2014 GNCC Series John Penton Race Results

Kailub Russell Reclaims the Points Lead at the Wiseco John Penton GNCC

[caption id="attachment_32433" align="alignright" width="300"] Kailub Russell - Photo: Ken Hill[/caption]

Through the first seven rounds of the 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, it's been a head-to-head battle for the XC1 National Championship between Factory FMF/KTM teammates Kailub Russell and Charlie Mullins. However, with Mullins removed from championship chase due to a recent injury, the reigning champ Russell was poised to take over the points lead on Sunday and he did so in a dominant fashion at the 25th running of the Wiseco John Penton GNCC.

The stage was set at Sunday Creek Raceway in Millfiled, Ohio for a beautiful and dry day of racing. The day began with sunny skies and warm temperatures but a few rain showers in the hour leading up to 1 p.m. start made for an interesting afternoon of racing.

It was the N-Fab AmPro Yamaha ride of Paul Whibley who got off to a great start with the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award but the two-time champ quickly fell back to eighth place on the opening lap. Russell capitalized on a mistake by Whibley and took control of the pace right away, where he led flag to flag of the three-hour race.

While Russell seemed to have the lead position on lock, it was an all-out battle for second place all afternoon. N-Fab AmPro Yamaha's Jordan Ashburn put himself in a favorable position early on, as he jumped in behind Russell for the second place position. Johnny Campbell Racing Honda's Chris Bach joined the battle, with Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/N-Fab AmPro Yamaha's Josh Strang close behind. The trio exchanged places several times throughout the three-hour battle, making for an exciting spectacle for the race fans in Ohio.

[caption id="attachment_32431" align="alignleft" width="300"] Russell, Ashburn, & Bach - Photo: Ken Hill[/caption]

But the battle didn't come only from the front row, as reigning XC2 Pro Lites Champion Grant Baylor joined the front-runners on the adjusted time clock where he threatened a spot on the overall podium all afternoon. Not only were the physical battles full of excitement, but the adjusted time came down to the final moments, where the young Baylor finished nine seconds ahead of Strang to capture second overall for the day.

Strang, who was forced to come from behind on the opening lap, pushed through to second at the end of the five-lap race, where he led a three-way battle into the final moments of the Sunday Creek motocross track. Despite a valiant effort by Ashburn, and also Whibley in the final moments, the 2010 GNCC Champion was able to hold them off to capture a season-best second place finish in the XC1 Pro Class and third overall for the day.

Whibley and Ashburn were bar-to-bar in the final turns but this time it was Ashburn who edged out the two-time champ of Whibley to take third place in the XC1 Class and fourth overall for the day.

Factory FMF/KTM's Steward Baylor Jr. struggled on the opening lap but the South Caroina native slowly picked up the pace as the race went on. After missing the last round due to injury, Baylor fought his way back to a fifth place finish in the XC1 Class.

[caption id="attachment_32430" align="alignright" width="300"] Steward Baylor - Photo: Ken Hill[/caption]

After running inside the top three for a majority of the afternoon, Bach lost a substantial amount of time when he crashed on the final lap while running second. Bach ended up just three seconds behind Baylor for sixth place in the class.

RideMPS.com/AMSOIL/Honda's Thad DuVall returned to action after missing the previous round with injury. DuVall managed a seventh place finish in the class as he continues to recover.

Factory Husqvarna's Andrew DeLong finished in seventh, followed by HR Motorsports-backed Takeshi Koikeda, and Maxxis/KLIM/DirtWise KTM Race Team's Jason Thomas rounded out the top ten.

In the XC2 Pro Lites action, Grant Baylor got off to a great start to kick off the afternoon and things only got better for the KTM Support rider as he continued to pick his way through the overall pack on time adjustment. In his quest for an overall position, Baylor put a sizable gap on the rest of the XC2 Pro Lites field.

[caption id="attachment_32427" align="alignleft" width="300"] Nick Davis - Photo: Ken Hill[/caption]

In just his third XC2 race of this season, KR4 Performance-backed Nick Davis put forth an impressive ride at the eighth round. Davis overcame a couple of big crashes early on to secure a season-best second place finish in the XC2 Class.

Raines Riding University/Atlas Cycles' Ricky Russell began the afternoon outside the top ten but was quickly made his way into podium contention. Russell got into the third place position on the final lap, where he finished third place in the class. Baylor now holds a three-point lead over Russell in the XC2 Pro Lites championship standings.

