PREVIEW
OFF-ROAD
P60
2013 GNCC PREVIEW
BY JEN KEYON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEN HILL, JASON
HOOPER AND SHAN MOORE
I
t���s been nearly a decade since
multiple GNCC Champions
have competed against each
other for a shot at the XC1 title.
The last time the series saw
such a star-studded championship battle was in 2004 when ���93
champ Fred Andrews, four-time
champ Rodney Smith, five-time
champ Scott Summers and ���03
champion Barry Hawk all vied for
the XC1 title, in which factory Suzuki rider Rodney Smith claimed
his fifth and final championship.
It���s also not uncommon for some
of motocross��� biggest names like
Guy Cooper, Doug Henry, Ryan
Hughes, Mike Kiedrowski, Mike
Brown and Travis Pastrana to try
their hand at GNCC Racing, and
even win races!
Next week, a new generation
of GNCC champions will line
up next to one another in River
Ranch, Florida, Tuesday, March
12, for the three-hour race in
hopes of capturing a win to start
off the 2013 AMSOIL GNCC
season. AmPro Yamaha���s Paul
Whibley leads the pack with the
number-one plate for the second
time in his GNCC career, aboard
a YZ450F. At 34-years-old, Whibley is the oldest championship
contender this season but arguably one of the toughest competitors out there.
Factory FMF/KTM���s Kailub
Russell - 2012 runner up and two-
GEARING UP
IT ALL BEGINS
NEXT WEEK
time XC2 Champion - has a lot
to prove heading into this year���s
season opener. Russell admittedly lost the 2012 Championship
at round one when he injured
his shoulder during the race and
pulled off, taking a major hit in
the overall point standings with a
DNF.
���That crash ultimately led to I didn���t know it at the time - but
that race pretty much cost me the
championship single handedly,
unfortunately,��� Russell said.
After securing his first GNCC
Championship in 2011, Factory FMF/KTM���s Charlie Mullins didn���t have a desirable year