GNCC Racing

Kailub Russell Claims First Victory of the Season at Round 3 of the GNCC Series

Monday, April 4, 2016 | 6:25 PM

Less than six months into recovery from an off-season knee surgery, FMF KTM Factory Team rider Kailub Russell earned his first victory of the season at Round 3 of the 2016 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series in Morganton, North Carolina.

Russell’s teammate, Charlie Mullins, made his first GNCC appearance of the season following an ongoing injury, where he shot out of the dead engine start to capture the XC1 Pro Class holeshot and early lead. Russell was forced to play catch up from the beginning as he struggled to fire his bike on the start. However, it didn’t take long for the reigning champion to work his way to the front, where he jumped into the second place position behind Mullins on the opening lap.

Charlie Mullins made his return to GNCC this past weekend in North Carolina.
Charlie Mullins made his return to GNCC this past weekend in North Carolina. Photo: Courtesy of KTM

Russell made the pass on Mullins to take over the lead on lap two but a slight bobble by Russell on lap three allowed Chris Bach to get around him for the lead position. Meanwhile, while running inside the top five, Mullins experienced a hard-impact landing in the mud hole that ultimately ended his day due to his recovery status.

Halfway through the three-hour race, Russell had worked his way past Bach to overtake the lead. From there, Russell began to put a gap on the second place position, which then became points leader Josh Strang. Russell was able to maintain a comfortable gap over Strang throughout the end of the race, where he ultimately finished over a minute ahead of the runner-up.

Kailub Russell earned his first victory this season at the FMF Steele Creek GNCC.
Kailub Russell earned his first victory this season at the FMF Steele Creek GNCC. Photo: Courtesy of KTM

“It was a tough day to get going. I choked on the start, gave it too much gas and the bike didn’t fire,” Russell said. “I was able to sneak to the inside and make some passes to get behind Charlie [Mullins] on the first lap. Chris [Bach] caught up and got around me and from there I kind of bided my time and picked my way around lappers. I was able to fall into a groove and then I rode a smooth rest of the race.”

Russell now sits nine points behind Strang in the XC1 Pro Championship standings.

FMF KTM Factory Team rider Kacy Martinez continues to lead the point standings in the WXC division following a close second place finish at Round 3. Martinez got off to an early lead in the two-hour race but through a series of back-and-forth scenarios with competitor Becca Sheets, Martinez ultimately came short of the win.

Kacy Martinez (left) maintains her WXC points lead after finishing second this weekend.
Kacy Martinez (left) maintains her WXC points lead after finishing second this weekend. Photo: Courtesy of KTM

Next Event: Union, South Carolina – April 17, 2016

Overall Results (XC1 Pro and XC2 Pro Lites Combined) –

 

  1. Kailub Russell – KTM
  2. Josh Strang
  3. Chris Bach
  4. Ryan Sipes
  5. Trevor Bollinger
  6. Layne Michael
  7. Daniel Milner
  8. Craig DeLong
  9. Jordan Ashburn – KTM
  10. Grant Baylor

 

Results WXC Class

 

  1. Becca Sheets
  2. Kacy Martinez – KTM
  3. Brooke Cosner
  4. Rachel Gutish – KTM

 

Overall Point Standings

 

  1. Josh Strang (85)
  2. Kailub Russell (76)
  3. Daniel Milner (51)
  4. Trevor Bollinger (49)
  5. Ryan Sipes (48)
  6. Chris Bach (46)
  7. Steward Baylor Jr. (37)
  8. Grant Baylor (35)
  9. 9.     Craig DeLong (26)
  10. 10. Jesse Groemm (25)

 

Overall Point Standings WXC

  1. Kacy Martinez (59)
  2. Becca Sheets (58)
  3. Brooke Cosner (53)