Lincoln, AL TalladegaProgressive GNCC Racing
The Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series raced on the property of the famous Talladega Motor Speedway for the first time ever over the weekend, but the race turned out to be a huge mudder—the second of those out of three races this year.
In this instance, the mud was a friend of Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki’s Steward Baylor, who got his season on track after two bad races to start the year. Baylor won the overall, but once again it was a young rider from the XC2 (250) division and the second-row start who threatened to win an overall. KTM Racing Team Landers Grant Davis held the overall lead on adjusted time for a large portion of the race, but Baylor was able to get around him and then pull away enough to get back to winning the race overall. Davis was second, with a few late-race mid haps in mudholes costing him.
“Man, it was not easy!” said Baylor. “Obviously going down in the first turn, not ideal. I got back going and said I’ll use this like the XC2 guys do, use these guys as markers to see where the holes are. I chose a few bad lines, but I didn’t want to waste much time and I knew I wanted to be at the front. I pushed with everything I could and got to the lead. Then I had to do a whole lap without goggles. It’s tough when you don’t have a goggle deal! We’re buying them at MotoTees. Thanks to those guys, they keep us hooked up every week. That lap without goggles, it was tough. Finally got around to the pits, got goggles, got gloves, sprayed the seat off, and not a mile later I trashed my goggles, trashed my gloves, trashed my seat. I was sliding around all over. I knew I gave up a lot of time to Grant there, and I knew it was going to be really tough to catch him. So, in my head, I played a video back to myself. And that video was [teammate] Nick DeFeo when he rode away from me in South Carolina. The kid was just riding! I just started trail riding. Finally I got to Grant, and I knew I had three miles to put a minute on him. It took me a minute 10 just to even get to him. I knew to build up a minute gap would be next to impossible, and it was! Luck of the draw he went down on a mud hole, and then I knew his gloves and his goggles would be ruined. I did everything I could, I annihilated the final part of the course. I mean, I was feet off, wide open, and I knew I could do that. I needed to just go back to trail riding. Think like Nick Defeo and just try to trail ride. It worked. Shoutout to my hole team. Ryan Sipes [Team Manager] said to me, ‘If you don’t win I’m getting a tattoo.’ Yeah, you hear that right. That’s how much faith he had. I probably put 40 hours on the bike in the last two weeks trying to figure out what the hell is going on and I think we figured it out.”
Said Davis, who took second overall on adjusted time and won the XC2 class: “I got off to the holeshot, I was leading and I got into a pretty good flow. I caught up to the back of the XC1 pack and I was picking them off, then I got to Stu and Ricky and I thought “these are the only two guys left ahead of me.” I got around Stu, he made a mistake, then I rode with Ricky for awhile then I got around him. I got a pit board that said I was two minutes up. Then my bike started running bad. Then at the four-mile marker last lap my bike shut off on me for like a minute and a half. I looked back and Stu was right there. I kept going and he got around me, and I latched onto him. Then my bike quit again. But hey, I’m happy, I got first in my class and second overall and extended my points lead, and I’m right there for the overall championship now.”
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig Delong was third, second in XC1. “That was nasty man,” he said. “Good start and for sure that was key. That’s the momentum I needed for sure. I struggled at the first few races, and you can see that in the results. I’m just happy to put myself in the battle and put myself in the lead group.”
Phoenix Honda’s Mike Witkowski was third in XC1 and fourth overall: “Crashed in the first turn and just played it smart all day,” Witkowski said. “Picked guys off where we can and found myself in a good flow. Last couple of laps me and Craig hooked up and went back and forth, but unfortunately last lap I buried it. But to go down in the first corner, I’ll take it.”
In a muddy race filled with bottlenecks and other issues, some favorites struggled, including overall winner of GNCC round one Nick DeFeo, who failed to finish the final lap. Eight-time GNCC Champion Kailub Russell was ninth with defending GNCC Champion Johnny Girroir tenth overall, the duo had battle for the overall win at the previous race in the sand of Florida. Ben Kelley was seventh overall, but Davis’ second overall on the day moves him into the early lead in the GNCC overall point standings. Can an XC2 rider on a 250 become the GNCC overall champion for the season? There’s a long way to go but Davis is riding well.
The full GNCC series press release is below.
TALLADEGA, Ala. – On Sunday, March 9, the Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, continued its third round of racing at Talladega, but with much different weather conditions than the previous day. Mother Nature would let loose on Sunday morning as the rain and storm cells moved through the area creating slick, muddy conditions for racers to face throughout the day.
As the afternoon racers lined up, the XC1 Open Pro would be the first ones off the starting line and AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper would make his way to the holeshot line first earning the $250 Landers KTM XC1 Holeshot Award. However, it would be Rocky Mountain Red Bear Team Green Kawasaki’s Steward Baylor physically out front early on in the race.
While Baylor was physically out front, the XC2 250 Pro competitors were turning up the speed behind him and on adjusted time leading the top three overall spots of the day as they came through timing and scoring on lap one. That made Baylor push himself even more to try and place that time adjustment gap between himself and the top XC2 racers.
