GNCC Racing

Trail Jesters KTM Racing - The General GNCC Race Report

Thursday, March 17, 2022 | 10:35 AM

Trail Jesters KTM Racing - The General GNCC Race Report

Back to back racing weekends brought the Trail Jester KTM Racing team to Washington, GA for round 3 of the 2022 GNCC season this past weekend. Weather conditions looked windy and wet until Sunday welcomed sunshine, cooler temperatures, and a technical and rutted course.

Simon Johnson in the Georgia clay and ruts. (Photo: Mack Faint)
Simon Johnson in the Georgia clay and ruts. (Photo: Mack Faint) Kayla Bolton

Jesse Ansley and Simon Johnson lined up in the XC2 class this and as the green flag waved their line was off and running. Both racers settled into a mid pack positions as they checked in for their first lap and went on to fight against this challenging track. Ansley spent his 3 hour race in a heated battle with his competition just ahead of and behind him, but when the dust settled he took 7th in class. Johnson also went back and forth throughout the race, taking 12th XC2 as the checkered flag waved.

Korie Steede 3rd WXC at The General GNCC. (Photo: Mack Faint)
Korie Steede 3rd WXC at The General GNCC. (Photo: Mack Faint) Kayla Bolton

Korie Steede: “Always happy to be on the podium but very disappointed with my riding Sunday. My head just wasn’t there this weekend, I fought the track all day…Looking forward to moving on and forward from this race.”

In the WXC class, Korie Steede’s day started rough as a downed rider's bike tangled with hers in the first corner causing her to be second to last as the group headed out and into the woods. Steede made critical passes to get back up to 3rd by the end of lap one and she held this position the remainder of the race finishing her day 3rd in WXC. Also in the WXC class was Taylor Johnston who had a freak mechanical issue during her race that caused an extended pit stop to get the bike rideable again. Once Johnston was back on the track she felt strong and confident but the 10 minutes lost set her back, she was able to make late passes for 9th in class by the end of the 2 hour race.

Lining up in the Youth morning race were Trail Jesters KTM NextGen racers Van Gosselin and Jiggs Fustini. In YXC1, Gosselin got a good jump to start his race and moved into 4th at the end of lap one. He continued to push, gaining ground on his competition until he made the pass into 3rd on the second to last lap. Gosselin held this position for the remainder of the race and finished his day on the podium with 3rd in class. In YXC2, Fustini spent the beginning of the race in battles with the lead pack and settled into 2nd place by the midway point. He managed this position throughout the rest of the race and took home 2nd in YXC2.

Trail Jesters KTM Racing Results – Wild Boar GNCC

7th XC2 - Jesse Ansley
11th XC2 - Simon Johnson
3rd WXC - Korie Steede
9th WXC - Taylor Johnston
3rd YXC1 - Van Gosselin
2nd YXC2 - Jiggs Fustini

Team Sponsors: KTM, FMF Racing, FMF Vision, Moose Racing, Alpinestars, Motorex USA, Dunlop, Hinson Racing, IMS Products, Steve Hatch Racing, Power of the Mind, Edelmann Sales, Engine Ice, Squid Decals, TF Racing Suspension, Bullet Proof Designs, P3 Carbon, Nihilo Concepts, Seat Concepts, SuperB Batteries, Motool, XCGear, Twin Air, Acerbis, TM Designworks, Gear Bicycles, Motion Pro, GET and SpecBolt.