PODIUM SCORES FOR FMF KTM FACTORY RACING AFTER IRONMAN TO COMPLETE GNCC SEASON
Monday, October 23, 2023 | 9:50 AM
PODIUM SCORES FOR FMF KTM FACTORY RACING AFTER IRONMAN TO COMPLETE GNCC SEASON
Round 12 - Grand National Cross Country Series
Circling the first lap in eighth position, Girroir put in a steady climb throughout the six-lap duration, making an assortment of passes that positioned him in third by lap four. From there, he would continue to chase down the leaders and would eventually finish the race with a well-earned, third-place podium result.
With that, Girroir concluded a successful XC1 Open Pro Class rookie campaign with eighth overall in the series classification, racing to a single round victory and a further three podiums to signal his debut season in the GNCC premier class riding the KTM 350 XC-F.
Johnny Girroir:“Today was a dogfight all day! We started off a little bit slow, but after the pit stops we really picked up the pace and found our way into about a six-man battle there for a while. Ultimately, it came down to the three of us out front, and that final lap was crazy as we went back and forth a number of times, and I ended up with third place. This was a great way to finish off the season, so now we’ll just keep building and come out stronger for next year!”
Teammate Kelley powered his KTM 350 XC-F to a top-five start in Indiana, before fighting his way into P2 by the second lap. A struggle to keep the leader's pace following the pit stop saw the 2021 champion drop to sixth position, which is where he would finish the round at Ironman.
Kelley proved to be a formidable championship contender throughout the entirety of the 2023 GNCC season, holding the points lead on multiple occasions, and collecting two round victories over the course of the series, along with an additional three podium finishes. As a result, he was ranked third overall in the standings.
Ben Kelley: “Today was a big step in the right direction. This was the most comfortable I have felt on my bike all season long, and it showed, as I had the speed to make it from the mid-field and to the front by the second lap. After the pit stop, I struggled to hold the pace necessary, and dropped back over the last couple of laps. I fought until the end, finished with sixth place on the day, and third overall in the standings. The track here was super-fast, lots of big holes, and the lead pack was in a freight train today! I’m happy to head into the break now and come back stronger next year.”
KTM-supported Steward Baylor added a second-place finish to his 2023 campaign at Ironman, finishing the season runner-up in the overall championship. Additionally, the next generation of KTM racers, Ryan Amancio and Canyon Richards, finished with a 1-2 result in the YXC1 Super Mini Sr. Class points.
XC1 Open Pro Results – Ironman GNCC
1. Josh Strang, KAW, 2:41:00.439
2. Steward Baylor Jr, KTM, +1.143
3. Johnny Girroir, KTM, +1.895
OTHER KTM
6. Ben Kelley, KTM
Overall Championship Standings
1. Craig DeLong, 246 points
2. Steward Baylor Jr, 235
3. Ben Kelley, 215
OTHER KTM
8. Johnny Girroir, 145