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VOL. 50 ISSUE 23 JUNE 11, 2013
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEN HILL
T
he usually reserved and quiet
FMF/KTM-backed Kailub Russell
made a loud statement at the John
Penton GNCC by taking his second win
of the season and his first ever at this
venue.
After years of coming close, Russell
was finally able to put a John Penton
win under his belt by besting his teammate Charlie Mullins after three hours of
intense racing. The win allowed Russell
to inch closer to Mullins in the championship points race, and his win may be
the first time in decades that a mullet
took center stage on the podium! Russell strolled into the John Penton sporting a classic mullet hairdo and appeared
to be the most relaxed we have seen him
in some time. Be it the new hairstyle or
karma, the win signaled that no rider is
going to run away with the championship
in the XC1 Pro class in 2013.
The weather has kicked around this
year's AMSOIL GNCC Series like a redheaded step child, again offering up
conditions that force skill and finesse to
combine with luck to even finish, much
less keep to any plan for winning. The
FMF/KTM team has been able to come
out on top, as others remain thirsty for a
few rounds where the weather isn't the
factor leading to dismal results. Thunderstorms loomed and smashed into the
Penton both Friday and Saturday nights
turning the Ohio soil into a greasy mess,
something everyone is growing accustomed to. Crews were forced to change
the course multiple times as the hills became impassable.
P77
Am/Pro Yamaha's Paul Whibley rocketed off the line securing another classic
Axeman Holeshot and looked to be off
to his best race this season. For several
laps, Whibley poured on the power and
was out front or in contention.
"I led about half of the first lap until I
missed an inside line and Rory Mead snuck
by me. I returned the favor when Mead
made the same mistake on a similar line
and I was back in the lead," Whibley said.
It was shaping up to be a colorful podium
as Whibley looked to be in a position to
put some blue back on the box as the
last lap was underway.
"I held third going into the last lap with
Josh Strang right behind me," Whibley
said. "I had to stop for gas and Josh took
full advantage as he took over the third
spot. I kept the heat on but couldn't find
a spot to make anything happen."
While finishing just off the podium,
Whibley showed all the signs that he was
over his early season injury and ready to
make this season a fight to the end.
For Rocky Mountains M/C's Josh
Strang, the door opened in the pits, as
he ripped past Whibley and was heading
to his second podium of the season.
"I got stuck twice but caught back up,
it was the best I've felt all year, finally
back on the podium and I felt like I deserved it," said Strang.
At an earlier point in the race, five XC1
Pros battled it out as they hit the Sunday
Creek MX portion of the course. The
woods would be the separating factor,
as the slick conditions tamed the charges being made. Mullins and Russell
remained out front and it would, once
again, be an FMF/KTM-dominated po-
