Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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INTERVIEW P128 GRAND NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPION CHARLIE MULLINS Mullins dominated the second half of the GNCC series. out to Russell Bobbitt in the final take that time and just ride and let (Above) Not round. Still, it was a successful it soak in and really enjoy it. It'll only did Mullins win the GNCC year for Mullins. be a moment I'll never forget. After all was said and done, we caught up with Mullins at his home in North Carolina and talked with him about the 2011 season. You've been chasing that GNCC title for a long time. How does it feel to finally get it? It was pretty special; it'll be hard to replace that feeling. That last lap at Loretta Lynn's, once I popped out on the moto track, I knew I had it and I just cruised the whole moto track, just riding real easy to kind of let it sink in. I saw a few guys on the other teams cheering for me, and all the fans. It was really cool to have a big enough lead that I could just 126-132 Mullins Interview.indd 128 Let's go back to the start of the year. After winning the 2010 Enduro title on an Obermeyer YZ450F, you signed with KTM. Did you have a choice of which bike to ride? Yeah, and I started on the 350. I started riding it about the middle of November, and I went out west to ride the Tecate Enduro and I ended up fourth. I was a little bummed about the finish, but I thought it was a good way to get a feel for the bike, and it felt pretty good out there. The 350 was just kind of missing that lowend torque that I really wanted, so I tried the 450 about a week and a half before the first National Enduro, which was kind of going out on a limb and obviously my crown, but he also came oh so close to winning the 2011 National Enduro title. results showed that. I didn't do too well and ended up sixth, but I rebounded in Florida a week later and got the win at the opening round of the GNCC series. I think it was pretty late to be making a switch, but I was happy with my decision to go with the 450 in the end. You had a great showing in Florida at the first GNCC and that seemed to get you back into the groove. Yes, the first round was awesome. I felt like I did my home12/9/11 2:22 PM