the crew made the repair.

Despite an unfavorable situation on lap one, Bobbitt put forth an excellent effort to salvage 11th place in the XC1 Pro Class and 19th overall for the day. 

In the 10 a.m. race, FMF KTM Factory Team rider Kacy Martinez got off to a great start aboard her KTM 250 XC-F, where she led the first two laps. Unfortunately Martinez crashed while leading the race, sustaining a wrist injury that kept her from finishing the race.

Next Event: New Berlin, New York - September 11, 2016