After missing the last four rounds due to a shoulder injury, Strang was able to fully recover and come back fresh for the last half of the season and gain his first overall win. Strang would lead the whole race with the exception of pit stops.

“I’ve never won at this track, and it was good to get my first win here,” said Strang. “The track is rough and fast, but it can get frustrating with the lapped riders. Of course that’s all part of GNCC Racing, and having the high rider turnout is good for our sport.”

After many questions, Factory FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell officially announced that his injury at last week’s ISDE was, in fact, a torn ACL. However, his presence was still made in the 1 p.m. Pro Race. Russell would need to finish fifth or better to claim the 2015 championship. In the end, Russell would finish in fourth, allowing him to clinch his third consecutive GNCC National title.  

“I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel on the bike, because anything can happen to make my injury worse,” said Russell. “It took me about an hour and half to feel like I had warmed up and get my momentum going.”

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing backed rider Andrew Delong rode a consistent race finishing fifth overall. Despite running fourth for a majority of the race, JCR Honda’s Chris Bach finished in the sixth place position. N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Grant Baylor rode a comfortable pace in the final laps, finishing ninth overall for the day, followed by Canada’s Tyler Medaglia.

In the XC2 Pro Lites division, it would be Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KR4/FAR’s Nick Davis grabbing the $100 Hot Cams Holeshot award. Davis took full advantage of the early lead, until DirtWise/Maxxis/KLIM’s Jason Thomas made his way to the familiar first place spot. Davis’ bobble during the second lap put him back to fourth. Fortunately, he was able to recover quickly and find himself back in the front. Thomas made a last lap push and eventually took the top spot away from Davis. E & H Honda’s Trevor Bollinger had an impressive race, working his way from 20^th on the first lap to third when the checkered flag flew. Bollinger suffered earlier on in the race after barbwire wrapped around his rear tire.

“I didn’t really take a summer break, because I’ve been busy racing local races and training,” reported Thomas. “The lappers didn’t affect me today because the local series I’ve been racing has a lot of riders and a short loop, which is very similar to here at Unadilla.”

West Virginia’s Anthony Stone grabbed another victory in the 250 A class, also securing the American Kargo Top Amateur Award with 27^th overall. The next finishing amateur rider was Vance Francis, 250 A, who walked away with 30^th overall.

In the 10 a.m. race, Factory FMF/KTM backed Kacy Martinez continued her dominance, leading the way by three minutes. Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/KR4/FAR teammates Sarah Baldwin and Brooke Cosner finish out the podium.