2014 Steele Creek GNCC Results
The third round of the 2014 GNCC Series headed to Morganton, N.C., this past weekend for the Steele Creek GNCC.
And taking the win and the points lead was Factory FMF/KTM pilot Kailub Russell. Following the three-hour race, Russell was joined on the podium by teammate Charlie Mullins and Yamaha’s Josh Strang.
Russell and Mullins both got off to a decent when the gate dropped but it was their teammate, Steward Baylor, that pulled the holeshot and led the group around the opening corner. It did not take long before Russell made the pass for the lead and began to check out on the rest of the pack. He would ride a mistake-free race to take the win with a comfortable two-minute lead at the end of the 3-hour race, KTM reports.
Mullins also worked his way through the pack and moved to second place by the second lap of the race. He remained in that position with heavy pressure from the third-place ride of Josh Strang (Yamaha) on the final two laps. Mullins was able to hold his ground and keep the runner-up position to gain valuable points for the championship.
Baylor was holding a podium position after pulling the holeshot for the first half of the race before he came into the pits and had to do an extended pit stop. He dropped to sixtth place on the pit and spent the rest of the race catching back up to the lead group. He was able to pick off one rider to move into fifth overall for the day.
After three rounds, Russell now leads Mullins by one point in the championship chase. “We knew our riders would be battling for the championship once again,” stated Factory FMF/KTM Team Manager Antti Kallonen. “We are very proud of how they both rode today and we are happy that there were no issues for either rider and they finished safely at the top of the podium.”
KTM support rider Grant Baylor didn’t get the best jump off the line but made up for his poor start with a late charge in the final half of the race. He was able to move up from the bottom ten to 3rd overall in the XC2 Pro Lites class. He now sits 3rd in the point standings after three rounds.
In the WXC class, Kacy Martinez captured her third win in a row in a series where she remains undefeated. She pulled a massive gap on the rest of the pack to finish over 7 minutes ahead of the next competitor. Her win today helped her increase her lead on the overall point standings.
“I’m really happy to get another win,” commented Martinez. “I feel really fortunate to be on the factory team this year and I am happy I am up on the top step of the podium. I’m also happy to win another mud race but it would be nice if we could get a break from all this mud at the next round.”
The next round of the GNCC is set for April 12-13, 2014 in Union, S.C.
2014 Steele Creek GNCC Overall Results (both XC1 Pro and XC2 Pro Lites combined):
Kailub Russell – KTM
Charlie Mullins – KTM
Josh Strang – Yamaha
Thad Duvall – Honda
Steward Baylor – KTM
Jordan Ashburn – Yamaha
Andrew Delong – Husqvarna
Trevor Bollinger – Honda
Chris Bach – Honda
Ricky Russell – Yamaha
Grant Baylor – KTM
Overall Results WXC Class:
Kacy Martinez – KTM
Becca Sheets
Sarah Baldwin – KTM
Felicia Robichaud – KTM
Mandi Mastin – KTM
Samantha Steiner – KTM
Rachel Gutish – KTM
Brooke Cosner – KTM
Ashley Copeland – KTM
Karlynn Beam – KTM
Overall Point Standings XC1 Pro:
Kailub Russell – 72
Charlie Mullins – 71
Josh Strang – 60
Overall Point Standings XC2 Pro Lites:
Trevor Bollinger – 69
Ricky Russell – 68
Grant Baylor – 66
Overall Point Standings WXC:
Kacy Martinez – 60
Becca Sheets – 54
Mandi Mastin – 48
