XC1 Open Pro
Heading into the 2018 season, Russell, a five-time GNCC National Champion, had only won the GNCC season opener one time in his storied career, which gave the all-time winningest bike racer yet another goal to strive for at the opening round. Russell got a mid-pack start but was able to cut in by the second turn to go around a few riders and hold the 6th place position heading into the woods. On the opening lap, Russell was reaching for his water supply when he lost control of the bike and fell into a tree, dropping him back to 13th. Fortunately, he was able to make it back up to the lead group within the next two laps, but a series of mistakes and crashes kept him from making any solid advances. As the two-lap card fell, Russell finally put the hammer down and put himself into the lead from the 3rd place position and Thad DuVall latched onto his rear fender as the duo battled wheel-to-wheel to the finish.

After six laps of racing it was Russell who came out on top, claiming the Round 1 victory for only the second time in his GNCC Racing career. 

Russell: “I got a pretty good start so I was pretty happy with the way things started off but then I smoked a tree and fell down, and went pretty much straight to last. I kept plugging away and I’d get up there behind Stu [Baylor] and Thad [DuVall] and then I’d fall again and lose another 15-20 seconds. It was one of those days where I’d get up there, fall back, get up there, fall back. Finally, I put it all together the last two laps and got around those guys and tried to set sail but Thad caught my draft. It was tough, I knew it was going to be a dog fight down to the finish, it was just hitting my marks and not making a mistake. I’m definitely happy to come away with the win from Round 1.”

Tely Energy Racing KTM’s Steward Baylor Jr. led a couple laps in the middle of the race, where he ultimately finished 3rd overall for the day to start his season off on a good note. 

XC2 250 Pro
Defending XC2 250 Pro Champion Josh Toth got off to a top-ten start in the afternoon race but quickly made his way into the lead before the end of the opening lap. Trail Jester’s KTM Racing’s Ben Kelley latched onto Toth early on and the two riders slowly began pulling away from the rest of the pack. Toth went on to successfully lead all six laps of the three-hour race as he ultimately claimed victory over KTM-Supported Kelley by 8.5 seconds.

Toth: “I’m definitely trying to keep the momentum going from 2017. I think it’s going to be a really good year. Between Ben, Pascal and others in the class too, it’s going to be a tough year but I look forward to the challenge.”