Sam Evans grabbed the $100 DigitalOffroad.com Holeshot Award, finishing sixth place in the XC2 Pro Lites Class. Indiana's Mike Witkowski battled it out for the 250 A Class win and the $125 American Kargo Top Amateur Award with fourteenth overall for the day.

Just two days after securing a Gold Medal at X Games Austin in Women's Enduro X, Factory FMF/KTM's Kacy Martinez captured the overall victory at the Wiseco John Penton GNCC. Martinez was joined on the overall podium by Master's 50+ winner Vance Earl, who finished second overall, and Super Senior A 45+ winner Ricky Mattison, who rounded out the overall podium.

[caption id="attachment_32419" align="alignright" width="300"] WXC Podium - Photo: Ken Hill[/caption]

Virginia's Ashley Copeland finished second in the WXC Class, while N-Fab AmPro Yamaha's Becca Sheets rounded out the class podium.

South Carolina's Cole Mattison kept his winning streak alive at round eight with yet another overall victory in the Youth division. Mattison also topped the Super Mini (14-15) class, followed by Alabama's Kyler Godwin in second and Tennessee's Sam Thurman rounded out the overall podium with a third place finish in the Super Mini (14-15) class.

The 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series resumes June 21 and 22 with the AMSOIL Snowshoe GNCC on Snowshoe Mountain Resort in West Virginia. For more information on the series, visit www.gnccracing.com.

Stay up-to-date with exclusive content from the AMSOIL GNCC Series by following the series Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Source: GNCC Racing

Kailub Russell Dominates John Penton GNCC

[caption id="attachment_32425" align="alignright" width="169"] Kailub Russell - Photo: Antti Kallonen[/caption]

Factory FMF/KTM rider Kailub Russell dominated the John Penton GNCC race to claim his fifth win of the season. His teammate, Grant Baylor, took the win in the XC2 Pro Lites class and second overall for the day.

Russell got a third place jump off the line behind his teammate Steward Baylor, who made his return to racing after four weeks off. Russell quickly moved around Baylor and then Paul Whibley to take the lead. Once in the lead, Russell never looked back. He went on to lead every lap of the muddy race to take the win with a 2 minute and 34 second gap. Steward Baylor would finish 6th overall for the day.

"I always like this race," stated Russell. "I felt good all day and made some solid line choices to put a gap on the rest of the field. I'm happy to stretch my points lead heading to the next round."

Grant Baylor was eighth off the start of the XC2 class and quickly moved through the pack to take over the lead by the 2.5 mile marker. On mile marker 4, Baylor crashed and lost four positions. He had a speedy recovery and soon found himself back in the lead. He continued to turn solid lap times through the remainder of the day to pull a large lead over fellow XC2 competitors while also moving to second place overall.

Factory FMF/KTM rider, Kacy Martinez, took another impressive win in the WXC class. Fresh off an X-Games Gold Medal win in Austin, TX she came into the Penton GNCC with confidence. She earned a great start and ended up winning her class by five minutes as well as the morning overall.

Next Event: June 21, 2014 - Snowshoe, WV

Source: KTM North America

Paul Whibley GNCC Race Report - Round 8

[caption id="attachment_32426" align="alignright" width="300"] Paul Whibley - Photo: Ken Hill[/caption]

A good start and I snatched the holeshot from Stu Baylor. Running a little deep into turn two I handed a couple positions back. I followed Stu for a few miles until he went down on the slick clay track made slicker by the rain only an hour earlier. I lost sight of the leaders not long before we entered the "Penton Section" and managed to take a wrong turn.

I walked this section the day before, but the track had been changed. Problem was the tape that was put up was too high and I went under it without realizing at first. I quickly noticed there were no fresh tracks in front of me and spun around but lost a lot of time. I later heard that I wasn't the only one who made this mistake and took the old track.

Nearing the end of the lap I got briefly stuck in the mulch pit. It was one of those bizarre times when you just wonder what's going on. I basically tried to avoid a downed rider and got cross rutted. When I tried to get going again I broke through the top layer of the mulch into some slop underneath. A bit of pushing and some help and I was freed quickly. I found myself kinda in no-man's land playing catch up. I felt like I was riding well but didn't seem to be making an impression on the gap to the guys in front.

