QUICKSPIN I 2023 KTM 300 XC
P82
THE IRONMAN
The GNCC scene is unlike any-
thing I've been a part of. And the
season finale at Ironman Race-
way is above and beyond the top
of that. On arrival, I was shocked
to see the event's sheer size. It
looks like part music festival and
part motorcycle race. After navi-
gating through the thousands of
trailers and RVs, you must then
play chicken with the motorcy-
cles, bikes, quads, Groms, Sur-
rons, golf carts, side-by-sides,
and everything in between just
to get to sign-ups. You get the
idea. The Ironman National track
isn't even visible until you're on it
and waist-deep in the action.
This was my second GNCC
experience, and I was admit-
tedly a bit nervous, considering
all I've heard are the war stories
from last year's mudder event.
This year, however, conditions
couldn't have been more differ-
ent. It was the polar opposite.
Clear skies and unseasonably
dry weather dried out the Indiana
cornfields, which created silty,
dusty conditions in the surround-
ing wooded terrain. Dust and
silt? As a SoCal desert boy, I
felt hopeful. Like I had a chance!
Now to learn the bike and the
course.
I was in Indiana after being
invited by KTM to race its new
300 XC and to participate at the
in-person reveal of the 2023 350
XC-F Factory Edition, sometimes
referred to as the Kailub Russell
Edition. The man himself was
there for the unveiling, too. The
Factory Edition XC comes spec'd
out with all the trail-ready parts
and race bling. Like the "Dungey
Edition," the 350 XC-F Factory
Edition is based on the standard
model but it is chock-full of parts
straight from the KTM Power-
Parts catalog. Orange anodized
KTM's new XC two-strokes
feature a new fuel injection
system and an electronic power-
valve. Oil injection is gone, so
premixing fuel is back.
