When you’re a world-class off-road talent like David Knight, getting 12^th place should be easy. Honestly, the Red Bull KTM Factory Off-Road rider from the Isle of Man pretty much only finishes first when he races, including dominant performances in the World Enduro Championships, the ISDE Overall, the Red Bull Last Man Standing the Maxxis EnduroCross, Australian Four-Day Enduro, Weston Beach Race and on and on. But for some reason, grabbing the ’07 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Championship has not been nearly as easy. On some weekends Knighter is every bit the dominator, winning by massive margins with an unbeatable combination of skill, speed and strength. But on others, the man seems truly cursed with bad luck sidelining his championship efforts.

 

 

David Knight handled a little bit of everything in 2007

 

 

“A lot of the others riders have been going on about their bad luck this year,” said Knight before the final of the GNCC Series in Indiana. “Well if they had my luck this year, they would know what bad luck is all about.”Â

Coming into the GNCC finale, Knight had collected six wins in 12 rounds, but he also failed to score points twice after dealing with an injury in Georgia and bike trouble in Pennsylvania, along with other assorted snags that kept him off of the podium and kept the competition in the hunt. In addition, Knight found adjusting to American life and racing a bit more challenging than expected, but he was still all but unbeatable when he was on his game.

 

 The mighty 2007 XC1 champion is David Knight

Hooper photo

 

 

He won enough to hold a big points lead heading into the Klotz Ironman GNCC finale, and he only needed to finish 12^th to clinch the title even if his primary rival, Am-Pro Yamaha’s Barry Hawk, won the race. Would the bad luck come one more time? “I was more worried about me not pushing on hard enough, or crashing into a tree, something like that,” said Knight. “When you’re not pushing sometimes you start day dreaming. You can crash into someone, or snap a brake line off, just anything silly. This track is so fast, and twelfth place isn’t that far behind.”Â

Fortunately for Knight, Hawk never had a chance to apply pressure. Before the race, Hawk pointed out his bad luck throughout the season, which included running out of gas due to bike trouble in Georgia. The gremlins returned in Indiana when his chain broke on the second lap. With the veteran GNCC champion out of the race, Knight was going to win the title no matter what. 

 

Charlie Mullins battled with Knight early after the start

Hooper photo

 

 

By the time Hawk’s day ended, Knight was in second chasing Am-Pro Yamaha’s Charlie Mullins. The duo set a blistering pace early and pulled a big gap on the rest of the field. By lap three Knight got the word that Hawk was out, and he was free to put in a charge and try to win the race. Mullins made a mistake and opened the door for Knight to get the lead.

“It was a fun race,” said Mullins. “I was leading and David was behind me. It seemed like we pulled away and kind of rode in our own groove. It seemed like after I got gas, I made a mistake and I fell down, and he got by me.”Â

Knight put the hammer down and pulled away, eventually winning the battle and the war. After dominating the GNCC tour with Juha Salminen for the last two years, the KTM squad had experienced a little more drama this year during Knight’s star-crossed run. Chalk Knight’s troubles up to luck, and the much-debated question over which KTM star is the better rider and champion will be debated forever without a real answer. “To be able to win it in my rookie season here, I know Juha was able to do it but he is obviously a very special person,” said Knight. “But to win it in my first year, it means a lot more to me than if I had not won it this year and then came back to win it next year.”Â

Mullins ended the race in second and third in points behind Hawk. Parts Unlimited Moose Honda’s Paul Whibley was third after collecting the Racer X Holeshot, gathering some arm pump, and then settling in during the stretch of the three-hour event.

 

Paul Whibley finished out the season on the podium

Scearce photo

 

 

“I’ve been working pretty hard on practicing the starts a lot lately,” said Whibley. “I got a little bit better technique now. I found a little thing that’s kind of helping me out, it’s kind of my little secret. I just lined up a bit wide, just giving myself some space, and it worked out good. Yeah, it’s pretty different [leading the race early.] I didn’t really want to do it. I got really bad arm pump the first half of the race and I dropped back; I could hardly hold on. After the fuel stop, my arms came right, and I could start to charge again. I could start making some time up again. I just got on a mission.”Â

KTM wasn’t done collecting GNCC titles in after Knight’s triumph. The hotly-contested fight for the first-ever GNCC XC2 Lites title (for 125s and 250Fs) came down to consistency. There were multiple winners and contenders throughout the year, but by the end 20-year-old Justin Williamson nailed the number-one plate down for the orange marque by finishing on the podium at the last nine races, as well as collecting three wins.

 

Justin Williamson is history in the making

Hooper photo

 

 

Williamson made history as the first number one in the new class, but the competition is already hungry for 2008. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/FAR/Kawasaki’s Scott Watkins blitzed through the early laps in the XC2 lead, but on the last lap Am-Pro Yamaha’s Thad DuVall put in an all-out charge to catch him. “I rode my guts out today,” said DuVall. “I wanted it so bad, I was on the edge, feet off the pegs, Thad DuVall style out there. If I would have crashed, I would have gotten hurt, but I wanted to win and show everyone what I can do for next year.”Â

 

 Thad DuVall ran down Watkins for first overall

Scearce photo

 

 

Williamson rode a steady race for third, displaying again the consistency the rest of this hyper-aggressive class is trying to learn.

After the race the Red Bull KTM crew invited fans over to their factory semi to celebrate with Knight and Williamson. With Halloween coming up this week, there was no better time to celebrate a job well done for the orange and black squad.

    

 

Klotz Ironman GNCC

Crawfordsville, Indiana

October 28, 2007

XC1 Pro

1. David Knight (KTM)

2. Charlie Mullins (Yam)

3. Paul Whibley (Hon)

4. Garrett Edmisten (Kaw)

5. Dustin Gibson (KTM)

 

XC2 Lites

1. Thad Duvall (Yam)

2. Scott Watkins (Kaw)

3. Justin Williamson (KTM)

4. Wallace Palmer (Kaw)

5. Ben Kearney (KTM)

 

Final GNCC Point Standings

1 David Knight 282

2. Barry Hawk 231

3. Charles Mullins 221

4. Jimmy Jarrett 199

5. Garrett Edmisten 197

 

XC2 Lites

1. Justin Williamson 205

2. Scott Watkins 192

3. Rodney Smith 189

4. Josh Weisenfels 181

5. Thad DuVall 180

 

 

About GNCC Racing:

The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country series is America’s premier off-road racing series. The 13-round championship series began in 1973 and is produced exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The nearly three-hour long GNCC races lead as many as 1,800 riders through tracks ranging from eight to twelve miles in length. GNCC Racing airs weekly television shows on the Versus network every Saturday at 3 PM and Thursday at 4 PM. With varied terrain including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed. GNCC featured sponsors include BRP Can-Am, Parts Unlimited, Moose, Maxxis, Pirelli, Wiseco, Acerbis, Elka, Geico, Klotz, FMF, ITP and Weekend Warrior, and riders compete for over $3 million in series prizes and contingency money. Associate sponsors include Alpinestars, Cometic, HiPer Technology, Laegers, Moose Utility Division, The National Guard, Powersport Grafx, REM, Scott, Thor, Tire Balls, Twin Air, and MotoTee’s. Media Sponsors include Racer X Illustrated, ATV Rider, ATV Sport, ATVRiders.com, Quadzone.com, Dirt Rider and ATV Insider.  For more information log on to www.gnccracing.com.

 

 

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