• Race Report: GNCC Rnd 8 Millfield Ohio
  
• Rider: Paul Whibley
  
• Team: N-Fab AmPro Yamaha
  
• Bike: Yamaha YZ450F
  
• Result: 4th XC1 Pro
  

Over the last couple laps I started to erode the distance to the guys in front of me. Pit board splits were dropping. On the last lap I caught and passed Chris Bach and Stu Baylor. And as we came into the pits about a half mile before the finish I caught sight of Jordan Ashburn. I pushed hard on the MX track and took my shot as we came into the scoring chicane. I got alongside Jordan but short of punting him off the track there was no room to make a pass on the slick clay.

Source: Am-Pro Yamaha

Top 10 At John Penton GNCC For Husqvarna's Andrew DeLong

[caption id="attachment_32428" align="alignright" width="300"] Andrew DeLong[/caption]

Team Husqvarna's Andrew DeLong pitted himself not only against tough conditions in the John Penton GNCC but also a competitive field to finish eighth in the race with the legendary tough-as-nails reputation.

It was not only race time temperatures in the mid 20- degrees Celsius and high humidity that hindered riders. The pro class contestants also greeted with a drenching rainstorm as they approached the starting line. Andrew DeLong got off to a good start and was able to maintain a brisk pace within range of the leaders in the early stages.

Rain made the track progressively slicker as the race progressed and Andrew suffered a series of crashes that dropped him out of podium contention.Despite the tricky conditions DeLong still managed to bring his Husqvarna FE 350 home in eighth place for a creditable top ten finish.

Source: Husqvarna Motorcycles

John Penton GNCC Overview And Point Standings

2014 GNCC Series John Penton Image Gallery (Click for full size images)

Overall PM Class Results

Place	Racer	Class	#	Brand	Laps	Elapsed Time
1	Kailub Russell	XC1 Pro	1	KTM	5	47:07.4
2	Grant Baylor	XC2 Pro Lites	8	KTM	5	49:41.0
3	Josh Strang	XC1 Pro	4	YAM	5	49:50.2
4	Jordan Ashburn	XC1 Pro	7	YAM	5	49:51.9
5	Paul Whibley	XC1 Pro	5	YAM	5	49:52.9
6	Steward Baylor	XC1 Pro	514	KTM	5	49:57.8
7	Christopher Bach	XC1 Pro	3	HON	5	50:00.8
8	Thaddeus DuVall	XC1 Pro	989	HON	5	51:23.0
9	Andrew DeLong	XC1 Pro	10	HSQ	5	51:26.8
10	Nick Davis	XC2 Pro Lites	222	KTM	5	53:47.8
11	Ricky Russell	XC2 Pro Lites	212	YAM	5	54:54.9
12	Takeshi Koikeda	XC1 Pro	12	HON	5	55:20.7
13	Trevor Bollinger	XC2 Pro Lites	18	HON	5	56:14.7
14	Michael Witkowski	250 A	282	KTM	5	57:43.8
15	Jason Thomas	XC1 Pro	9	KTM	5	00:26.4
16	Layne Michael	XC2 Pro Lites	17	HON	5	00:43.7
17	Tegan Temple	Open A	374	KTM	5	00:45.7
18	Craig DeLong	250 A	27	HSQ	5	01:44.9
19	Samuel Evans	XC2 Pro Lites	21	KTM	5	01:49.7
20	Michael McGinnis	XC2 Pro Lites	24	KTM	5	01:55.1
21	Mark Fortner	Open A	80	BET	5	03:20.6
22	Derrik Allen	XC2 Pro Lites	46	KAW	5	03:21.9
23	Adam Bonneur	XC1 Pro	16	KTM	5	03:31.5
24	Ryan Sipes	XC1 Pro	264	KTM	5	03:39.9
25	Christopher Douglas	XC2 Pro Lites	22	KTM	5	04:38.3

