GNCC Racing

GNCC Racing Heads to the Sunshine State for Round Two of 2021 Season

GNCC Racing Heads to the Sunshine State for Round Two of 2021 Season

Wednesday, March 3, 2021 | 11:25 AM
by:
Wednesday, March 3, 2021 | 11:25 AM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GNCC Racing Heads to the Sunshine State for Round Two of 2021 Season
World’s Fastest Riders Take on Florida Terrain

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (March 3, 2021) – This weekend, March 6 and 7, the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, heads to Palatka, Florida for the Moose Racing Wild Boar GNCC. On Saturday ATV racing will kick off the weekend, with motorcycle racing taking place on Sunday featuring the world’s fastest off-road racers.

Bneal Motorsports/CST/Houser Racing’s Brycen Neal will be aiming to take the second round of racing's overall win this weekend. Photo: Ken Hill
Bneal Motorsports/CST/Houser Racing’s Brycen Neal will be aiming to take the second round of racing's overall win this weekend. Photo: Ken Hill

At round one it was Bneal Motorsports/CST/Houser Racing’s Brycen Neal taking the overall win, and this weekend Neal will once again be aiming for that top spot on the podium. Neal is looking to keep his championship hopes alive and leave Florida with the red plate.

After coming through in second at the first round was WFR/GBC Tires/Fly Racing/Yamaha’s Walker Fowler. As he came through the finish, Fowler sat just five seconds behind Neal and this Saturday he will be ready to battle for an overall win. Fowler brought home the win one year ago in Florida and is hopeful he can land in the center of the podium.

Hunter Hart Racing/Maxxis/Fly’s Hunter Hart started the season off with a third overall in South Carolina. This weekend, Hart is looking to battle at the front of the pack once again with the possibility of earning the overall win at round two. Chris Borich Racing/GBC/Action Off-Road/Fly Racing/AMSOIL’s Chris Borich finished just outside of the podium at the previous round, but he is hoping to get back to his winning ways this weekend in the Florida sunshine. Pierce Performance/GBC Tires/Fly Racing’s John Glauda Jr. rounded out the top five at round one, however this weekend he will be aiming to battle for an overall win.

DIRTNASTY/GBC Tires/FocusX’s Wyatt Wilkin will be looking to earn the XC2 class win on Saturday afternoon. Photo: Ken Hill
DIRTNASTY/GBC Tires/FocusX’s Wyatt Wilkin will be looking to earn the XC2 class win on Saturday afternoon. Photo: Ken Hill

In the XC2 Pro-Am class it was DIRTNASTY/GBC Tires/FocusX’s Wyatt Wilkin earning the win at Big Buck, and on Saturday afternoon Wilkin will be looking to continue his quest for the XC2 championship with another class win. However, BNR Motorsports/Yamaha’s Ben Kowalewski came through second, and will be looking to take away that number one spot from Wilkin. Coming through third was PEP Performance Tuning/Walsh Race Craft/Fox Shock/Yamaha’s Max Lindquist. Lindquist knows he has what it takes to battle for a championship after he earned the Pro-Am ATV Motocross Championship last year and will put his mx skills to the test in Florida.

Taking the first win of the year in the 4x4 Pro class was Pierce Performance/BNR Motorsports’ Cody Collier. Collier held off 2x Champion, OBOR/Can-Am/DeRisi Racing’s Landon Wolfe, and will be aiming to do the same thing again. Picking up where she left off was newly crowned WXC ATV Champion, Hannah Hurricane Hunter/OBOR Tires/Fly Racing’s Hannah Hunter. As the series heads further south, Hunter will be looking to keep her win streak alive with a victory at Wild Boar.

KLM Milwaukee GasGas’ Grant Baylor is eager to get racing in Florida, and battle for another win in 2021. Photo: Ken Hill
KLM Milwaukee GasGas’ Grant Baylor is eager to get racing in Florida, and battle for another win in 2021. Photo: Ken Hill

On the two-wheel side of things, KLM Milwaukee GasGas’ Grant Baylor earned the round one victory aboard his newly-formed team. This was GasGas’ GNCC overall win, and Baylor’s second overall win. This weekend he will once again be looking to battle up front and keep the red number plate heading to round three.

After finishing second at the opening round, Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Thad Duvall will be sidelined as he was injured while racing last weekend. Per Duvall’s Instagram, he suffered a collapsed lung, broken collarbone and fractured ribs in his back. Rounding out the podium two weeks ago was Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Josh Strang. Coming into this weekend Strang will be looking to battle at the front and get his first win of 2021. Strang finished second in the series last year and earned multiple wins. This year he will be looking to earn the National Championship and with a podium finish at round on, he has a strong start.

