INTERVIEW I 2 0 21 A M A G N C C N A T I O N A L C H A M P I O N B E N K E L L E Y
P102
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his year's Grand National
Cross Country Series
Championship chase
turned out to be one of the most
exciting and heated finishes in
series history, ending with both
title rivals, Ben Kelley and Stew-
ard Baylor, in a dramatic fight for
survival in the rain and mud at
Ironman Raceway. Despite any
controversies there might have
been leading up to the finale, in
the end none of it mattered, and
Kelley walked away with one of
the most coveted titles in off-
road: 2021 GNCC Champion.
Kelley's rise to the top of off-
road racing is not much different
than most other kids who aspire
to be championship dirt bike
racers. Many go down the same
path, however, few have the
determination and drive to make it
to the pinnacle like he has. Kelley
has been a rising star in the off-
road world since he raced his first
ISDE Qualifier in Ohio in 2014.
Growing up in Connecticut,
Kelley started out racing the
NETRA hare scrambles series.
"I grew up in New England and
there were no good places to
just go and ride that were legal
so the only place you could ride
your dirt bike was to sign up
for a race," said Kelley. "There
were some pretty fast guys, I
remember. I guess definitely one
RIVER
RUNS
BEN KELLEY'S
CHAMPIONSHIP
RUN
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY
BY SHAN MOORE
