Back-to-Back GNCC Podiums for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Trevor Bollinger
Wednesday, April 13, 2022 | 1:40 PM
BACK-TO-BACK GNCC PODIUMS FOR ROCKSTAR ENERGY
HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING’S TREVOR BOLLINGER
CRAIG DELONG EARNS ANOTHER TOP-FIVE FINISH AT ROUND 5
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Trevor Bollinger captured a season-best second overall at Sunday’s Camp Coker GNCC, marking his second-consecutive podium finish of the 2022 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series thus far. Teammate Craig DeLong landed just off the XC1 Open Pro podium with fourth in class and fifth overall in Society Hill, South Carolina.
Besting his top finish of third from the previous round, Bollinger continues to make big strides this season and his endurance really shined through at Round 5. Coming from fifth place off the start, he put his FX 350 into fourth by the second lap and he pushed his way into a podium position just after the mid-point. With two laps remaining, Bollinger upped the pace and made a late-race charge to move into second, where he held strong through the checkers.
“It feels good to be up here again,” Bollinger said. “I knew it was going to be gnarly today but I wasn’t too worried with where I was at, I just kept plugging along. I think this is my first podium ever here and I feel like I earned it today. It feels good to be back where I was when I was fighting Kailub [Russell] and Thad [Duvall] for race wins. Now, I’m calm and collected and I feel like I know how to race again.”
Scoring his fourth top-five finish this year, DeLong had a repeat performance from the last round. Starting the three-hour race just inside the top-five, he pushed hard to secure a podium position by the second lap and he continued to charge his way into second around the halfway point. Coming into the pits in second, DeLong experienced a mishap while refueling that ultimately cost him valuable time in the final hour. Salvaging as much as he could, DeLong was able to finish strong with fourth in class and fifth overall for the day.
“I was in the mix for the first four laps until I pitted for gas,” DeLong said. “I had a bit of an issue when I pulled my gas cap – I lost the vent that was in the gas tank so when they filled me up with gas, all the gas was pouring all over me. It went through the overflow and splashed me in my goggles, so I had to stop and try to put those back on and I got caught by third. I put a big push after I lost all that time but I kind of over-exerted myself and it put me in a hole for the last lap of the race. I’m bummed but at the same time I’m pretty happy and satisfied because I was up front, behind second for about half of the race and I was actually in second for about a lap and a half.”
Husqvarna Motorcycles-mounted rider Tyla Jones secured her second WXC win and her fifth-straight podium finish this season. She put in an impressive performance, scoring third overall in the morning race against former factory racers.
Next Round: Crawfordsville, Indiana – May 8, 2022
Camp Coker GNCC Results
XC1 Open Pro Class
1. Ben Kelley (KTM)
2. Trevor Bollinger – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team
3. Grant Baylor (GAS)
4. Craig DeLong – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team
5. Jordan Ashburn (HQV)
Overall Championship Standings
1. Ben Kelley, 150 points
2. Jordan Ashburn, 97 points
3. Trevor Bollinger – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team, 89 points
4. Craig DeLong – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team, 88 points