Sparta, KY (June 1, 2008) — FMF Suzuki’s Paul Whibley is on fire in the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series. The New Zealander followed his muddy GNCC win a few weeks ago with another in completely dry conditions at the Weekend Warrior Spartan GNCC in Kentucky. While GNCC points leader David Knight crashed back to a fifth-place finish, Husqvarna’s Glenn Kearney and Whibley’s teammate Joshua Strang rounded out the top three, with Knight’s Red Bull KTM teammate Nathan Kanney fourth.

Paul Whibley collected his second-straight GNCC win, this time on a dry race course in Kentucky . Jason Hooper photo

The hot, fast, and rough conditions took a toll on the field after three-hours of racing, but Whibley, known for his endurance, managed to grab the lead on the last lap, edging in front of his teammate Strang once again. ‘It was rough and I had to ride hard, but I think I could have maybe gone another lap,’ said Whibley. ‘But I’m not sure, because it was rough and I had the hammer down because I wanted to hold on for the win.’

The entire pack was close throughout the day until fatigue finally set in late in the game and spread the field apart. After FMF Suzuki’s Charlie Mullins grabbed the Racer X Holeshot Award, Knight eventually grabbed the lead but had to withstand heavy pressure from Strang and Kearney. Eventually Knight crashed hard and lost time, and also bent up his bike. ‘I saw it and it was a pretty hard crash, he was ping-ponging off of some trees,’ said Kearney.

Kearney was thrilled to get back to the podium for the first time in a year. It also marked the first-time in decades that a Husky made the GNCC podium.

For even more history, the podium positions were taken by a New Zealander and two Australians, a first-ever all-international GNCC podium.

In the XC2 Lites class, Powersports GrafX/KTM’s rookie Kailub Russell scored a breakthrough victory, his first pro win. Russell had to outduel Monster Energy/Andrews Yamaha’s Dustin Gibson, who grabbed the Thumpertalk.com Holeshot Award and finished second. Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Andrew Matusek returned to the podium with third after fighting the pain of a broken foot, and even led early in the event.

Class points leader Thad DuVall dropped from the race early in the day with mechanical troubles.

Rookie Kailub Russell snagged his first-ever GNCC win in the XC2 Lites class. Jason Hooper photo

Complete race-day results are available at this link or by scrolling to GNCCRacing.com.

The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series continues in two weeks with the Yadkin Valley Stomp GNCC.

About GNCC Racing:

The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country series is America’s premier off-road racing series. The 13-round championship series is produced exclusively by Racer Productions and has run since 1973. Cross country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The nearly three-hour long GNCC races lead as many as 1,800 riders through tracks ranging from eight to twelve miles in length. With varied terrain including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed. GNCC Racing will air weekly television shows on the Versus network starting August 2. GNCC featured sponsors include Can-Am, Parts Unlimited, Moose Racing, Maxxis, Pirelli, Wiseco, Acerbis, Elka, Geico, Klotz, FMF, ITP and Weekend Warrior, and riders compete for over $3 million in series prizes and contingency money. Associate sponsors include Alpinestars, Cometic, HiPer Technology, Laegers, Moose Utility Division, The National Guard, Powersport Grafx, REM, Scott, Thor, Tire Balls, Twin Air, Ogio, Rekluse, and MotoTees. For more information log on to www.gnccracing.com.