by: Kayla Bolton
Monday, April 11, 2022 | 8:25 AM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FMF Camp Coker Bullet: Motorcycle Race Report
Ben Kelley Earns Fifth-Straight Win of 2022 Season
SOCIETY HILL, S.C. (April 11, 2022) – The FMF Camp Coker Bullet, round five of the 2022 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, concluded on Sunday, April 10, 2022. The series ended its southern travel for the season in Society Hill, South Carolina at Moree’s Sportsman’s Preserve with a weekend full of battles and near-perfect racing conditions.
Having a nearly flawless race was FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Benjamin Kelley as he came through leading the opening lap of the race and continued to hold that lead throughout the duration of the three-hour long race. Kelley would earn his fifth-straight win of the season at the FMF Camp Coker Bullet and continue to hold the points lead in the National Championship points standings.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Trevor Bollinger steadily worked his way up through the pack during the race as he came through timing and scoring fifth on lap one of the race. Bollinger would continue to move up as he came through fourth and then up to third by the halfway point. Bollinger was not stopping there as he kept pushing himself. As he came around to receive the white flag, Bollinger would find himself in second with one more lap to go. Bollinger would hold onto second overall for the day, moving him into third in the points standings.
Coming through to earn third overall and his first podium of the season was Rev Motorsports/GASGAS Racing’s Grant Baylor. As the race got underway Baylor would find himself back in sixth for the first couple of laps, but he would steadily begin to work his way up from there. As the white flag flew Baylor found himself in fourth but began to push and made the move into third overall on the last lap of the race.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig DeLong had an up-and-down day throughout the race as he got up to second place at the halfway point. An issue during his pit stop would halt DeLong for longer than he hoped for, and he would begin to push. However, he would fall back to fourth after pushing himself a little too hard as the checkered flag flew.
As the race got underway Magna1 Motorsports/Husqvarna’s Jordan Ashburn found himself running towards the front of the pack for the first half of the race. As he came through on lap four though he would find himself in the fifth place position with a torn jersey. Ashburn would continue to ride in fifth for the remainder of the race.
After earning the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing’s Ricky Russell would come through second on the opening lap after returning to competition from a shoulder injury. Russell would continue to push but would find himself back in sixth place at the halfway point. He remained there until the checkered flag flew.
FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Joshua Toth suffered a get-off on the opening lap, which would cost him some time as he had to make a stop to get his bike straightened out. Toth would continue on, riding out the day in seventh in XC1 and 19th overall. AmPro Yamaha’s Todd Kellett came through to finish eighth in XC1 for his last race of the season in the GNCC Series.
As the XC2 250 Pro class took off it was RPM/KTM Racing’s Angus Riordan jumping off the line to earn the $250 STACYC XC2 Holeshot Award and leading the opening lap of the afternoon race. As the race continued on it was AmPro Yamaha’s Michael Witkowski moving into the lead and holding onto that lead for the next three laps of racing. He would begin to feel the pressure from Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing’s Ryder Lafferty as he came through just 1.3 seconds behind him on lap four.
Lafferty would make the pass and move into the lead on lap five, with Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Lyndon Snodgrass moving into second on the same lap. Snodgrass had made his way up from an eighth place start to the day, but he would be unable to catch Lafferty as he came through to earn his first-ever XC2 250 Pro class win, and fourth overall on the day. Snodgrass would come through in second and Witkowski would come through in third to finish out the day.
In the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class it was Moose Racing/Hammer Nutrition/Kenda Tires’ Eli Childers grabbing the Lojak Cycle Sales XC3 Holeshot Award to start the day. It wouldn’t take long for a battle to ensue for the lead as Enduro Engineering/Coppersmith Racing/Husqvarna’s Jake Froman came through timing and scoring in first on the opening lap with Magna1 Motorsports/Husqvarna’s Brody Johnson coming through six seconds behind him. Johnson would be able to make the pass on lap two and would continue to push and place a gap between himself and the rest of the XC3 competitors.
Carolina XC/Moose Racing/XC Gear’s Zack Hayes would move into second on lap two as he continue to push forward to battle for the win. Johnson would come through to earn his third win of the season, with Hayes coming through for another second place finish. Hayes continues to lead the points standings in the FMF XC3 class. Coming through in third for the day was Motorcycle Enthusiast Inc/Moose Racing/MX Tech’s Hunter Neuwirth after working his way back through the pack from a sixth place start to the day.
Earning the Top Amateur Honors was Team Green Kawasaki’s Grant Davis as he came through for a 21st overall finishing position and first in the 250 A class. Earning second in the 250 A class, and 24th overall on the day was Driven MX training/Coppersmith Racing/XC Gear’s Trevor Maley as he made his way into second on the Top Amateur podium at round five. Rounding out the top three Top Amateurs of the day was Precision Off-Road Racing/Husqvarna’s Tyler Palmer as he came through to earn third in 250 A and 25th overall.
In the morning race, it was on between the WXC racers, eight-time GNCC National Champion Kailub Russell and two-time AMA Motocross Champion Zach Osborne to see who would take the overall win. As row one took off it was Trail Jesters KTM Racing’s Korie Steede jumping out to grab the $100 Trail Jesters WXC Holeshot Award and the early lead. As row two took off it would be Russell and Osborne into the first turn together. The two would catch the WXC and check in with Steede right behind them.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna/Surge Off-Road Coaching Team’s Tayla Jones would be close behind them ready to strike. However, it would be Steede leading the pack on lap two as they came through with Russell and Osborne right behind her and Jones closing in on all three of them. The boys would take back over the lead and Jones would be able to make the pass on Steede for the WXC class lead. Jones would put her head down and push and make her way into the physical lead as the white flag came out.
