CRAIG DELONG PODIUMS AT CAMP COKER BULLET GNCC
ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING’S
TREVOR BOLLINGER FINISHES SEVENTH IN XC1

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team made its way to Society Hill, South Carolina on Sunday for Round 4 of the 2021 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series. Despite difficult conditions, Craig DeLong battled his way to a fourth-consecutive podium finish in the XC2 250 Pro Class with a solid third-place at the Camp Coker Bullet GNCC.

South Carolina delivered hot and humid conditions for the first time this season, giving an added element to the already treacherous three-hour GNCC battle. And with rainfall coming down halfway through the race, track conditions quickly made a jump from rough and dry to slick and wet forcing riders to go into survival mode. In the XC2 250 Pro Class, DeLong got off to a sixth-place start and he patiently settled into the first hour of racing before charging his way up to fourth on lap three. The reigning champion continued to gain momentum as he overtook third mid-way through the race, setting his sights on catching the lead battle ahead. As the rain began to fall later in the race, DeLong struggled to break down the gap to the leaders and from there he brought it home safe for a solid third-place podium finish.

“It was a tough day,” DeLong said. “The track was physically demanding and then the rain came and it got rutty, muddy and even tougher. I made a good run there in the middle and I got kind of close to the leaders but once the rain came, I kind of struggled with the mud. The bike has been getting better and there’s improvements being made, so that’s a positive. We’ll go back over these next three weeks and try to regroup and come out better.”