GNCC Racing

Kailub Russell Earns 50th Career-Victory at Round 3 of the GNCC Series

Tuesday, March 20, 2018 | 11:00 AM
Ken Hill

FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Kailub Russell earned his 50th career victory on Sunday following an intense three-hour battle at Round 3 of the AMA Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series in Washington, Georgia. KTM-supported rider Steward Baylor Jr. had a come-from-behind performance to finish 3rd overall, while KTM-supported rider Ben Kelley rode on to capture his second-straight victory in the XC2 250 Pro class.

XC1 Open Pro

Russell shot off the line to capture his first holeshot of the season aboard the KTM 350 XC-F. Russell led the XC1 Open Pro class into the opening lap of racing but the five-time champion soon lost his lead after getting his front end stuck in a mud hole and tipping over. Despite the setback, Russell maintained a top-three position as he began his quest for the lead once again. Russell’s biggest competition, Thad DuVall, overtook the lead on lap three and Russell patiently waited for the right opportunity to strike. On lap five Russell made his move but DuVall didn’t back down as the duo battled it out for the remainder of the race. Russell ultimately finished two seconds ahead to claim his third-consecutive victory this season.

Russell: “It worked out in my favor today. I knew what I wanted to do when Thad and I were out front and I knew kind of what he was trying to do, too. We were both kind of cruising and waiting for that last lap and a half. It was a long lap here today so I was trying to wait until that last lap. I was able to make the move and get into the front and set out on a pretty fast pace I felt like and Thad was able to hang right there. We diced back and forth a couple of times. With this track, when you’re going that fast and there’s that many lines in the woods, you can kind of cut inside and make passes. It was a fun day!”

Tely Energy Racing KTM’s Steward Baylor Jr. battled through a stomach illness that set him back early in the race. Battling from outside the top ten up to 3rd, Baylor put forth another impressive performance to claim his third podium finish in three rounds.

Ken Hill

XC2 250 Pro

Defending XC2 250 Pro Champion Josh Toth experienced a tough outcome in Georgia as he failed to score points in the championship due to a finger injury sustained earlier in the race. Toth got off to a great start as he put his KTM 250 XC-F into the lead on the opening lap. However, Toth had a run-in with a vine that wrapped around his handlebar and eventually caused damage to his finger when he attempted to pull the vine off his hand. As a result, Toth dropped back from the lead and was never able to recover as the damage in his finger hindered him from pulling in the clutch or even holding on to the bars. The defending champion did everything he could to salvage the day, including a quick stop in the pits to tape his finger up, but it wasn’t enough to finish inside the top-20 to score points in the class.

Toth will see a doctor this week to determine the degree of damage sustained in his finger. The FMF KTM Factory Racing Team will provide updates as they become available.

Trail Jesters KTM Racing’s Ben Kelley capitalized on the misfortune of Toth as he eventually moved into the lead during the final hour of racing. Kelley showed great strength and speed in the final laps of the three-hour race as he went on to capture his second victory of the season at Round 3.

Round 4: April 8 – Morganton, North Carolina

XC1 Open Pro Results

  1. Kailub Russell, KTM
  2. Thad DuVall, HQV
  3. Steward Baylor Jr., KTM
  4. Trevor Bollinger, HON
  5. Josh Strang, HQV

XC2 250 Pro Results

  1. Ben Kelley, KTM
  2. Pascal Rauchenecker, HQV
  3. Nick Davis, GAS

Overall Championship Standings

  1. Kailub Russell, 3 wins, 90 points
  2. Thad DuVall, 71
  3. Steward Baylor Jr., 67

XC2 250 Pro Standings

  1. Ben Kelley, 2 wins, 75 points
  2. Pascal Rauchenecker, 61
  3. Josh Toth, 1 win, 55