Russell and Osborne would turn it up once again on the last lap and make their way into first and second overall. Jones would hold onto the WXC lead, earning her second win of the season and taking over the WXC points lead by five. Steede would come through to earn second in the WXC class and fourth overall. AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer would have a consistent day back in third place position in WXC, as she made some bike adjustments that just didn’t seem to jive with her during the race.
In the 8 a.m. youth race it was once again Team Green Kawasaki’s Nicholas DeFeo earning his fifth consecutive overall and YXC1 Super Mini Sr. class win of the season. DeFeo would move into the lead early in the race, but would battle with fellow YXC1 competitor, Peyton Feather at the halfway point. DeFeo would once again regain the lead on the next lap and begin to build a gap between the two until he saw the checkered flag flying. YXC2 Super Mini Jr. competitor, Ryan Amancio would come through to earn second overall and his class win at round five, followed by Peyton Feather in third overall and second in YXC1.
Rivers Morris rounded out the YXC1 class podium with a third, and sixth place overall finish. Rounding out the YXC2 podium were Jacob McPherson and Jiggs Fustini who came through in second and third. Canyon Richards would come through to earn the 85cc (12-13) class win, followed by Brayden Baisley taking the 85 Big Wheel (12-15) class win. Colton McQuarrie brought home the 85cc (7-11) win, as Travis Lentz earned the 65cc (10-11) class win. Hunter Jones was the winner of the 65cc (7-8) class, and Carter Gray came through first in the 65cc (9) class. In the Girls Sr. (12-15) class it was Addison Harris coming through to take the win, and Paisley Harris would earn her third-straight win in the Girls Jr. (8-11) class.
On Saturday morning in the Bike Micro race, it was Hunter Jones coming through to earn the overall win from the second row of the MXC2 class. This is Jones second class win, and first overall win of the season. Karson George came through second overall, first in the MXC1 class, while Trason Landrum earned third overall and second in the MXC2 class. Maverick Boyer and Brody Haugh rounded out the top three in the MXC1 class as Gage Lane earned third in the MXC2 class. Davey Fairfield earned the 50 Sr. 1 (7) class win, with Tripp Lewis earning the 50 Jr. 1 (6-7) class win. Wesley Cunningham came through to earn the 50 Sr. 2 (6) class win, while Ryder Baricska brought home the 50 Jr. 2 (4-5) class win. In the Micro (4-6) Shaft Drive class it was Sebastian Le Blanc earning the win, while Garrett Cox and Krew Burns rounded out the top three. Garrett Cox would also be awarded the class holeshot medal courtesy of Yamaha.
The AMSOIL Moto Hero was given out to Eli Boland, the father of youth motorcycle racer Brody Boland. Eli is from Wellston, Ohio and is a Petty Officer Third class in the United States Navy. Eli was deployed on September 11, 2001 on a naval ship to Afghanistan and was there until April 7, 2002. He has since served in many more tours to the Middle East. Eli is a moto dad Brody who currently races in the 85cc (7-11) class. He will receive a $250 AMOSIL Shopping Spree, set of Kanati Truck Tires courtesy of GBC, 100% camouflage goggles and a commemorative American Flag from Columbia Sign & Co. along with a $200 Gift Certificate from them.
The GNCC Racing Series will return to competition on May 7-8 with round 6, the Hoosier at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
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.
- Facebook: @gnccracing
- Instagram: @gncc_racing
- Twitter: @gnccracing
- YouTube: @racertv
FMF Camp Coker Bullet Results and Points Standings
Society Hill, South Carolina
Round 5 of 13
Sunday, April 10, 2022
XC1 Pro Event Results:
- Benjamin Kelley (KTM)
- Trevor Bollinger (HQV)
- Grant Baylor (GAS)
- Craig DeLong (HQV)
- Jordan Ashburn (HQV)
- Ricky Russell (GAS)
- Joshua Toth (KTM)
- Todd Kellett (YAM)
*Overall National Championship Standings:
- Benjamin Kelley (150)
- Jordan Ashburn (97)
- Trevor Bollinger (89)
- Craig DeLong (86)
- Lyndon Snodgrass (69)
- Michael Witkowski (60)
- Josh Toth (56)
- Grant Baylor (53)
- Ruy Barbosa (49)
- Grant Baylor (38)
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2022 National Champion.
XC2 250 Pro Event Results:
- Ryder Lafferty (GAS)
- Lyndon Snodgrass (KAW)
- Michael Witkowski (YAM)
- Benjamin Nelko (HON)
- Thorn Devlin (HQV)
- Jonathan Johnson (BET)
- Evan Smith (BET)
- Ruy Barbosa (HON)
- Cody Barnes (HON)
- Benjamin Herrera (KAW)
XC2 250 Pro Series Standings:
- Lyndon Snodgrass (121)
- Michael Witkowski (118)
- Ruy Barbosa (87)
- Ryder Lafferty (84)
- Jack Edmondson (68)
- Benjamin Herrera (68)
- Angus Riordan (67)
- Cody Barnes (63)
- Benjamin Nelko (58)
- Thorn Devlin (57)
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 at Ironman Raceway in Indiana, 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.
Media Contact:
Kayla Bolton
(304) 284-0084
[email protected]