OFF-ROAD
GRAND NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY SERIES, PRESENTED BY SPECIALIZED
ROUND 1 / FEBRUARY 23, 2020
BIG BUCK FARM / UNION, SC
P76
Pro-Am race, with Cole
Mattison (KTM) finishing
third.
In the Women's WXC
class, BABS/Fly/Maxxis
Yamaha's Becca Sheets
came from behind to beat
out defending champ
Tayla Jones for the win.
"I was in second pretty
quick off the start, then I
fell back to fourth actually
and had to make the pass
to get back to second,"
said Sheets. "I had to
pass Rachel (Archer) and
Mackenzie Tricker, so it
was pretty tough to get around
them. But once I did, I caught up
to Tayla and her and I just kind
of rode the track together. I was
just feeling really good. She un-
fortunately made a mistake and I
just made the pass."
AmPro Yamaha's Rachel
Archer finished third, ahead of
KTM rider Shelby Turner and
Beta USA's Rachel Gutish. CN
OVERALL
1. Kailub Russell (KTM)
2. Ricky Russell (Hus)
3. Josh Strang (Kaw)
4. Steward Baylor (She)
5. Mike Witkowski (Yam)
6. Jordan Ashburn (Kaw)
7. Grant Baylor (She)
8. Layne Michael (Yam)
9. Johnny Girroir (KTM)
10. Craig Delong (Hus)
seconds ahead of ninth-place
finisher Girroir. Girroir also was
second in the XC2 division.
Coastal Racing Husqvarna's
Craig Delong rounded out the
top 10 and third XC2 rider.
After securing last year's XC2
championship and then winning
the final two XC1 races of last
year, FMF/KTM Factory Rac-
ing's Ben Kelley came into his
first full season in the class with
high expectations. However,
the Connecticut rider suffered a
shoulder injury while practicing a
few days before the race and at
one point considered not even
racing. However, Kelley started
the race but pulled out after
three laps.
South Carolina's Zach Hayes
(KTM) edged former National
Hare Scrambles Champion Ja-
son Raines (Yamaha) by 21 sec-
onds to win the FMF XC3 125
the most impressive rides of the
day, since he switched teams
during the off-season, moving
over to Randy Hawkins' AmPro
Yamaha team. On top of that, he
was racing a four-stroke for the
first time, after years of racing a
two-stroke.
"Honestly it's surreal," said
Witkowski. "I never really thought
I'd get to this point. I honestly
give all the credit to the bike and
the AmPro Yamaha Team. That
250FX is honestly incredible.
I told myself last night before I
went to bed that I was going to
win today. I just had that feeling.
We made it happen."
Witkowski's finish earned him
first in the XC2 class.
Ashburn followed Witkowski
home, with Grant Baylor putting
another Sherco into the top-10
with a seventh.
Michael finished eighth, 20
Zack Hayes scored a narrow
win over Jason Raines in the
FMF XC3 Pro-Am class.
