Toth Takes Fifth in XC1 at Penultimate Round of 2022 GNCC Season
Tuesday, October 11, 2022 | 3:40 PM
TOTH TAKES FIFTH IN XC1 AT PENULTIMATE ROUND OF 2022 GNCC SEASON
NEWBURG, W. Va. – The penultimate round of the 2022 AMA Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series made its stop in Newburg, West Virginia on Sunday for the Buckwheat 100 GNCC, where FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Josh Toth scored a fifth-place finish in the XC1 Open Pro class.
The Connecticut-native had a roller-coaster of a day at Round 12 but he powered through some late-race challenges to reclaim the lost ground and land inside the top-five. With a third-place start aboard his KTM 350 XC-F, Toth immediately went to battle for the lead spot early on. With lap times especially close between the top eight riders, Toth found himself dicing back-and-forth between fifth and sixth for most of the race. With two laps to go, the FMF KTM Factory racer was able to propel himself into third heading into the hillclimb section. Unfortunately, Toth broke his shift lever while climbing the hill and he was stuck in second gear until he could make his way back to pit row. The team was able to quickly replace the lever and get him back on the course but his competitors had managed to pull away just enough to make it a challenge to climb back into podium contention with little time remaining. After a hard-fought effort, Toth ultimately crossed the line fifth in XC1 Open Pro and eighth overall on the day.
Josh Toth:“I got off to a good start – third place – and was fighting for the lead right off the bat. It was probably six of us going back and forth for three or four laps. I was just kind of maintaining and pacing myself for the end of the race. The two-lap board came out, and I passed into third place. I hit a pretty tricky hillclimb. At the top, I came down in a rut, hit something and just snapped my shifter right off. So, I was kind of stuck in second gear for, I don't know, a few miles until I was able to get back to the pit. We had a super quick swap, but the track was so fast so there was nothing really to separate us at the end.”
The reigning XC1 Open Pro Champion Ben Kelley continues to be sidelined from competition due to a mid-season injury, but remains third in points thanks to his incredible start to the season.
Trail Jesters KTM Racing’s Korie Steede took fourth overall in the morning race and captured her 11th WXC class podium finish this season with a third-place result. She holds third in the WXC Championship, just 18 points behind the leader, with one round to go.
Next Race: Ironman GNCC – Crawfordsville, Indiana – October 23, 2022
XC1 Open Pro Results – Buckwheat 100 GNCC
1. Steward Baylor Jr., YAM, 02:42:55.299
2. Jordan Ashburn, HQV, +25.920
3. Craig DeLong, HQV, +02.191
OTHER KTM
5. Josh Toth, KTM
Overall Championship Standings
1. Jordan Ashburn, 267 points
2. Craig DeLong, 202
3. Ben Kelley, 180
OTHER KTM
7. Josh Toth, 135