Russell didn’t get the most favorable start as he began the three-hour race around mid-pack of the 17-rider lineup. However, Russell quickly worked his way through the pack aboard his KTM 350 XC-F, moving into the lead position on the opening lap. From there, the three-time GNCC National Champion went to work to create a sizeable gap on the rest of the field.

Russell entered the eighth and final lap of the race with a two-minute lead over the 2^nd place rider, which proved to be beneficial for him when he ran into trouble late in the race. As Russell was navigating through lapped traffic, he experienced a series of crashes that ultimately sent him over the bars and onto the ground. Despite a hard fall, Russell remounted and maintained his lead through the end of the race to earn a big victory in New York.

“I didn’t get a great start but I worked my way into the lead within the opening mile and tried to put in a couple of solid laps to open up a lead,” Russell said. “I was having fun until the last lap, where I ended up going over the bars on the railroad ties and clipped another rider and it jerked my hands off the bars. After that I just rode as smart as I could to the finish.”

Russell now holds a 20-point lead over Josh Strang in the championship standings with three rounds remaining in the 2016 season.

In the 10 a.m. race, FMF KTM Factory Team rider Kacy Martinez shot out to grab the holeshot aboard her KTM 250 XC-F. Martinez maintained the early lead in the WXC class before dropping back to the 3^rd place position on the opening lap. Martinez engaged in a three-way battle for the lead where she swapped the lead position several times throughout the first two laps.

On lap three, Martinez experienced a crash that dropped her out of sight from the leader and she wasn’t able to make up the lost time. In only her second race back from a wrist injury, Martinez pushed on to ultimately finish 2^nd in the WXC class and 2^nd overall for the day.

Next Event: Masontown, West Virginia - September 25, 2016