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THE
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tory ones, are using lease bikes
effectively but for a cost most private teams simply cannot afford.
The Superstock class is expected to carry on, but if there
are mass defections of the top
teams, a view may have to be
taken.
It also seems that there has
been no change in the direct fo-
cus of Dorna on the smaller classes – Supersport and Superstock
– until the World Superbike rules,
etc. are decided upon.
Gordon Ritchie
RUSSELL CLOSES IN
illed as the infamous Blackwater 100 tribute race, one
would have a hard time drawing the correlation between the
small town of Davis, West Virginia, and the posh atmosphere of
the Snowshoe Ski Resort also in
West Virginia that played host to
round nine of the GNCC Series
on Sunday. There may never be
a GNCC race that equals the historic significance as the Blackwater, but the grueling terrain of
the Snowshoe stands as a litmus
test for anyone wanting to know
what it was like back in the days
of Blackwater.
And Kailub Russell certainly
knows what it's like. He clinched
his third straight win of the season at the Snowshoe, as he
bested the field after coming
from behind and overtaking the
lead from teammate and points
leader Charlie Mullins.
With the Snowshoe's unique
six-rider-per-row start, Russell
came from the second row and
took over from Mullins, who held
the lead for the first few laps.
From there, Russell took command of the race, staying consistent and strong during the threehour race, with Mullins giving
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEN HILL
B
chase until the checkered flag
waved.
Honda rider Thad Duvall was
on the move early until contact
with one of the countless rocks
broke his shifter off, causing a
pit stop for repairs. Duvall was
back in the mix and would finish
the race in third place on adjusted time.
KTM-mounted Chris Bach
had another stellar performance
and was the third rider to physically cross the finish line, but lost
out on adjusted time and ended
up fourth.
Defending champ Paul Whib-
Kailub Russell has closed to within
three points of series leader Charlie
Mullins after winning the Snowshoe
GNCC in West Virginia.
ley rounded out the top five.
After nine of 13 rounds, Russell trails Mullins by just three
points.
KTM rider Grant Baylor took
the XC2-class win, followed by
fellow KTM rider Jason Thomas
in second and Shane Hufford Jr.
in third.
Baylor leads Thomas by 19
points in the XC2 class.
Ken Hill
