KTM’s Mullins take GNCC Opener
Mullins Wins River Ranch GNCC
Baylor wins XC2 class
From Racer Productions
Mullins used a 350XC to win the GNCC Opener
Photo By: Shan Moore
Charlie Mullins topped a deep field of off-road racers to win the opening round of the Can-Am Grand National Cross Series, the Moose Racing Westgate River Ranch GNCC, at the Westgate River Ranch Resort near Lake Wales, Florida.
Mullins played his cards just right on the rough and sandy course, staying within striking distance of the leaders for most of the three-hour race, but saving just enough energy for a final push. In the end, a last lap sprint to the finish was more than enough to give the factory KTM rider the ‘W’.
KTM factory WORCS rider Mike Brown, who was making a rare GNCC appearance, led more laps than anyone in the race, taking the lead on the second lap from defending series champ Josh Strang and holding it until Mullins took the top spot with a last lap pass through a mud hole. Ultimately, Brown settled for second ahead of Chris Bach, who turned some heads by putting his Beta 450 RR on the podium in his first national appearance for American Beta.
Mike Brown proved to be a player and nearly took the win.
Mike Brown finished second after leading most of the race.’I was pretty much where I wanted to be all day,’ said Mullins. ‘The last two laps I was behind Brown and I just put on a charge and was able to get the win. On the last lap we came up on a mud hole that was getting pretty deep. He went around it and I went through it and I came out in front. After that, I just stayed on the gas.’
Brown looked strong during the early going, and at one point held a 25-second lead over Bach.
‘On the last lap I still had a pretty good lead, but I just slacked off too much and Charlie made up a big gap on me,’ said Brown. ‘It would have been nice to win, but second feels pretty good right now.’
Bach overcame a mishap in the first turn to land on the podium. The lanky Indiana rider came from dead last, all the way to second, but spent too much energy in the process and gave way to Mullins on the next to last lap.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Chris Bach finished third on a Beta.’I’m not sure who it was, but someone bumped me in the first turn and I tipped over,’ said Bach. ‘I was so mad that I just rode like an idiot to catch up as fast as I could. All I wanted to do was get to the front in a hurry. Once I got up into second they said I was reeling Brownie in, but I didn’t really feel safe riding as fast as I would need to ride to catch him. Finally, the track went away and got really rough and my hands just gave away on me and Mullins got me.’
Strang finished the day in fourth after leading part of the opening lap, but admitted that he felt tired during the early stages of the race.
Suzuki’s Josh Strang
‘I led for a while and then I dropped off the pace,’ said Strang. ‘I started feeling better at the halfway point of the race and I began moving forward and Mullins was behind me, I think we were running third and fourth, but I ended up going down pretty hard. I had to stop and straighten out my bike and that was it.’
Nate Kanney recovered from a bad start to finish fifth. The WMR Off-Road/Clockwork/Planet Fitness/KTM rider went down hard in the palmetto trees and took a few minutes to regroup.’I was a little shaken up, but I kept going and slowly kept picking up my pace as the race went on,’ said Kanney. ‘Later on a stick knocked my fuel line off and I had to deal with that. But I’m actually pretty satisfied about fifth, considering it was such a brutal race and what all I had to deal with.’
FMF/KTM rider Cory Buttrick had a bad day, which included a fall in the first turn, but still managed to score sixth place points. Meanwhile, Kawasaki rider Garret Edminsten was a solid seventh.
Paul Whibley won the $250 Motosport.comHoleshot Award to start the race, however, the Am Pro/FMF/Yamaha rider hit a tree on the first lap and broke the radiator off his YZ450F. Whibs returned to the pits to repair the damage and then turned in a gutsy performance, which garnered him eighth.
Florida rider Fernando Macia put his Yamaha into ninth, while Dennis Stapleton rounded out the top 10 on a Kentucky Fried Chicken-backed Yamaha.
Steward Baylor Jr. won the XC2 class.In the XC2 class, 16-year-old Steward Baylor Jr. capitalized on a good start to claim his first win in the division. Baylor led every lap but one on his KTM and finished the race with nearly a minute to spare over FAR Husqvarna’s Jason Thomas.
‘The only mistake I made all day was on the last lap, it kicked me off sideways in the roots,’ said Baylor. ‘But I just went all out on the final lap and got the win.’
Photo By: Shan Moore
XC1 Results:
1. Charlie Mullins (KTM)
2. Michael Brown (KTM)
3. Chris Bach (Bet)
4. Josh Strang (Suz)
5. Nathan Kanney (KTM)
6. Cory Buttrick (KTM)
7. Garret Edminsten (Kaw)
8. Paul Whibley (Yam)
9. Fernando Macia (Yam)
10. Dennis Stapleton (Yam)
XC1 Standings:
1. Charlie Mullins (30/1 win)
2. Michael Brown (25)
3. Chris Bach (21)
4. Josh Strang (18)
5. Nathan Kanney (16)
6. Cory Buttrick (15)
7. Garret Edminsten (14)
8. Paul Whibley (13)
9. Fernando Macia (12)
10. Dennis Stapleton (11)
XC2 Results:
1. Steward Baylor Jr. (KTM)
2. Jason Thomas (Hsq)
3. Jesse Robinson (KTM)
4. Andrew DeLong (KTM)
5. Morgan Moss (Hsq)
6. Brad Bakken (KTM)
7. Shane Obanion (KTM)
8. Shane Hufford Jr. (KTM)
9. Kobayashi Masahiro (Hon)
10. Jordan Ashburn (Yam)
XC2 Standings:
1. Steward Baylor Jr. (30/1 win)
2. Jason Thomas (25)
3. Jesse Robinson (21)
4. Andrew DeLong (18)
5. Morgan Moss (16)
6. Brad Bakken (15)
7. Shane Obanion (14)
8. Shane Hufford Jr. (13)
9. Kobayashi Masahiro (12)
10. Jordan Ashburn (11)
MotoSport.com $250 XC1 holeshot – Paul Whibley
MotoSport.com $100 XC2 holeshot – Andrew DeLong
About GNCC Racing:
The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series is America’s premier off-road racing series. Founded in 1979, the 13-round championship is produced exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The grueling three-hour GNCC races lead as many as 1,800 riders through tracks ranging in length from eight to 12 miles, competing for more than $3 million in prizes. With varied terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.
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