Defending AMSOIL GNCC Champion Kailub Russell makes it back-to-back wins and takes over the points lead at the Steele Creek GNCC.
Factory FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell scored his second consecutive AMSOIL GNCC Series Presented By Maxxis overall win of the season during round three of the series at the Steele Creek Campground in Morganton, North Carolina, today.
Russell, the reigning AMSOIL GNCC number one plate holder completed six laps of the course, set in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains, with a time of 2 hours, 31 minutes, 56.45 seconds. Russell not only took the overall win, he pulled to within three points of teammate Charlie Mullins, who won the season opener in Florida three weeks ago and finished second overall today.
Russell and Mullins both got off to decent starts in the race, but their KTM teammate, Steward Baylor, pulled the holeshot and led the field through turn one. However, it didn’t take long for Russell to ratchet up his speed, and he passed Baylor for the lead and began to check out on the rest of the pack. Russell rode a mistake-free race to take the win with a comfortable two-minute lead when the checkered flag fell.
Mullins worked his way through the pack and moved to second place by lap two. Despite heavy pressure from third-placed Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/AmPro Yamaha’s Josh Strang, Mullins was able to hold his ground and keep the runner-up position, thus minimizing the amount of points lost to Russell in the chase for the National Championship.
Strang also rode a solid race, landing his Yamaha on the podium, ahead of RideMPS.com/AMSOIL/Honda’s Thad Duvall. Baylor’s chances for a podium were derailed by along pit stop, which dropped him to sixth place. He spent the rest of the race catching back up to the lead group, and he was able to land fifth overall at the finish.
After three rounds, Mullins leads Russell by three points, 70-67, in the championship chase.
Honda rider Tevor Bollinger finished eighth overall and earned the XC2 Pro Lites win at Steele Creek, and KTM-backed Kacy Martinez captured her third win in a row in the WXC class where she remains undefeated.
New Zealand off-road racing star and XC2 Pro Lites competitor Rory Mead sustained serious injuries at the Steele Creek GNCC. The single-rider accident occurred on the final lap of the race. Steele was airlifted to a local hospital.
The AMSOIL GNCC Series Presented By Maxxis resumes with round four in Union, South Carolina, April 12-13.
AMSOIL GNCC
Steele Creek Campground
Morganton, South Carolina
Results: March 30, 2014 (Round 3 of 13)
Overall Results
1. Kailub Russell-KTM*
2. Charlie Mullins-KTM
3. Josh Strang-Yam
4. Thad Duvall-Hon
5. Steward Baylor-KTM
6. Jordan Ashburn-Yam
7. Andrew DeLong-Hus
8. Trevor Bollinger-Hon**
9. Chris Bach-Hon
10. Ricky Russell-Yam
* XC1 Pro Winner
** XC2 Pro Lites Winner
AMSOIL GNCC Presented by Maxxis Overall National Championship Standings (After 3 of 13 rounds)
1. Charlie Mullins-70/1 wins
2. Kailub Russell-67/2 wins
3. Josh Strang-58
4. Jordan Ashburn-50
5. Steward Baylor-44
6. Paul Whibley-43
7. Grant Baylor-38
8. Thad Duvall-36
9. Trevor Bollinger-34
10. Ricky Russell-33
XC2
1. Trevor Bollinger-Hon
2. Ricky Russell-Yam
3. Grant Baylor-KTM
4. Layne Michael-Hon
5. Chris Douglas-KTM
6. Shane Hufford Jr.-KTM
7. Callan May-Yam
8. Ryan Lojak-Yam
9. Jesse Groemm-KTM
10. Sam Evans-KTM
XC2 Series Standings
1. Trevor Bollinger-69/1 win
2. Ricky Russell-68
3. Grant Baylor-66/1 win
4. Rory Mead-56/1 win
5. Shane Hufford Jr.-52
6. Callan May-41
7. Layne Michael-33
8. Chris Douglas-32
9. Sam Evans-31
10. Ryan Lojak-28
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