Overall AM Class Results

Place	Racer	Class	#	Brand	Laps	Elapsed Time
1	Zach Klamfoth	Sportsman A	597	HSQ	4	58:51.4
2	Dacota Abbott	Sportsman A	591	HON	4	59:01.3
3	Kacy Martinez	WXC	496	KTM	4	03:16.3
4	Vance Earl	Masters A (50+)	232	YAM	4	03:47.7
5	Lucas Towery	Sportsman A	544	KTM	4	03:59.6
6	Rick Matteson	Super Senior A (45+)	201	KTM	4	05:01.5
7	Troy Stanley	Super Senior A (45+)	71	KTM	4	05:11.5
8	Chris Mcgomery	Sportsman A	585	YAM	4	05:40.9
9	Coalton Cupp	200 C (16+)	415	KTM	4	07:26.9
10	Tyler Soriano	Sportsman A	461	YAM	4	07:32.0
11	Nathan Saving	Sportsman A	559	KAW	4	08:28.1
12	Ashley Copeland	WXC	412	KTM	4	08:34.1
13	Jay Downhour	Sportsman B	452	HSQ	4	08:43.0
14	Becca Sheets	WXC	551	YAM	4	08:46.9
15	Mandi Mastin	WXC	527	KTM	4	08:53.8
16	Sarah Baldwin	WXC	757	KTM	4	09:00.3
17	Jeff Fredette	Silver Masters (55+)	233	KAW	4	09:02.1
18	Cory Neely	Sportsman A	566	YAM	4	09:04.0
19	Justin Parsons	Sportsman A	394	YAM	4	09:43.1
20	Sam Williams	Sportsman B	548	KTM	4	09:53.1
21	Todd Ghearing	Super Senior A (45+)	58	KTM	4	10:03.0
22	Hunter Shelton	200 C Schoolboy (12-15)	700	HSQ	4	10:50.6
23	Henry Knabe	Masters A (50+)	116	KTM	4	12:01.5
24	Merle Mader	Masters A (50+)	426	KTM	4	12:11.6
25	Devon Fredrick	Sportsman B	659	KTM	4	12:54.1

Overall Youth Class Results

Place	Racer	Class	#	Brand	Laps	Elapsed Time
1	Cole Mattison	Super Mini (14-15)	2	KTM	8	31:45.7
2	Kyler Godwin	Super Mini (14-15)	617	KAW	8	34:08.5
3	Sam Thurman	Super Mini (14-15)	153	HON	8	34:49.2
4	Conner Smith	Super Mini (14-15)	6	HON	8	35:40.6
5	Daniel Spurgeon	Super Mini (12-13)	91	KTM	8	37:24.5
6	Troy Lieberman	Super Mini (14-15)	92	HON	8	38:13.4
7	Brayden Coler	Super Mini (14-15)	16	HON	8	38:46.7
8	Hunter Williams	Super Mini (14-15)	8	HON	8	39:16.2
9	Brenden Poling	Super Mini (14-15)	7	HON	8	39:32.7
10	Jesse Ansley	85 (12-13)	103	KAW	8	39:36.6
11	Jason Lipscomb	Super Mini (14-15)	700	HON	8	39:57.8
12	Teague Seccuro	Super Mini (14-15)	429	HON	8	40:26.7
13	Max Heresco	Super Mini (14-15)	124	HON	8	41:45.7
14	Jayce Knopp	Super Mini (14-15)	479	HON	8	41:48.5
15	Andrew Thomas	Super Mini (14-15)	10	HON	8	42:01.6
16	Hayden Vancuren	85 (12-13)	265	YAM	8	42:46.6
17	Chase Hayes	Super Mini (14-15)	35	KTM	8	43:32.0
18	Hunter Hart	Super Mini (14-15)	318	KTM	8	44:20.6
19	Timothy Steiner	Super Mini (14-15)	15	KTM	8	44:24.5
20	Brody Johnson	85 (7-11)	235	YAM	7	31:04.0
21	Jamie Baskerville	85 (12-13)	135	KTM	7	31:52.4
22	Randall Ervin	Super Mini (12-13)	36	YAM	7	32:54.1
23	Michael Beeler	85 (7-11)	228	KTM	7	32:59.8
24	Hunter Scott	Super Mini (12-13)	233	KAW	7	33:13.5
25	Randy Smith	Super Mini (12-13)	22	KTM	7	34:21.9

XC1 Pro Class Results

Place	Racer	#	Brand	Laps	Elapsed Time
1	Kailub Russell	1	KTM	5	47:07.4
2	Josh Strang	4	YAM	5	49:50.2
3	Jordan Ashburn	7	YAM	5	49:51.9
4	Paul Whibley	5	YAM	5	49:52.9
5	Steward Baylor	514	KTM	5	49:57.8
6	Christopher Bach	3	HON	5	50:00.8
7	Thaddeus DuVall	989	HON	5	51:23.0
8	Andrew DeLong	10	HSQ	5	51:26.8
9	Takeshi Koikeda	12	HON	5	55:20.7
10	Jason Thomas	9	KTM	5	00:26.4
11	Adam Bonneur	16	KTM	5	03:31.5
12	Ryan Sipes	264	KTM	5	03:39.9

