Buttrick Earns 4th At GNCC Round 2
FMF/KTM Team rider Cory Buttrick
earned 4th overall after a close 3-hour long battle for a top three
spot at second round of the GNCC Series dubbed 'The General' in
Aonia Pass, GA.
The conditions were perfect for racing at the second round of the
season. The track was the perfect moisture in almost every section
which left the course dust free. The worst portions of the track
were a few mud holes along the trails.
WMR/KTM support rider Nathan Kanney grabbed the holeshot followed
closely by FMF/KTM riders Charlie Mullins and Cory Buttrick.
FMF/KTM rider Russell Bobbitt had the early jump and looked like he
would secure the holeshot before crashing in the first turn and
handing the award to Kanney. Bobbitt eventually recovered and spent
the remainder of the race playing catch up. He worked his way into
the top ten by the end of the race where he battled with long-time
rival Mike Lafferty for 9th position. Bobbitt won the position and
finished 9th overall for the day.
Out front, Kanney, Buttrick and Mullins battled with Paul Whibley,
Thad Duvall and Josh Strang for the lead position. The top six
riders stuck close together throughout the majority of the race
swapping positions each lap. Kanney led for two of the seven laps
before dropping to 5th at the end of the race. Buttrick had fallen
to 6th place during the middle of the race after his pit before
turning up the heat and picking off two riders before the end of
the race to secure 4th overall topping his first round finish.
Mullins came around the first lap in 3rd place before suffering a
terrible crash on the second lap. "I hit the ground hard when I
crashed and it shook me up a bit. It took me a while to get going
and regroup," stated Mullins. At the end of seven laps, Mullins was
able to move up to 6th where he finished for the day.
The final member of the FMF/KTM Team Kailub Russell had another
spill of bad luck at this round. It started the night before the
race when Russell came down with food poisoning which left him
dehydrated the next day. Russell put his best effort in to try and
salvage as many points as he could despite his condition. He ended
up racing five of the seven laps before he retired from the race.
"It was unfortunate that Kailub was sick. He was feeling pretty ill
at the end of the race and we decided it was better to be safe and
pull him off before the end of the race. We know he can be a podium
contender and are looking forward to seeing him get a solid ride in
at the next round," commented FMF/KTM Team Manager Antti
Kallonen.
The XC2 class went very well for the KTM brand for the second
weekend in a row. The class was won by KTM support rider Jesse
Robinson. He was followed by KTM rider Steward Baylor who remains
in the points lead. Baylor's younger brother, Grant Baylor, who is
also a KTM rider, was awarded the top amateur award for the weekend
after winning the 250 A class.
RPM/KTM rider and reigning Women's GNCC Champion, Maria Forsberg,
put together an impressive ride to take the win in the Women's
class and take over the points lead.
Next Event: March 26-27 - Morganton, NC - Round 3
Overall Results -
1) Paul Whibley
2) Josh Strang
3) Thad Duvall
4) Cory Buttrick - KTM
5) Nate Kanney - KTM
6) Charlie Mullins - KTM
7) Jesse Robinson - KTM
8) Garrett Edminsten
9) Steward Baylor - KTM
10) Jason Thomas
Overall XC1 Results -
1) Paul Whibley
2) Josh Strang
3) Thad Duvall
4) Cory Buttrick - KTM
5) Nate Kanney - KTM
6) Charlie Mullins - KTM
7) Garrett Edminsten
8) Jimmy Jarrett
9) Russell Bobbitt - KTM
10) Mike Lafferty
Overall XC2 Results -
1) Jesse Robinson - KTM
2) Steward Baylor - KTM
3) Jason Thomas
4) Brad Bakken - KTM
5) Jordan Ashburn
6) Andrew Delong - KTM
7) Ted Mullins
8) Scott Watkins
9) Shane O'Banion - KTM
10) Zackery Smith - KTM
Overall Women's Results -
1) Maria Forsberg - KTM
2) Mandi Mastin
3) Ashley Crouch
4) Emily Raines
5) Jordan Milbauer
6) Hannah Otto - KTM
7) Leeann Bange
8) Samantha Steiner - KTM
9) Nina Cobb
10) Rachel Gutish - KTM
Overall XC1 Points -
1) Charlie Mullins - 45
2) Josh Strang - 43
3) Paul Whibley - 42
4) Cory Buttrick - 33
5) Nate Kanney - 32
Overall XC2 Points -
1) Steward Baylor - 55
2) Jesse Robinson - 51
3) Jason Thomas - 46
4) Brad Bakken - 33
5) Andrew Delong - 33
Overall Women's Points -
1) Maria Forsberg - 39
2) Mandi Mastin - 39
3) Ashley Crouch - 36
4) Leeann Bange - 31
5) Hannah Otto - 31
