by: Chelsea Taylor
Friday, November 13, 2015 | 6:00 AM
GNCC Congratulates Josh Strang on Overall Victory at JNCC Finale
Chris Bach Places Second Overall
Racer Productions would like to congratulate Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Josh Strang on capturing the overall victory at the Japan National Cross Country (JNCC) finale. The AAGP finale took place this past weekend on November 8 at Jigatake Ski Resort in Omachi City, Nagano.
This would mark Strang’s third trip to Japan, where he first visited in 2009 and finished second behind Factory FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell. His latest trip was in 2013 where he brought back his first JNCC overall win.
“Japan was fun, I always enjoy going. Husqvarna Japan supplied me with a 250 two-stroke and everything went well. It rained most of the day Sunday and the track got fairly slippery and technical,” said Strang. “A big thank you to JNCC president Masami and the whole crew for making everything possible. I had a really good time.”
Rain cut the proposed three-hour race short to just two and a half hours, which set the stage for a grueling race up against the top off-road Japanese racers. Strang crossed the finish line first, just one minute ahead of JCR/Honda’s Chris Bach. Watanabe Manabu finished third overall, where he wrapped up his second consecutive JNCC championship.
Strang was accompanied by his girlfriend Cameron Kluttz, while Bach traveled with his mechanic, Eric Siraton. In addition, Racer Productions’ Jared Bolton attended the event to provide media coverage. Please click HERE for additional photos from the trip.
“We had an absolute blast racing the JNCC in Nagano. Masami and the whole crew have a really good thing going on over there, and it was a pleasure battling it out with Strang and all of Japan’s best off-road talent,” reported Bach. “I’m pleased with our second place finish, and look forward to returning for a win in the future. I’d like to say a special thanks to Racer Productions, Masami, Yoshi, Ayako and all the JNCC crew for welcoming us to their series and making my attendance possible. Also, big thanks to Hide, Noda, Yoshi and everyone else at HGA Honda for building me an incredible CRF450R race machine.”
The 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series, presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, concluded its 13-round series on October 31 and November 1 in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The 2015 Award Banquets will be hosted in Morgantown, West Virginia on December 18 and 19.
For more information on the GNCC series, visit the official website at www.gnccracing.comor call (304) 284-0084. Also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content.