Mullins Wins Big Buck GNCC

Factory FMF/KTM Team rider Charlie Mullins won his second GNCC of
the season at the Big Buck GNCC held in Union, SC.
The fourth round of the series was also one of the more humid and
hot races of the season. Temperatures were near the mid-eighties
throughout most of the day causing many riders to fatigue earlier
than usual. That was not the case for KTM's Charlie Mullins who
nailed the holeshot early on in the race thanks to his electric
start KTM 350 XC-F. Mullins was joined by his three FMF/KTM
teammates, Russell Bobbitt, Kailub Russell and Cory Buttrick as
well as Josh Strang as they headed into the woods.
Mullins would lead the first two laps with heavy pressure from
Russell. On the third lap, Mullins stalled his bike which allowed
his teammate to pass and take the lead. Russell led the next lap
until he pit briefly to get a sip of water and was passed through
the pits by Mullins. On lap four, Mullins stretched his lead over
Russell and continued to maintain a solid pace out front. Russell
tired slightly in the second half of the race and lost a position
to Josh Strang. Shortly after, Russell suffered two crashes, one of
which lost him quite a bit of time on the lead riders.
Mullins
went on to take the win approximately 15 seconds ahead of Strang.
Russell rebounded from his two crashes to finish 3rd overall.
Buttrick and Bobbitt maintained a steady pace all day to finish 4th
and 5th respectively, resulting in four of the top five bikes on
the KTM brand.
In the XC2 class, KTM support rider Steward Baylor led the race
early in the day. He broke his knee brace within the first few laps
and had to return to the pits to take it off as it was putting
unnecessary pressure on his leg. He returned to the racing action
in 5th place and through a remarkable effort was able to pass
through the pack and eventually retake the lead. Baylor went on to
take the win, marking his second win of the season. With four races
down, Baylor leads the XC2 class in overall point standings.
In the women's class, RPM/KTM rider Maria Forsberg led for the
majority of the day. On the final lap she had a comfortable lead
before she was held up in a ravine by some lapped riders. This
allowed the second place ride of Mandy Mastin to catch up to
Forsberg and pressure the reigning GNCC Champion. Forsberg proved
why she holds the title after she came out on top of the battle and
went on to win by approximately 10 seconds over Mastin. Forsberg
holds the points lead heading to the fifth round.