Simon Johnson grabbed another great start on the XC2 line as he rounded the first few corners and headed out into the woods sitting in 3rd in class. The dry conditions caused a handful of crashes for Johnson within the first few laps as he fell back to 13th in class. Simon pushed himself to find his groove, which he did around the halfway point, but the dust made it next to impossible to see or make passes. He moved his way up to 11th in class and by the final lap he put down his fastest lap of the day, at the checkered flag Johnson checked in 11th in XC2 and 17th overall. Reflecting on his racing so far this year Johnson said “I feel like this year is going good and I finally felt like myself this past weekend.” With Summer break upon us Simon plans to stay healthy and race as many local races as he can to come back to the rest of the GNCC season swinging.

Also on the XC2 line was Jesse Ansley as he grabbed his first XC2 holeshot of the year and headed out into the woods with the lead pack. Ansley spent the first half a lap battling for the lead but a fall allowed for some of his competition to get by as Jesse checked in sitting in 8th place by the end of lap one. At the halfway point of the race Ansley continued putting down solid laps but the remaining half took Jesse by surprise as he fell back in positions some more. When the final lap came to an end Ansley found himself sitting in 12th in XC2 and 19th overall, and he had this to say about it “My first half was such a big improvement that I was very happy with, but I fell apart later in the race which isn’t like me. But we are improving and that’s all I can ask from myself. This year hasn’t been the best, but I’m not going to let it get me down. A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”

Taylor Johnston once again lined up in the WXC class and grabbed herself a midpack start as she battled for positions with her competitions and headed out into the woods. The blinding dust had an immediate impact but as they got further into the woods it began to settle and she was able to make some valuable passes until a crash caused her to injure her hip which derailed her momentum for some time. Johnston headed out for her second lap in 11th place and began to get her groove back, pushing herself in areas she felt confident and keeping a solid place in the tougher areas. This push led her to catch some of her competition in front of her as she went from 11th to 9th. Putting a final charge into her last two laps, Taylor moved her way further ahead making more passes and as the checkered flag waved she finished her day 7th in WXC, her best finish yet. “I am really excited to enter the summer break following my best finish, even if I don’t feel it was my best race. I’m going to take the momentum into my training and continue to get stronger. I’ve got a training session coming up with Steve Hatch that should push me to the next level. I’ll also do some local races to maintain my race mentality and keep charging for better finishes.” Johnston stated.

On the 150A class line Brayden Nolette got less than an ideal start, especially with the dusty conditions but was able to make quick passes within the first lap and take over the lead by the time lap one ended. Nolette noted “The dust made it so you could only go so fast, and some of the times you’d have to come to a complete stop because you couldn’t see where you were going. Getting out front was the key for the race!” As the race progressed Nolette was able to hold the lead until pit where he changed his air filter, but worked his way back to take the lead again by the end of the lap eventually gaping his competition. Nolette crossed the finish line taking his third 150A win in a row and 33rd overall. As Brayden heads into the summer break he plans to keep training hard and come back swinging with the goal of winning his class championship.