GNCC Racing

Coastal Racing/Husqvarna Teammates Michael and DeLong Land Atop The Podium at America's Toughest Race

Monday, July 3, 2017 | 10:00 AM

Coastal Racing Husqvarna teammates Layne Michael and Craig DeLong put forth an impressive performance at Round 8 of the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series in Snowshoe, West Virginia to capture 2nd and 3rd place respectively in the XC2 250 Pro (16-24) class for America's Toughest Race. 

XC2 Podium (L-R): DeLong, Toth, Michael.
XC2 Podium (L-R): DeLong, Toth, Michael. Ken Hill

XC2 250 Pro (16-24)

The Snowshoe GNCC had a unique live-engine start that seeded riders according to their position in the overall championship standings. DeLong began on the second row alongside the top XC1 Open Pro riders, while Michael began on Row 3 alongside his XC1 teammate Ryan Sipes.

DeLong was the first Coastal Racing Husqvarna team rider to take to the course, putting himself into a top five position after the opening lap. DeLong charged up to 3rd by lap two, where he then swapped positions back-and-forth for the remainder of the three-hour race.

Michael had a great comeback in the second half of the race to finish 2nd.
Michael had a great comeback in the second half of the race to finish 2nd. Ken Hill

Michael began the race just behind his teammate Delong in the overall time adjustment, where he finally broke into the top five by lap three. Michael continued to push his way into podium contention with one lap to go and on the final lap the West Virginia native put on a hard charge to better his position atop the box. Michael's calculated final lap was enough to surpass DeLong for the 2nd place position and finish only 11 seconds behind the leader of the class.

"I'm happy to put myself back on the podium, especially at a tough track like Snowshoe," Michael commented. "The track was really gnarly and it took me a while to get going but once I got into a groove I felt really good and was able to make up a lot of time in the second half of the race."

Despite stomach issues that took a toll on him in the final laps, DeLong was able to hold strong to finish 3rd place in the class behind his teammate Michael.

"I had a good start at Snowshoe," DeLong said. "I started off on row two with a bunch of good guys. I went into the woods in 4th place on my row and followed the other guys for the first six or seven miles until I got stuck on a hill. That put me back a bunch of positions. I fought back into the top ten and into a podium position in XC2. I was fighting stomach issues all race and it really affected my riding, but it ended up being not too bad of a day, finishing 3rd in the class." 

DeLong fought through adversity to claim another podium finish.
DeLong fought through adversity to claim another podium finish. Ken Hill

DeLong continues to hold the 2nd place position in the XC2 Championship Standings, with Michael on his heels for 3rd place as the series heads into the second half of its 13-race series this summer.

XC1 Open Pro

Sipes began on Row 3 alongside his XC2 teammate Michael, where he got off to a favorable start heading into the woods. However, Sipes had trouble staying on two wheels on lap one, where he checked in 12th place after one lap of racing. From there, Sipes charged ahead to make a few passes but a series of crashes once again held him back in the overall running. The Kentucky native was able to ultimately make his way up to the 9th place position on the final lap, securing a top-ten finish in the XC1 Open Pro class. 

Sipes had a solid ride despite many crashes throughout the three-hour race.
Sipes had a solid ride despite many crashes throughout the three-hour race. Ken Hill

"Snowshoe is always a really tough race and this year was one of the worst in my four years of racing it," Sipes said. "It was technical, slippery and pretty tough with big hill climbs and big mud holes. Honestly I rode well, when I wasn't on the ground - I crashed way too many times, probably 10-12 times. I also went the wrong way one time because the course wasn't marked well and I got stuck one time but I rode hard the whole time. I gave it everything I had, just fell down too many times. If it wasn't for that I think I would have done pretty well. But I'll continue to stay after it and hopefully do better next round." 

Coastal Racing's Jack Edmondson sat out for Round 8 due to an injured wrist. Edmondson is slated to return at Round 9 in Ohio.

Next Event: GNCC Round 9 - July 9, 2017

Results from the Snowshoe GNCC - Sunday, June 25, 2017

XC1 Open Pro Results

  1. Ricky Russell
  2. Thad DuVall
  3. Kailub Russell
    9. Ryan Sipes (HQV)

XC2 250 Pro (16-24) Results

  1. Josh Toth
  2. Layne Michael (HQV)
  3. Craig DeLong (HQV)

XC1 Open Pro Championship Standings

  1. Kailub Russell (184)
  2. Thad DuVall (177)
  3. Steward Baylor Jr. (152)
    15. Ryan Sipes (64)

XC2 250 Pro (16-24) Championship Standings

  1. Josh Toth (218)
  2. Craig DeLong (165)
  3. Layne Michael (156)