GNCC Racing

GNCC Racing Continues 2020 Season With The Specialized General in Georgia

GNCC Racing Continues 2020 Season With The Specialized General in Georgia

Friday, March 13, 2020 | 6:10 PM
by:
Friday, March 13, 2020 | 6:10 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Kayla Bolton
(304) 284-0084
[email protected]

GNCC Racing Continues 2020 Season With The Specialized General in Georgia
Kailub Russell Looks To Keep Momentum Rolling into Round Three 

Ken Hill

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (March 13, 2020) – This Sunday, March 15 the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, takes place in Washington, Georgia for The Specialized General GNCC. 

Looking to continue his success will be FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Kailub Russell. This weekend Russell will look to earn his third-straight win of the season, while going for his eighth and final GNCC National Championship. 

Coming off a second overall finish last weekend in Florida is Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Josh Strang. Tomorrow Strang will aim to battle at the front for the duration of the race, while working to take the overall win away from Russell. 

Coastal Racing Husqvarna’s Ricky Russell came through third last weekend, and this weekend is hoping to work his way into first overall. Russell currently sits tied in points with Strang, but will look to improve his standings on Sunday afternoon. 

Earning fourth overall just one week ago was Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Jordan Ashburn. As the race began, Ashburn was running in the top three but would fall just off the podium as the checkered flag flew. This weekend Ashburn will be aiming to battle for that first podium finish of the season. 

Ken Hill

Phoenix Honda Racing’s Andrew DeLong had a good run in Florida, finishing fifth in XC1 Open Pro. DeLong will aim to keep his top five momentum rolling into this weekend, where he looks to run at the front of the pack battling for what could be his first podium finish.

Visiting from the United Kingdom last weekend in Florida was AmPro Yamaha’s Todd Kellett. Kellet would prove he can race amongst the best, and in the Florida sand. This weekend Kellet will not be in attendance at the GNCC, but the series looks to hopefully have him visit again to showdown with the world’s premier off-road racing series. 

Monster Energy/Alpinestars/Canadian Kawasaki’s Tyler Medaglia had put in a good ride at the Wild Boar GNCC. This weekend Medaglia will aim to put his Kawasaki machine towards the front of the pack with a top five finish in XC1. 

FactoryONE Sherco’s Grant Baylor did not have the start to the race he was hoping for. This weekend Baylor will aim to get his Sherco motorcycle at the front of the pack early on and make a run for a podium finish this Sunday afternoon.

Rockhill Powersports/Ti Dezigns/UFO Plast’s Evan Earl is will be aiming for another top 10 finish this weekend as he has been a consistent XC1 rider thus far in the 2020 season. Also looking to keep his Yamaha up front will be AmPro Yamaha’s Layne Michael. Michael was having a great race last weekend, but would fall back to 10th in the XC1 Open Pro class. This weekend Michael will be looking to remain up front and battle with the top riders.

Ken Hill

Trail Jesters KTM’s Jonathan Girroir earned his first-ever XC2 class win, with a fifth overall on the day. This weekend Girroir is looking to back up that win by grabbing a good start and running up front. Girroir will have to look out for AmPro Yamaha/St. Lawrence Radiology’s Mike Witkowski, who earned the round one win, and his hungry for his second win of the season. Coming through third, and also eager for an XC2 class win is Rockstar Energy/Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Craig DeLong. This weekend DeLong will be on a mission to earn that victory.

Moose Racing/Carolina KTM/XC Gear’s Zack Hayes will be aiming to earn his third-straight win the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am Class on Sunday afternoon. Hayes will look to hold off the rest of the FMF XC3 competitors, and improve his National Championship standings. 

For more information on the GNCC series, visit the official website at www.gnccracing.com or call (304) 284-0084. Join the conversation on the series Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and be sure to always hashtag #GNCC.

Ken Hill

Previous Round Results and Points standings

Moose Racing Wild Boar
Palatka, Florida
Round 2 of 13
Sunday, March 8, 2020

XC1 Pro Event Results:

  1. Kailub Russell (KTM)
  2. Josh Strang (KAW)
  3. Ricky Russell (HQV)
  4. Jordan Ashburn (KAW)
  5. Andrew DeLong (HON)
  6. Todd Kellett (YAM)
  7. Tyler Medaglia (KAW)
  8. Grant Baylor (SHR)
  9. Evan Earl (KAW)
  10. Layne Michael (YAM)

*Overall National Championship Standings:

  1. Kailub Russell (60)
  2. Josh Strang (46)
  3. Ricky Russell (46)
  4. Jordan Ashburn (33)
  5. Michael Witkowski (31)
  6. Jonathan Girroir (28)
  7. Craig DeLong (25)
  8. Cody Barnes (20)
  9. Steward Baylor Jr. (18)
  10. Grant Baylor (15)

*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2020 National Champion.

XC2 250 Pro Event Results:

  1. Johnathan Girroir (KTM)
  2. Mike Witkowski (YAM)
  3. Craig DeLong (HQV)
  4. Cody Barnes (BET)
  5. Evan Smith (HQV)
  6. Jesse Ansley (KTM)
  7. Liam Draper (KTM)
  8. Tegan Temple (KTM)
  9. Thorn Devlin (BET)
  10. Simon Johnson (KTM)

XC2 250 Pro Series Standings:

  1. Mike Witkowski (55)
  2. Jonathan Girroir (55)
  3. Craig DeLong (42)
  4. Cody Barnes (33)
  5. Jonathan Johnson (28)
  6. Liam Draper (28)
  7. Evan Smith (25)
  8. Jesse Ansley (25)
  9. Thorn Devlin (24)
  10. Simon Johnson (22)

To get the latest GNCC Racing clothing and merchandise visit https://www.mototees.com.

 

How to Watch

Racer TV and MAVTV are the official homes for coverage of the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) events. All 13 rounds, from the season opening Big Buck GNCC in South Carolina to the finale at Ironman Raceway in Indiana, will air in taped-delayed telecasts on MAVTV, while Racer TV provides live streaming coverage of the 2 p.m. ATV and 1 p.m. motorcycle races from each event. Catch all the action at http://www.mavtv.com/ and http://www.racertv.com/. 

About GNCC Racing

The Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Specialized is the World’s premier off-road racing series. Founded in 1975, the 13-round championship is produced exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross-country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The grueling two and three-hour GNCC races lead as many as 2,400 riders through racetracks ranging in length from eight to 12 miles. With varied terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks, and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed. The series draws talent from all over the U.S., Central America, South America, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. GNCC Racing is televised live on RacerTV.com. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.

About eMTB Racing

The Specialized Turbo eMTB GNCC National Championship brings off-road racing and pedal-assist or electric bicycles together for an eight-round championship produced by Racer Productions. Much like a typical cross-country racing event, these races feature varied terrain featuring hills, rocks, roots, and more but are limited to electric, or pedal assist model mountain bikes only. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.

About the American Motorcyclist Association

Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world's largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders' interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com. Not a member? Join the AMA today: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/membership/join