2021 The Mountaineer GNCC | Race Report & Highlights

September 16, 2021

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PHOTOS & VIDEO | GNCC

After a very long summer break, the 2021 Grand National Cross Country Series got back in action at the 2021 The Mountaineer GNCC, the tenth round of the series. The competition in the East Coast off-road series has been excellent, as each rider’s skills have been put to the test in a variety of conditions, and their results are reflected in the championship ranking.

Ben Kelley and Stu Baylor came into the race separated by nine points, and after the outcome in West Virginia, it looks like this title fight will go to the final round. Kelley got a good jump off the XC1 line at the start, only to have a small mistake in the first turn take the FMF/KTM Factory Racing rider from the front to mid-pack. This allowed Magna1 Motorsports/Husqvarna’s Jordan Ashburn to earn the holeshot and then AmPro Yamaha’s Baylor to take the lead on the opening lap, a running order that they maintained for almost the entire race.

The last lap of the hours-long endurance race were full action, as usual, and it took until the very last turns to determine the final finishing order. Baylor was able to build a sizable lead over the pack and crossed the finish line unchallenged, a win that momentarily put him in first in the point standings. His time at the top was short lived, though, because mistakes by Ashburn allowed Kelley a chance to close in, bang bars, and steal away second-place after Ashburn went down. With that move, Kelley retained the championship lead by a slim four-point margin.

Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Craig DeLong and Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing Johnny Girroir kept things exciting in the XC2 division. DeLong got the holeshot and set the pace in the opening laps while Girroir stayed close, launched an attack on lap three, and charged off to a 24-second margin of victory. This win puts Girroir 39-points ahead in the standings.

2021 THE MOUNTAINEER GNCC

XC1 Pro Event Results

1. Steward Baylor
2. Benjamin Kelley
3. Jordan Ashburn
4. Joshua Toth
5. Thad Duvall
6. Trevor Bollinger
7. Layne Michael
8. Benjamin Herrera
9. Josh Strang

Overall National Championship Standings

XC2 250 Pro Event Results:

1. Jonathan Girroir
2. Craig DeLong
3. Michael Witkowski
4. Ruy Barbosa
5. Liam Draper
6. Benjamin Nelko
7. Cody Barnes
8. Thorn Devlin
9. Simon Johnson

XC2 250 Pro Series Standings