Kailub Russell lands his eighth win of the season at the Car-Mate Mountain Ridge GNCC to earn back-to-back National titles.
Factory FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell became the seventh rider in AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country history to earn back-to-back National Championship titles when he claimed his fifth consecutive win of the year at the Car-Mate Mountain Ridge GNCC in Somerset, Pennsylvania, Sunday.
N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Paul Whibley earned the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award and took the early lead, followed closely by Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Josh Strang. N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Jordan Ashburn was the man on the move, however, and after recovering from a tip-over right off the start, he took over the XC1 Pro lead early on the first lap.
Meanwhile, Russell was running in fifth place, but he quickly upped his pace and passed the traffic in front of him to engage Ashburn in a battle for the lead on lap two. Less than 15 seconds separated Ashburn, Russell and Strang as they pitted for fuel on lap three, and that running order remained the same when they came out of the pits. Strang’s race went south immediately thereafter, as his crotch had been splashed with racing gasoline during the refueling process, and he quickly began to suffer the effects of “burning man.” Strang attempted to continue racing, but the pain forced him to return to his pit and take care of the irritated appendage, which put him out of the race.
Strang’s bad luck benefitted Factory Husqvarna rider and recently crowned AMA National Enduro Champion Andrew DeLong, who had come from eighth to fourth already. Strang’s strange exit put DeLong third, ahead of Rockstar Energy Racing/WMR KTM’s Ryan Sipes and Whibley.
However, XC2 Pro Lites race leader Grant Baylor was having another stellar day, and he had, moved all the way up to second place overall on adjusted time.
The battle for the physical lead remained close, as Ashburn continued to fend off Russell while the two-lap card was displayed. Russell finally made a pass for the lead, and he pulled away to score the XC1 and overall win with a 1-minute margin of victory. Ashburn crossed the line second but found himself bumped one position lower in the overall standings, to third overall, thanks to Baylor’s blazing XC2-winning run.
Russell’s win who clinched the 2014 National Championship two rounds early, and he joins Ed Lojak, Scott Summers, Scott Plessinger, Rodney Smith, Juha Salminen and David Knight as a back-to-back AMSOIL GNCC Champion (Lojak and Summers have gone back-to-back multiple times). Russell now has 21 career AMSOIL GNCC overall wins, tying him with Plessinger for fifth place on the all-time GNCC motorcycle winner’s list.
“It feels great to get the championship wrapped up early,” Russell said. “My team worked so hard to help me accomplish this goal, and I am so grateful for their hard work. I hope to continue my win streak at the next two rounds to finish the season off with a couple more victories.”
Russell captured an extra $150 courtesy of the KR4 Performance Fastest Lap Award, where he laid down the fastest lap on the final lap with a time of 25:49.
Ashburn’s performance moved him past Strang to second in the GNCC National Championship standings. Strang now sits one point back in third. DeLong finished third in the XC1 Pro class and fourth overall for the day, with Sipes fourth in XC1 and fifth overall. Whibley completed the top five in XC1 and was sixth overall for the day, followed by Jason Thomas, Chris Douglas, Takeshi Koikeda and Thad DuVall.
Baylor’s XC2 win was his fourth straight, and it extended his lead in XC2 Pro Lites points standings. His class rival, Trevor Bollinger, kept pace with Baylor early in the race and earned another runner-up finish ahead of Nick Davis. Davis also earned an extra $100 for claiming the DigitalOffroad.com XC2 Holeshot.
The WXC front-runners dominated the 10 a.m. race, with the women securing the top three overall positions. KR4 Arrive-N-Ride’s newest team member, Sarah Baldwin, captured her first victory of the season, followed by Factory FMF/KTM’s Kacy Martinez and KR4 Arrive-N-Ride’s Brooke Cosner.
South Carolina’s Cole Mattison made it eight-in-a-row on Sunday with yet another Youth overall victory, as well as the Super Mini (14-15) class win. Mattison was joined atop the podium by Florida native Jesse Ansley, who also grabbed another win in the 85cc (12-13) class, and North Carolina’s Conner Smith, who finished second in the Super Mini class and third overall for the day.
The next stop on the 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series schedule will be in St. Clairsville, Ohio, October 4-5, for the ITP Powerline Park GNCC. For more information, visit www.gnccracing.com.
AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series
Car-Mate Mountain Ridge GNCC
Somerset, Pennsylvania
Results: September 21, 2014 (Round 11 of 13)
XC1 Pro
1. Kailub Russell-KTM
2. Jordan Ashburn-Yam
3. Andrew DeLong-Hus
4. Ryan Sipes-KTM
5. Paul Whibley-Yam
6. Jason Thomas-KTM
7. Chris Douglas-KTM
8. Takeshi Koikeda-Hon
9. Thad DuVall-Hon
10. Chris Bach-Hon
AMSOIL GNCC National Championship Standings (After 11 of 13 rounds)*
1. Kailub Russell-293/8 wins
2. Jordan Ashburn-187
3. Josh Strang-186
4. Charlie Mullins-180/3 wins
5. Grant Baylor-177
6. Paul Whibley-152
7. Andrew DeLong-152
8. Ricky Russell-117
9. Chris Bach-108
10. Trevor Bollinger-106
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2014 National Champion.
XC2
1. Grant Baylor-KTM
2. Trevor Bollinger-Hon
3. Nick Davis-KTM
4. Michael McGinnis-KTM
5. Sam Evans-KTM
6. Mark Heresco-KTM
7. Zach Love-KTM
8. Callan May-Yam
9. Derrik Allen-Yam
10. Mat Herrington-KTM
XC2 Class Points Standings (After 11 of 13 rounds)
1. Grant Baylor-292
2. Trevor Bollinger-235
3. Ricky Russell-233
4. Callan May-128
5. Layne Michael-127
6. Sam Evans-120
7. Jesse Groemm-119
8. Shane Hufford Jr.-114
9. Nick Davis-111
10. Chris Douglas-99
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