For the fifth time in the 2014 GNCC Championship, Factory FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell was victorious. His latest feat arrived Saturday at the John Penton GNCC in Millfield, Ohio, round eight of the series.
Joining Russell on the overall podium was teammate Grant Baylor – the XC2 Pro Lites class winner – and Yamaha’s Josh Strang.
On and off again rain kept the dust down but made the course slippery. It didn’t stop Russell from getting a great start off the line coming third place around the first corner 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 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.
The GNCC series now heads to Snowshoe, W.V., June 21, 2014, for round nine.
2014 John Penton GNCC Overall Results:
- Kailub Russell – KTM
- Grant Baylor – KTM
- Josh Strang – Yamaha
- Jordan Ashburn- Yamaha
- Paul Whibley- Yamaha
- Steward Baylor – KTM
- Chris Bach- Honda
- Thad Duvall- Honda
- Andrew Delong- Husqvarna
- Nick Davis – KTM
2014 John Penton GNCC Overall Results XC2 Class:
- Grant Baylor – KTM
- Nick Davis – KTM
- Ricky Russell- Yamaha
- Trevor Bollinger- Honda
- Layne Michael – Honda
- Samuel Evans – KTM
- Michael McGinnis – KTM
- Derrik Allen – Kawasaki
- Chris Douglas – KTM
- Ryan Lojak – Yamaha
2014 John Penton GNCC Overall Results WXC Class:
- Kacy Martinez – KTM
- Ashley Copelan – KTM
- Becca Sheets- Yamaha
- Mandi Mastin – KTM
- Sarah Baldwin – KTM
- Brooke Cosner – KTM
- Felicia Robichaud – KTM
- Samantha Steiner – KTM
- Karlynn Beam – KTM
- Cassidy Brown – KTM
Overall Point Standings XC1 Pro:
- Kailub Russell – 208
- Charlie Mullins – 181
- Josh Strang – 161
Overall Point Standings XC2 Pro Lites:
- Grant Baylor – 202
- Ricky Russell – 199
- Trevor Bollinger – 160
Overall Point Standings WXC:
- Kacy Martinez – 159
- Mandi Mastin – 137
- Becca Sheets – 135
