Checkpoint | 2020 High Voltage GNCC Highlights

July 13, 2020

2020 HIGH VOLTAGE GNCC | COMPLETE COVERAGE

Eight rounds down. The 2020 Grand National Cross Country Series wrapped up the first part of the season with the 2020 High Voltage GNCC. Once slated to run at Ironman Raceway in Indiana, series organizers Racer Productions made a decision to move the race to West Virginia, which put them the race day staff closer to their home base as they prepare for the busy summer of MX events ahead. But really, it didn’t matter where the race was because the on-track action was excellent and it’ll give us plenty to think about during the summer break…

It didn’t look like Kaliub Russell was going to win this one. In fourth place through the first turns, the FMF/KTM Factory Racing rider had to pick his way through the pack and spent the rest of the race in pursuit of teammate Josh Toth. An excellent start put Toth at the front of the field early and within a few moments, he literally left the competition in the dust and extended his lead to over 30-seconds. While Toth set the pace up front, Russell got by RPM KTM/Klim’s Dante Oliveira for second place, a pass that set the stage for an exciting finish.

As the race wound down, so did Toth’s advantage over Russell. When the went out of the spectator’s site in the final two laps the duo was split by just eight seconds, but when they came out of the woods and took the white flag, Russell had moved into the top spot and built a very small gap. The final lap was frantic as Russell nursed an ailing motorcycle and Toth did all he could to retake the lead, which he held until a lapped rider slowed his pace and allowed Russell to get back around in the final moments of the hours-long race for his seventh win of the season. With this, Russell now holds 42-point lead over Josh Strang in the championship.

While much of the attention was on the leaders, the fight for third place between Josh Strang and Ben Kelley was just as thrilling. Strang held the position for much of the race aboard his Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki, but Kelley kept close on FMF/KTM Factory Racing ride. The two stayed within seconds of each other through the trails, a massive feat considering the dust and terrain, and Strang stayed just enough ahead to score third place.

With the motocross season on hold for a little while longer, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider Zach Osborne decided to bolt on a big tank and sign up for the XC1 class. A mistake on the start caused Osborne to stall the bike and he was at a disadvantage for the rest of the race, which resulted in a seventh-place finish in the class.

Jonathan Girroir was the rider of the day in the XC2 division. In the front group early, the Trail Jesters KTM rider made a move on Benjamin Nelko for the lead on lap two and held off attacks from Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig DeLong for the rest of the race. This was Girroir’s third win thus far in 2020 and it moved him to second overall in the series standings, while DeLong’s runner-up result keeps him at the top of the points.

AmPro Yamaha’s Michael Witkowski stayed steady throughout the day and his third-place finish, his seventh podium of the season, keeps him third overall in the championship.

XC1 Pro Event Results

1. Kailub Russell
2. Joshua Toth
3. Josh Strang
4. Benjamin Kelley
5. Jordan Ashburn
6. Cory Buttrick
7. Zach Osborne
8. Andrew DeLong
9. Josh Heintz
10. Grant Baylor

XC2 250 Pro Event Results

1. Jonathan Girroir
2. Craig DeLong
3. Michael Witkowski
4. Thorn Devlin
5. Jonathan Johnson
6. Ryder Lafferty
7. Liam Draper
8. Cody Barnes
9. Benjamin Nelko
10. Ben Parsons