GNCC Racing

Parts Unlimited Mason-Dixon: Motorcycle Race Report

Parts Unlimited Mason-Dixon: Motorcycle Race Report

Monday, June 5, 2023 | 7:20 AM
by:
Monday, June 5, 2023 | 7:20 AM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Parts Unlimited Mason-Dixon: Motorcycle Race Report
Craig Delong Earns Second Win of 2023

MT. MORRIS, Pa. (June 5, 2023) – The Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, (GNCC Racing) continued on with the Parts Unlimited Mason-Dixon GNCC, round 8 of the 2023 season. The event saw its first repeat winner of the season as Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig Delong came through to take the overall win. 

Delong would get out front early on in the race, setting the pace and trying to put a gap on the rest of the field. Delong would have company halfway through the race as GASGAS/FXR/Scott Goggle’s Layne Michael was behind him in second. Michael would push Delong and eventually make the pass for the lead while out on the third lap of the race. Delong would make the pass back around Michael and continue to lead until the checkered flag was waving. Delong crossed the line first, making him the first repeat winner of the 2023 season. Michael would hold on for second overall on the day. 

Craig Delong earned his second overall win of the season in his home state of Pennsylvania.
Craig Delong earned his second overall win of the season in his home state of Pennsylvania. Ken Hill

AmPro Yamaha’s Ricky Russell would have a mid-pack start to the day as he came through sixth on the first couple of laps. Russell would continue to push towards the front, eventually making his way to third overall as the checkered flag flew. 

Magna 1 Motorsports/Husqvarna’s Jordan Ashburn would find himself inside the top three early on in the race, but he would be unable to hold off Russell as he came through to take that third spot away. Ashburn would continue to push, finishing fourth overall at the eighth round of racing. 

Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Grant Baylor steadily made his way into fifth overall by the end of the race. Baylor would push through the first part of the race, as he made his way up from a seventh place starting position. FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley was able to make a last lap charge to earn sixth overall on the day after a rough race with dry and dusty conditions. 

FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Jonathan Girroir also had a rough day as he came through seventh in the XC1 Open Pro class. Rocky Mountain/Tely Energy/KTM Racing’s Steward Baylor would finish behind Girroir in eighth, ninth overall. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Trevor Bollinger made his return to racing after some lingering injuries earlier this season. Bollinger would finish ninth in XC1 and 11th overall. Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Josh Strang rounded out the top 10 finishers in the XC1 Open Pro class, but he would come through 14th overall on the day. 

Liam Draper earned his first XC2 250 Pro class win of the season.
Liam Draper earned his first XC2 250 Pro class win of the season. Ken Hill

AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper battled throughout the race, coming through to earn his first XC2 250 Pro class win of the season. Draper would start his day third on the opening lap with FMF RPM KTM Racing’s Angus Riordan leading the way.  Draper would soon make the pass on Riordan and continue to push at the front of the pack. With two laps remaining, Draper continued to hold the lead, and would take the checkered flag first. Riordan would hold on for second in the XC2 class, while Phoenix Racing Honda’s Ruy Barbosa had worked his way up to third in the class after a ninth place start to his day. 

In the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am Class it was Beaver Creek Cycles/Bells Electric/Wossner Piston’s Toby Cleveland earning his fifth win of the season and continuing to further his points lead in the Championship Standings. Hall’s Cycles/Enduro Engineering/Moose Racing’s Jhak Walker would hold second for the duration of the race as he came through 16 seconds behind Cleveland. Liqui Moly Beta Factory Racing’s Jason Lipscomb rounded out the top three in the FMF XC3 class. 

Top Amateur honors went to Cooper Jones who finished 21st overall and first in the 250 A class. Joseph Cunningham and Lane Whitmer would round out the top three Top Amateurs in the race as they came through 23rd and 24th overall on the day.