Baylor would make his way around on the last lap, coming through to take the overall win with over a two minute gap between himself and FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Grant Davis. Davis, who would lead majority of the race with time adjustments and then physically, would have some misfortune on the last lap of the race but would be able to salvage a second overall finish on the day. Davis would also earn his second-straight XC2 250 Pro class win in Alabama.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig Delong would get off to a great start, and as he maintained a consistent race he would come through to finish third overall on the day, and second in the XC1 Open Pro class.
Another racer putting in a good, consistent race was Phoenix Racing Honda’s Michael Witkowski. As Witkowski came through tenth on the opening lap, he would push his head down and continue to work his way through the slick conditions, clicking off the passes for the next couple of laps. Witkowski worked his way up to third in the XC1 Open Pro class as the checkered flag flew, and fourth overall on the day.
Finishing fourth in class and seventh overall was FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Benjamin Kelley. Kelley had his work cut out for him as he started mid-pack on lap one, working his way up from there. 250 A competitor, FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Chase Landers would cross the line eighth overall and first in his class, also earning him the Top Amateur honor at round three.
Coming through to take fifth and sixth overall were XC2 250 Pro competitors, Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cody Barnes and FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Angus Riordan. Both Barnes and Riordan would round out the top three XC2 class finishers on the day at Talladega as well.
The AmPro Yamaha duo of Liam Draper and Kailub Russell would round out the top 10 overall finishers of the day, while also being credited with fifth and sixth in the XC1 Open Pro class. The defending National Champion, FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Jonathan Girroir would have a rough day as he had some bad luck on the last lap and would come through seventh in class and 11th overall on the day.
The $150 Landers KTM XC2 Holeshot Award was awarded to Rocky Mountain Red Bear Team Green Kawasaki’s Nick DeFeo to start the day.
In the XC3 125 Pro-Am class the $100 Lojak Cycle Sales XC3 Holeshot Award went to FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Tyler Scheels. But it would be TCO Off-Road KTM Canada’s Philippe Chaine coming out on top in the XC3 class while Jayson Crawford and Isaiah Brown battled their way through the conditions to finish second and third in the class.
The Talladega Top Amateur honors went to Chase Landers as he crossed the line eighth overall and first in the 250 A class. Cooper Jones would finish 14th overall and second in 250 A, making the second Top Amateur on the podium, followed by Olin Daniels who finished 17th overall and first in the 4-Stroke A Lites class at round three.
The rain would continue to fall, and as the storm cell moved out of the area all clear was given to have the morning bike racers lineup. As row one, the WXC class, took off it was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Korie Steede grabbing herself the $100 Landers KTM WXC Holeshot Award to start her trek through the now slick and muddy terrain. It wouldn’t be long until Rocky Mountain Red Bear Team Green Kawasaki’s Rachael Archer made her way into the lead position as they came through timing and scoring on the opening lap.
As the leaders made their way through the racecourse, the call was made to throw the checkered flag as they came around to complete their second lap of the race as conditions continued to deteriorate. Archer would earn the overall race win, as well as her second WXC class win of the season. After grabbing the holeshot, Steede would hold the second place position for both laps as she came through to see the checkered flag waving. Back in third, Phoenix Racing Honda’s Tayla Jones would come through to round out the top three WXC class finishers and overall race finishers on the day.
As the day got underway, the rain would start to fall early in the morning creating muddy and slick conditions for the Youth bike race. Travis Lentz would lead the way early on in the race, and as he came through for his second lap would be given the checkered flag due to storm cell moving into the area. Lentz would earn his third-straight youth overall and YXC1 Super Mini Sr. (14-15) class win. Kamden Krause would come through to finish second overall and in the YXC1 class, while YXC2 class winner, Phillip Arnold, rounded out the top three overall Youth bike finishers.
Cooper Duff would come through third in the YXC1 class, while Bentley Saxon and Hunter Hawkinberry came through to round out the top three in the YXC2 class. Hunter Carey came through to earn the 85 Big Wheel (14-15) class win, Caleb Johnson earned the 85 Big Wheel (11-13) class win, Evan Porter earned himself the 85cc (12-13) class win, Ryder White took the 85cc (11) class win and Tripp Lewis earned the 85cc (7-10) class win. In the 65cc (10-11) class it was Shawn Remington Jr. taking the win, Daxton Mullins earned the 65 (9) class win, while Tanner Toland would take home the 65cc (7-8) class win. In the Girls Super Mini (12-16) class it was Jayden Shea taking the class win, Paisley Harris earned the Girls 85 (7-13) class win, Aubrey Tsakanikas would take home the Girls 65 (7-11) class win and Camden Phillips took home the Trail Rider youth class win.
The AMSOIL Moto Hero honoree was Travis Free from Summertown, Tennessee. Free served in the United States Navy as a E7 CPO – Leader Chief Petty Officer. Free has just retired from the service after serving his country for 22 years. Travis will receive an AMSOIL shopping spree, commemorative American flag from Columbia flag and sign co. Plus $200 gift certificate for their online store and a $250 KANATI certificate.
After a two-week break the GNCC Racing Series will return to South Carolina for the FMF Camp Coker Bullet in Society Hill, South Carolina at Moree’s Sportsman’s Preserve on March 29-30.