Finishing fourth at the first round was Magna1 Motorsports/Husqvarna’s Jordan Ashburn. Aboard his new team, Ashburn is positive he can run at the front of the pack and he has proven to be a threat to the 2021 championship hunt. FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley came through to finish fifth at round one after a horrible start to the day. Kelley worked his way through the pack and will look to get a better start this weekend to battle at the front of the pack for an overall win.

AmPro Yamaha’s Michael Witkowski will be aiming to earn another XC2 250 Pro class win on Sunday, March 7. Photo: Ken Hill
AmPro Yamaha’s Michael Witkowski will be aiming to earn another XC2 250 Pro class win on Sunday, March 7. Photo: Ken Hill

In the XC2 250 Pro class it was AmPro Yamaha’s Michael Witkowski grabbing the first win of the season. Coming into this weekend’s race Witkowski will be battling to earn another class win and keep his hopes alive of earning the XC2 championship.

Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Craig DeLong is currently defending his 2020 XC2 championship, and after finishing second two weeks ago he is looking ahead to battling at the front of the pack and take home the win. Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Lyndon Snodgrass is back in the United States and after earning third at round one, he will be looking to charge to the front and battle for a class win.

In the FMF XC3 class Magna1 Motorsports/Husqvarna’s Jonathan Johnson came through to take the class win at Big Buck. This weekend Johnson will be looking to fend off his competitors and earn another class win. He will have his work cut out for him as the XC3 class will be hosting a handful of riders that are eager to bring home a win.

AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer is looking to take home another WXC class win. Photo: Ken Hill
AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer is looking to take home another WXC class win. Photo: Ken Hill

Earning the first WXC class win was AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer. On this coming Sunday, Archer will aim to bring home another win in the sandy Florida terrain. Archer will have to fend off defending champion, BABS Racing Yamaha/Maxxis/Pro Circuit’s Becca Sheets as she is eager to earn a win in 2021, as well as Factory Beta’s Rachel Gutish, who is also anxious to stand in the center of the podium.

This weekend’s GNCC takes place at Hog Waller at 440 County Rd 310 in Palatka, Florida, 32177. Take Hwy 17 S to Rt. 19 S then to Rt. 310 W.; Then go 3 miles to Hogwaller Mudbog sign (on the right); DO NOT turn at the Rodman Plantation sign. For more information on this weekend's event click HERE.

Four-wheeled ATVs will compete throughout the day on Saturday, March 6. Micro ATV racing begins at 8 a.m., followed by Micro Bikes at 8:45 a.m. and Youth ATV racing at 9:30 a.m., then the amateurs, 4x4 pro and women at 11 a.m., and the pros and top amateurs race at 2 p.m.

On Sunday, March 7, the motorcycles will take to the woods of South Carolina following the same race schedule of youth racing action starting the day off at 8 a.m., women and amateur riders at 10 a.m. and the pros and top amateurs will start at 1 p.m.

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.

VP Racing Fuels Big Buck Results and Points Standings
Union, South Carolina
Round 1 of 13
February 20-21, 2021

XC1 Pro Event Results:

  1. Brycen Neal (YAM)
  2. Walker Fowler (YAM)
  3. Hunter Hart (YAM)
  4. Chris Borich (SUZ)
  5. John Glauda Jr. (YAM)
  6. Cole Richardson (YAM)
  7. Jarrod McClure (HON)
  8. Josh Merritt (YAM)
  9. Westley Wolfe (SUZ)
  10. Austin Abney (HON)

*Overall National Championship Standings:

  1. Brycen Neal (30)
  2. Walker Fowler (25)
  3. Hunter Hart (21)
  4. Chris Borich (18)
  5. John Glauda Jr. (16)
  6. Cole Richardson (15)
  7. Jarrod McClure (14)
  8. Josh Merritt (13)
  9. Westley Wolfe (12)
  10. Austin Abney (11)

XC1 Pro Event Results:

  1. Grant Baylor (GAS)
  2. Thad Duvall (HQV)
  3. Josh Strang (KAW)
  4. Jordan Ashburn (HQV)
  5. Ben Kelley (KTM)
  6. Ricky Russell (GAS)
  7. Layne Michael (YAM)
  8. Josh Toth (KTM)
  9. Cory Buttrick (BET)
  10. Benjamin Herrera (SHR)

*Overall National Championship Standings:

  1. Grant Baylor (30)
  2. Thad Duvall (25)
  3. Josh Strang (21)
  4. Jordan Ashburn (18)
  5. Ben Kelley (16)
  6. Ricky Russell (15)
  7. Michael Witkowski (14)
  8. Layne Michael (13)
  9. Craig DeLong (12)
  10. Lyndon Snodgrass (11)

*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2021 National Champion.

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 opener in South Carolina to the finale, 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 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

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