With a three-race winning streak, Russell holds a 104-point gap on second place in the National Championship standings. Russell recently competed in the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) where he encountered a trivial injury to his knee, but comes into this round fully focused on competing. Russell, the 2013 and 2014 National Champion, will continue his bid for his third straight title in the XC1 Pro class but first, he must do battle against the world’s fastest off-road racers through some of the most grueling obstacles in the woods.

Perhaps the rider with the most momentum is AirGroup/Rockstar Energy/Husqvarna backed Ryan Sipes, who comes into this round fresh off becoming the first American to overall at the ISDE held in Slovakia last week. Sipes has been consistently improving his finishes throughout the season., Sipes currently holds the fifth place position in the championship standings, but heads to Unadilla with the confidence to grab his first-ever GNCC win.

N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Grant Baylor continues his stand-out XC1 rookie season, proving that consistency is key as he finds himself in second place within the championship. The South Carolina native placed fourth overall at last year’s Unadilla GNCC while racing a 250 in the XC2 class, and looks to capitalize on his summer break training to claim his first overall GNCC win this weekend. 

Coming off arguably the best ride of the year at Snowshoe, Rocky Mountain ATV/MC & KR4/FAR back rider Thad DuVall holds third place in the championship standings. DuVall has a slew of top five finishes behind him, and is a former race winner at Unadilla.

The GNCC Series visited New York earlier in the season, and JCR Honda’s Chris Bach got his first taste of winning this season by grabbing the victory. The Indiana native is the only person to stop Kailub Russell’s dominance this year, and will be looking to find himself on the center spot of the podium again. 

Earlier in the season, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Josh Strang was proving to be Russell’s closest competitor, until a shoulder injury forced him to the sidelines for two races.  The 2010 GNCC Champion is 100 percent ready to return this weekend. N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Jordan Ashburn comes next, sitting in seventh in the championship standings, right behind Strang.

DirtWise/Maxxis/KLIM’s Jason Thomas leads the XC2 Championship with a 64-point lead coming into the last four rounds of racing. Thomas is no stranger to the podium, and is looking to add another XC2 Championship to his records. 

Husqvarna Support Team rider Craig Delong sits within a striking distance of Raines Riding University/Atlas Yamaha/OffRoadViking.com’s Ricky Russell for the second place spot in the XC2 Pro Lites Championship chase. Only three points separate second and third, but with the break over summer, Delong and Russell are expected to showcase some stiff competition between each other in the last four rounds.

E&H Honda’s Trevor Bollinger sits in the fourth place spot, and RideMPS.com/AMSOIL/Honda’s Layne Michael rounds out the top five.