Russell Wins and Kanney Lands on the Podium at the First GNCC.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009 | 11:45 AM
Kanney started in the top five and stayed there riding a great race. He was as high as 2nd place at one point before he encountered mechanical problems that forced him to take an extended pit stop. When he reentered the course he was in 4th. After a remarkable charge he caught 3rd (who shortly after withdrew from a mechanical problem) and finished the race in the final podium position. Not far behind Kanney in what was probably the most unpredicted and remarkable ride of the day was Shock Doctor/KTM Factory rider Mike Brown. With the WORCS Series his main focus, Brown has decided to ride a select variety of different events this year to help with his training. He showed up as "that motocross guy" but soon showed the GNCC crowd that he had what it takes to run up front. Brown started near the back of the pack on the start but by the end of the first lap he was in 9th. He remained there for three laps until he caught the pack ahead of him and began to charge forward. On the final lap he passed three riders to move from his current 7th position to 4th overall. "I had a lot of fun here and I would love to race more GNCC's. This is the type of racing I love," commented Brown after the race. Kanney's teammate, Kurt Caselli, also had a decent day finishing 6th overall in his debut race as a full-time GNCC Series participant. Caselli started 4th around the first turn but lost valuable positions when he lost his way in all the dust. "I actually had to stop for a second when I went off course due to the dust and I had to wait for another rider to go by so I could follow him back on track," stated Caselli of his first lap. Later on the second lap Caselli got stuck in one of the mud holes on the course and lost time getting his bike out. When he recovered he found himself back to 12th position. In the remaining laps he rode great and fought his way back to 6th. Mexico's KTM Red Bull Factory rider Homero Diaz also made an appearance at the first GNCC and had a blast. "This was my first GNCC and I loved it. The terrain was definitely not what I am used to but after I learned it on the first lap - I had a great time and am glad I came," remarked Diaz. After the long three hour battle in foreign territory Diaz finished 11th overall in his first GNCC event. Results XC1
Standings XC1
Shock Doctor/KTM Factory XC2 riders Kailub Russell and Cory Buttrick are the newest members to the team but you wouldn't know it from watching them ride. Both riders showed up with their KTM machines "Ready to Race" and achieved fantastic results for the first round which included a win for Russell. In his remarkable victory, Russell led every lap of the race from the first turn to the checkered flag winning by over a minute ahead of the second place rider. His teammate, Buttrick, started around 9th and worked his way up into 4th by the end of the race just one spot shy of the podium. Results XC2 1. Kailub Russell - KTM 2. Jason Thomas 3. Jake Korn - KTM 4. Cory Buttrick - KTM 5. Scott Watkins 6. David Snyder 7. Shane Obanion - KTM 8. Andrew Matusek 9. Brian Lawson 10. Eric Bailey - KTM |
Once in the pits his mechanics worked vigorously to quickly fix the mechanical problems. When he reentered the track he was 4th and with two laps to go he moved back up to 3rd. "I wish I could have taken the win but after my crash and long pit stop I am just happy I made it to the podium," stated McGill. Results XC1
Standings XC1
FRE/KTM Factory rider Josh Kirkland, in the XC2 Pro Am class, rode a solid race taking the first win of the season aboard his brand new KTM. Kirkland started around 3rd and in a smooth and consistent race he was able to easily move past the other rides to take the lead and the win. KTM support rider, David Crane, finished 2nd overall. The final member of the team, Angel Atwell, had the same result as Kirkland in the Women's Pro morning race when she took the win with over a minute lead on the rest of the field. "I had a great time today and I hope to continue these results through the remainder of the series," commented Atwell. Results XC2 1. Josh Kirkland - KTM 2. David Crane - KTM 3. Scottie Rich 4. Eric Hoyland 5. Brian Wolf Results Women Pro 1. Angel Atwell - KTM 2. Jennifer Albright 3. Traci Cecco Next Event - March 7, 2009 - Washington, GA |