The track featured at the GNCC Can-Am Mammoth was guaranteed to shake things up a little. Trail Boss Jeff Russell and his team carved out an “old school” GNCC course for Round 5 of the series in Park City, Kentucky, which translated into one of the toughest rides we’ve seen so far.
The challenging course put an end to Kaliub Russell’s (KTM) winning streak, while Rory Mead (KTM) rode like a champ to earn his first-ever GNCC Win.
XC1 Pro
New Zealander Rory Mead took the lead with his KTM 300 right off the bat and managed to hold onto it throughout the grueling 3-hour race. Not only was this Mead’s first GNCC win, but it was the first overall win for a two-stroke rider since Nate Kanney’s win at the Ironman in 2008. The true battles of the race were taking place behind Mead. As we’ve seen in the last couple of rounds, Paul Whibley (Yamaha) and Charles Mullins (KTM) went head-to-head in an effort to capture the second place position on the podium. Once again, after a long run of swapping places, Mullins was able to overtake Whibley and capture second. Mullins, who pulled in third, nevertheless still leads the series in points.
Further down the line, a pack consisting of Russell, Thaddeus Duvall (Honda), Nathan Kanney (Honda), Christopher Bach (Beta), and Jordan Ashburn (Yamaha) fought hard to finish in the top-five. The struggle for fourth came down to Russell and Duvall, with Duvall dropping off in the last two miles due to a worn rear tire. Duvall would fall back to 12th place, while Ashburn, Bach, and Kanney took fifth, sixth, and seventh respectively.
New to the GNCC this year is the FMF Power Point section, which features the most difficult portion of the track. This weekend’s rocky hill climb was unquestionably one of the most difficult sections of the entire season and it threw many riders for a loop. In addition to the difficult climb itself, some of the lead riders also had to deal with lappers struggling to make it up the devilish slope.
XC2 Pro Lites
The Pro Lites class saw defending champ, Steward Baylor Jr. take his fifth consecutive win of the season, and fourth overall. However, he wasn’t without some serious competition. Andrew Delong (F.A.R. Husky) and Jesse Robison (Husaberg) gave him a run for his money as the three riders traded the lead position up until late in the race when Baylor claimed it once and for all. This trio of riders also kept close on the heels of the lead XC1 pack and made for an exciting race all around. Nick Davis came in fourth for his best finish of the season and his first as a member of the F.A.R. Husky team.
Round 6 of the GNCC series will take place on May 12th and 13th at the Dunlop Limestone 100 in Springville, IN.
XC1 Pro Results:
- Rory Mead
- Charlie Mullins
- Paul Whibley
- Kailub Russell
- Jordan Ashburn
- Chris Bach
- Nate Kanney
- Cory Buttrick
- Jimmy Jarrett
- Garrett Edmisten
- Takeshi Koikeda
- Thad DuVall
- Steven Squire
XC2 Pro Lites Results:
- Steward Baylor Jr.
- Andrew DeLong
- Jesse Robinson
- Nick Davis
- Jed Haines
- Brad Bakken
- Jason Thomas
- Scott Grills
- AJ Stewart
- Cole Kirkpatrick
- Cody Gragg
- Michael McGinnis
- Larry Silvia
- Dustin Gibson
- Lucas Statom
- Ryan Lojak