XC2 Pro Lites Class Results

Place	Racer	#	Brand	Laps	Elapsed Time
1	Grant Baylor	8	KTM	5	49:41.0
2	Nick Davis	222	KTM	5	53:47.8
3	Ricky Russell	212	YAM	5	54:54.9
4	Trevor Bollinger	18	HON	5	56:14.7
5	Layne Michael	17	HON	5	00:43.7
6	Samuel Evans	21	KTM	5	01:49.7
7	Michael McGinnis	24	KTM	5	01:55.1
8	Derrik Allen	46	KAW	5	03:21.9
9	Christopher Douglas	22	KTM	5	04:38.3
10	Ryan Lojak	301	YAM	5	05:17.3
11	Jedediah Haines	20	YAM	5	06:39.2
12	Shane Hufford	11	KTM	5	08:27.7
13	Mark Heresco	412	KTM	5	10:43.2
14	Zach Love	25	KTM	5	44:10.9
15	Mat Herrington	414	KTM	4	06:09.8
16	Kevin Benavides	241	KTM	3	50:04.5
17	Jessie Groemm	229	KTM	2	22:34.2
18	Nathan Bidwell	225	KTM	2	31:10.9
19	Callan May	918	YAM	1	15:28.7

Women's WXC Class Results

Place	Racer	#	Brand	Laps	Elapsed Time
1	Kacy Martinez	496	KTM	4	03:16.3
2	Ashley Copeland	412	KTM	4	08:34.1
3	Becca Sheets	551	YAM	4	08:46.9
4	Mandi Mastin	527	KTM	4	08:53.8
5	Sarah Baldwin	757	KTM	4	09:00.3
6	Brooke Cosner	580	KTM	4	14:26.8
7	Felicia Robichaud	732	KTM	4	15:19.2
8	Samantha Steiner	904	KTM	4	19:05.4
9	Karlynn Beam	531	KTM	4	23:36.7
10	Cassidy Brown	286	KTM	4	38:08.2
11	Wendy Jaudas	689	KTM	4	40:58.5
12	Dawn Silvia	529	KTM	3	29:16.8
13	Heather Cosner	562	YAM	3	33:20.8

Rider Point Standings - XC1 Pro Class ( Race 8 of 13 )

1. Kailub Russell - 208
   
2. Charlie Mullins - 181
   
3. Josh Strang - 161
   
4. Jordan Ashburn - 138
   
5. Paul Whibley - 133
   
6. Christopher Bach - 103
   
7. Andrew DeLong - 102
   
8. Steward Baylor - 101
   
9. Thaddeus DuVall - 98
   
10. Takeshi Koikeda - 95
    

Rider Point Standings - XC2 Pro Lites Class ( Race 8 of 13 )

1. Grant Baylor - 202
   
2. Ricky Russell - 199
   
3. Trevor Bollinger - 160
   
4. Layne Michael - 116
   
5. Shane Hufford - 105
   
6. Callan May - 93
   
7. Jessie Groemm - 90
   
8. Samuel Evans - 88
   
9. Christopher Douglas - 84
   
10. Jedediah Haines - 74
    

Rider Point Standings - Women's WXC Class ( Race 8 of 13 )

1. Kacy Martinez - 159
   
2. Mandi Mastin - 137
   
3. Becca Sheets - 135
   
4. Brooke Cosner - 107
   
5. Sarah Baldwin - 101
   
6. Karlynn Beam - 90
   
7. Samantha Steiner - 88
   
8. Felicia Robichaud - 88
   
9. Jessica Patterson - 83
   
10. Cassidy Brown - 83
    

Overall National Championship Standings
Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2014 National Champion.

1. Kailub Russell - 203
   
2. Charlie Mullins - 180
   
3. Josh Strang - 153
   
4. Jordan Ashburn - 129
   
5. Grant Baylor - 116
   
6. Paul Whibley - 115
   
7. Ricky Russell - 99
   
8. Andrew DeLong - 98
   
9. Steward Baylor - 86
   
10. Christopher Bach - 79