INTERVIEW
P126
GRAND NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPION CHARLIE MULLINS
ON A TEAR
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHAN MOORE
T
he 2011 Grand National Cross
Country Series started out as a
three-man race, and looked to be
a dogfight to the end. However, it finished
up in a runaway, as Charlie Mullins finally
ended his six-year quest for the XC1 title
with a dominating flurry.
At midseason, Mullins found himself
locked in a tight battle with defending
GNCC champ Josh Strang and '09 titleholder Paul Whibley. But he was clearly
in a league of his own when the series
wrapped up with a double-header at Loretta Lynn's. Though he suffered engine
problems on Friday and finished a disappointing 14th, Mullins still had a big
enough margin in the standings to claim
the title on Sunday, winning the final race
with nearly three minutes to spare over
second.
Mullins was the first American to win
the XC1 title since Rodney Smith in 2004.
Since then overseas visitors such as Juha
Salminen, David Knight and Strang have
dominated. So Mullins' title was a popular one with the GNCC regulars, which
prompted a hectic and emotional scene
at the finish line when Mullins took the
checkers to clinch the title.
But the year for Mullins was all about
GNCC. He was also in a bitter fight for the
AMA National Enduro title, which he lost
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