GNCC Racing

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team Swarms The Podium at GNCC Round 2

Monday, March 18, 2019 | 12:35 PM

ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING TEAM SWARMS THE PODIUM AT GNCC ROUND 2

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team had a stellar day of racing in Washington, Georgia on Sunday as riders Trevor Bollinger and Thad DuVall finished second and third, respectively, in the XC1 Open Pro class for Round 2 of the 2019 AMA Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series.

Bollinger got a great jump off the line aboard his FX 450, where he rounded the opening lap in the second-place position. Bollinger pushed his way into the lead on lap two, swapping back-and-forth with Kailub Russell through the first four laps of the race. After being joined in the lead battle by his teammate, DuVall, Bollinger settled back into a head-to-head duel with Russell going into the final lap. Unfortunately, Bollinger made a mistake on the last lap that allowed Russell to break away for the win, with Bollinger coming through only 13 seconds back for second overall. 

Ken Hill

Trevor Bollinger: “I really wanted it today. I tried to stay in the right positions all day and I didn’t care about leading. I made two mistakes all day and one of them was on the last lap. After that, Kailub got out of sight and once you get out of sight, it’s hard to close the gap. He was riding really good, too. Thanks to the team, they really changed my program and the bike is awesome, I really feel good on it and I’m looking forward to what we can do the rest of the year!”

As the green flag flew for the XC1 Open Pro class, it was DuVall who powered his FX 350 into the holeshot and early lead. By the end of lap one, DuVall had settled into fourth with a close battle amidst the front-runners. DuVall worked his way into third by lap two and he continued to charge his way into second just after the halfway point. He overtook the lead on the second-to-last lap but a crash late in the race dropped him back to third on the final lap. From there, DuVall pushed as hard as he could to salvage third overall and give the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team a double podium in Georgia.

Ken Hill

Thad DuVall: “I felt good the whole race! It was a super fun race between the three of us – we kind of got away and ran our own race. I got into the lead and felt good – when we got the white flag, I felt like I had a lot left in me. But I made a bonehead mistake, had a huge crash and the last lap was pure survival for me. No excuses though, these guys rode awesome and I’m just glad to be up here.”

Husqvarna Motorcycles-supported, Rockstar Energy athlete, Tayla Jones, captured a podium finish at Round 2 with a solid third-place in the WXC class. 

The General GNCC Results 

XC1 Open Pro Class

  1. Kailub Russell (KTM)
  2. Trevor Bollinger (HQV)
  3. Thad DuVall (HQV)

Overall Championship Standings

  1. Kailub Russell, 55 points
  2. Steward Baylor Jr., 48 points
  3. Thad DuVall, 42 points
  4. Trevor Bollinger, 41 points