Check Point | February 25 2020

February 25, 2020

www.mooseracing.com

MEDIA | GNCC, KTM, Precision Concepts Racing, SLR Honda

Welcome to Check Point, a new weekly feature that will cover the ongoings in the off-road motorcycle racing world, presented by Moose Racing. Although motocross and Supercross is the center of the SML universe, our staff has massive respect for the varied disciplines of off-road, from SuperEnduro to Rally to GNCC to Big Six, and we always have an eye on what’s happening in the professional racing series. Every week we will bring updates from around the world, including race results, photos, video highlights, and new bike or product debuts.

Since this is an early installment of the feature, we want to hear your feedback. Drop a comment below and let us know what you think or what you want to see.

2020 BIG BUCK GNCC

The 2020 Grand National Cross Country Series kicked off its year-long championship chase with the 2020 Big Buck GNCC in South Carolina, and as always, the hours of racing proved to be exciting. The East Coast off-road series is about to go through a big change because multi-time and reigning champion Kaliub Russell has announced 2020 will be his last full season on the circuit, which means the top spot in the sport will be up for grabs. Russell’s departure comes at an important time because the next generation of riders are all eager to establish themselves and the industry has invested even more in the series, with brands like KTM, Husqvarna, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda, and Sherco all fielding factory bikes.

The South Carolina opener saw Russell get back to his winning ways, as the FMF KTM Factory Racing rider nabbed the holeshot and sped off into the woods with the lead over Coastal Bi-Con Racing’s Ricky Russell (no relation between the two, by the way), Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki teammates Josh Strang and Jordan Ashburn, and FactoryONE Sherco’s Steward Baylor. Once up front, Russell never relinquished the lead and went on to win by more than a minute.

AmPro Yamaha/St. Lawrence Radiology rider Mike Witkowski was the dominant rider of the XC2 division, as he pushed his way from third in the opening lap to the top spot on lap four to a one-minute plus margin of victory over Trail Jesters KTM’s Johnny Girroir, and Coastal Bi-Con Racing’s Craig Delong.

You can watch highlights or the full broadcast from the three-hour race below, plus an onboard lap from race winner Russell.

2020 BIG BUCK GNCC | COMPLETE RESULTS

2020 TAFT WORCS

On the other side of the country at the same time, riders lined up for the second round of the 2020 WORCS series in Taft, California. The layout at Honolulu Hills was a hybrid of a motocross track and a desert loop that was hard-packed and littered with square edge chop, which perfectly describes off-road riding on the West Coast. Still early in the season, a full field of healthy riders were on the track for the two-hour battle.

Dante Oliveira was the early leader in the Pro Class and was closely followed by Taylor Robert for the top spot. Oliveira’s race came to a sudden end when he hit the ground in front of Robert, which prompted the rival rider to slow down and check on his competitor. Once Oliveira signaled that he was okay, Robert rejoined the race and went on to win by 16-seconds over Austin Walton and Cole Martinez. With two wins to start the season, Robert holds a 13-point cushion over Walton in the championship standings.

In the Pro 2 Class, Tallon LaFountaine planned to make his key moves late in the race. He followed early leader Mateo Oliveira through the first hour of the race, found a few fast lines, then made a pass and pushed on to take his first win of the season. Mason Ottersberg would also get around Oliveira in the final stages of the race to take second place, while Oliveira hung on to finish in the final podium spot. It was important that Ottersberg finished on the podium, as the winner of the opening round was able to tack a few more points to his gap over Oliveira; the two are currently separated by five points in the standings, with LaFountaine trailing by seven points.