Following a six-month hiatus from riding due to an off-season knee surgery, Russell came into the season opener with only one month of preparation on the motorcycle. As the flag dropped for the XC1 Pro race, Russell got a great jump to put himself into a favorable position heading around the first corner bend. However, Russell’s rear tire got clipped off the start causing him to go down, along with a few other riders.

Russell quickly made up time and moved into the top five but after tangling with another rider he fell back to around 14th. By the halfway point, Russell had settled into his groove and began putting down some of the fastest lap times near the end of the race. 

Russell put on a hard charge in the final two laps to catch a three-way battle for a podium position. As they entered a tricky mud section, Russell and Sipes were nearly side-by-side before Russell put a spectacular pass on Sipes in the mud hole to move into fourth place. From there, Russell set his sights on Chris Bach and ultimately made the pass for a podium position within the last few miles of the course. 

“It took me a while to get going but I rode well at the end of the race and I felt good,” Russell stated. “The track was super rough today and I’m definitely feeling sore after only being back on the bike for one month before this.”

Team Manager Antti Kallonen commented, “Although we were expecting more of a typical result from Kailub, the team is very pleased with his performance considering so many factors throughout the race and his preparation time leading up to it. Kailub hasn’t lost anything from last year.” 

FMF KTM Factory Team rider Charlie Mullins will miss the first two rounds of the GNCC Series due to a foot injury suffered during pre-season. Mullins is expected to return for round three of the series. 

FMF KTM Factory Team rider Kacy Martinez captured the first victory of the season in the WXC class, where she also claimed the overall victory ahead of over 500 riders in the 10 a.m. race. Martinez grabbed the early lead in her class and began to put a substantial lead on the rest of the field. Martinez went down on lap three, which allowed Becca Sheets to get by for the lead. However, Sheets went down shortly after and Martinez overtook the number one spot. From there, the defending WXC Champion held on to capture a big victory at the season opener.