Korie Steede (center), Rachael Archer (left) and Rachel Gutish (right) rounded out the top three WXC finishers at round eight.
Korie Steede (center), Rachael Archer (left) and Rachel Gutish (right) rounded out the top three WXC finishers at round eight. Ken Hill

Trail Jesters KTM Racing’s Korie Steede would take home her third WXC class win of the season after a heated battle with AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer throughout the first couple of laps. Archer would hold the early lead, but Steede would continue to push her way into the lead as the two lap board came out. Steede would hold her lines and come through to the checkered flag with a five second lead over Archer, who finished second on the day. GASGAS/Over and Out/RG Factory Racing’s Rachel Gutish came through to round out the top three WXC finishers on the day. 

In the youth bike race, it was Ryan Amancio coming away with the overall win and YXC1 Super Mini Sr. (14-15) class win on Sunday morning. Canyon Richards would battle throughout the race, coming through to earn second overall on the day, while Brody Amos came through third overall and in the YXC1 class.

Caleb Wood would come through fourth overall in the race as he took the YXC2 Super Mini Jr. (12-13) class win. Brayden Baisley and Michael Meyer would come through second and third in the class, rounding out the top three YXC2 finishers. Addison Harris battled back to take the Girls Super Mini (12-16) class win in Pennsylvania.

Ryan Amancio earned the Youth Overall win on Sunday morning.
Ryan Amancio earned the Youth Overall win on Sunday morning. Ken Hill

Catch GNCC Pro ATV and Motorcycle Racing free via RacerTV.com all season long. Pro ATV Racing starts Saturday’s at 2pm ET, with the exception of Big Buck, Snowshoe and Ironman events where they will start at 1pm ET. GNCC Pro Motorcycle Racing will begin at 1pm ET on Sunday’s. Later in the year GNCC Racing will premiere on MAVTV with event highlight episodes.

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.

Craig Delong (center), Layne Michael (left) and Ricky Russell (right) rounded out the top three Parts Unlimited Mason-Dixon finishers.
Craig Delong (center), Layne Michael (left) and Ricky Russell (right) rounded out the top three Parts Unlimited Mason-Dixon finishers. Ken Hill

Parts Unlimited Mason-Dixon Results and Points Standings
Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania
Round 8 of 12
Sunday, June 5, 2023

XC1 Pro Event Results:

  1. Craig Delong (HQV)
  2. Layne Michael (GAS)
  3. Ricky Russell (YAM)
  4. Jordan Ashburn (HQV)
  5. Grant Baylor (KAW)
  6. Ben Kelley (KTM)
  7. Jonathan Girroir (KTM)
  8. Steward Baylor (KTM)
  9. Trevor Bollinger (HQV)
  10. Josh Strang (KAW)

*Overall National Championship Standings:

  1. Craig Delong (168)
  2. Steward Baylor (160)
  3. Ben Kelley (144)
  4. Jordan Ashburn (128)
  5. Grant Baylor (114)
  6. Ricky Russell (113)
  7. Josh Strang (104)
  8. Jonathan Girroir (103)
  9. Ruy Barbosa (90)
  10. Cody Barnes (85)

*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2023 National Champion.

XC2 250 Pro Event Results:

  1. Liam Draper (YAM)
  2. Angus Riordan (KTM)
  3. Ruy Barbosa (HON)
  4. Ryder Lafferty (GAS)
  5. Mason Semmens (KTM)
  6. Evan Smith (BET)
  7. Cody Barnes (HON)
  8. Grant Davis (KAW)
  9. Michael Witkowski (HON)
  10. Jonathan Johnson (BET)

XC2 250 Pro Series Standings:

  1. Ruy Barbosa (166)
  2. Liam Draper (164)
  3. Cody Barnes (160)
  4. Angus Riordan (156)
  5. Ryder Lafferty (145)
  6. Michael Witkowski (124)
  7. Mason Semmens (124)
  8. Evan Smith (110)
  9. Jonathan Johnson (96)
  10. Jesse Ansley (83)

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 12 rounds, from the season opener in South Carolina to the finale, 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, an AMA National Championship, is the world premier cross country racing series. Founded in 1975, the 12-round motorcycle and ATV championship and 9-round eMTB 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 2,800 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]