In XC1, Smith finally broke Charlie Mullins’ winning streak, but it was Jubal Davis who took an early lead, with Smith in second, Seth Stevens in third, Charlie Mullins in fourth and John Ayers in fifth. The war of attrition began quickly, with Ayers being the first rider to exit the race, only completing one lap. On the second lap, Smith made it into the lead, and Mullins was right on Davis’ tail. Mullins soon caught up to Smith, and it appeared as though the two were going to have a great battle for the FIM title. However, Mullins was unable to complete his third lap. Nat Ross briefly took over third place, before he too encountered problems on the next to last lap. 

Smith was able to pull a gap on Davis, winning the race by nearly five minutes, despite encountering mechanical issues on the final lap that forced him to push his bike through the last section of the course and across the finish line. Davis was solidly in second place, keeping a consistent pace despite riding by himself for most of the day. Jesse Ansley earned his first GNCC eBike XC1 podium, fighting his was through the carnage and avoiding the many pitfalls and mechanical problems that took out his competition. Jeff McCarren finished fourth and was the last XC1 ride to stay on the lead lap. Nathan Mizener also took his best finish of the year, rounding out the top five. 

Smith: “It was a tough start, as it was only about twenty yards before we entered the woods. Most of us got bottlenecked together, but a few riders got through clean and got a gap on the rest of us. Out of everyone who got bunched up, I was the first into the woods, and in fifth place. I caught two people on the first climb. After that I was by myself for almost half a lap before catching Seth Stevens. I followed him, then passed him on another steep climb. I finally passed the leader as well, but by then Charlie Mullins had caught me and he stayed right with me for half of the second lap. I don’t know what happened to him, but suddenly he wasn’t there. I kept the pace high the rest of the race, trying to be smooth, not crash, and hoping for no mechanicals, I spent the rest of the race thinking Charlie was still in second place trying to chase me down. Just before the finish on the last lap, my chain got stuck and locked up so I couldn’t pedal. Luckily it was all downhill to the finish, so I coasted as far as I could, then ran it in!” 

In the Amateur class, Connor Karkowsky took the lead on the first lap and never looked back. He had an incredible ride, winning the amateur class by over four minutes and finishing third overall! Cannon Kuneff and Adam Mayhew spent most of the race battling back and forth with each other, although both were passed on the last lap by Jamal Porter JR. Porter had quite the comeback, fighting his way through the field after coming through the first lap in thirteenth place! Kuneff rounded out the podium in third. 

Karkowsky: “This was a really good race for me! I got off the start in second place then played follow the leader for a while. About halfway through the first lap I moved into the lead and started to pull a gap on the rest of the field. I think the hardest part of the race for everyone was just keeping their bikes going. I had to stop twice to clean my drivetrain out, but luckily I think everyone else was having to do the same. It felt really good to brave the muddy conditions for my best finish yet, especially after my motor blew up at the last race. I would like to thank Gear Bicycles for all their help keeping me pedaling.” 

Tayla Jones, reigning bike WXC champion in the GNCC class, successfully tried her hand at eBike racing before racing the Amateur National Motocross Championships later this week. Jones won the Women’s eBike class by an entire lap. Claire Green finished second again this weekend, and she too had an entire lap on her competition. Addie Lewis finished third, tying her best finish this season. 

Jones: “This eBike race was just a bit of fun to do while hanging out at Loretta’s waiting for the MX to start. I thought, why not go out and play in the mud (laughs) I got the holeshot and kept up a decent pace to grab the win. There was a lot of carnage out there with the muddy conditions, but I stayed wheels down and had no bike problems. Can’t thank Jason Hooper at Carolina Pedal Works enough for his support, along with Giant Bicycles. I get to ride some of the best bikes in the business so I was happy to put them on the top step for the FIM title!” 

In the Masters class, Barry Wray has been the rider to beat all year, and that proved to be the case again here at Loretta Lynn’s! Colin Kierman was close behind him on the first lap, but fell back nearly two minutes the following lap, a gap that would only grow as the race wore on. Alan Sparks finished third. Like in many of the other classes, the spread between the riders was substantial, and there weren’t many battles to speak of. 

Wray: “It was a race of attrition! Battling the conditions and the competition made this race really demanding. Winning at Loretta’s is super sweet already, but being the FIM North American 50+ champion was icing on the cake. I would like to thank all of my sponsors, including Gear Bicycles, Bike Cycles, Lupine Lights, and a new sponsor, Patchwork Paving!”

In the youth class, Talon Hawk took his first win of the season! He passed Mitch Hawkins for the lead early in the lap and never looked back. He was the only youth rider to stay on the lead lap. Although there were no challenges for Hawk, the battle for second place was fierce. Jacob McPherson battled his way up through the pack, finishing just one second down from Cooper Kuneff. 

Hawk: “Off the start of the race, Mitch Hawkins was just a tad bit ahead of me. Going up the hill after the start I was still in second, but I saw Mitch take a bad line around a tree. The other line was clear, I saw a gap and I went for it! I got out just ahead of him, and once I got up the hill I looked back and couldn’t see anyone. My dad was letting me know the time between me and second place, and I was putting about thirty seconds a lap on second place. I finished eighth overall, first in my class and was the only youth rider to stay on the lead lap! My Haibike was perfect and never skipped a beat.”

Round six of GNCC eMTB racing will take place at The Mountaineer, in Beckley, WV on September 12th.

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.

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