VOLUME ISSUE DECEMBER , P71
T
he 2023 Grand National
Cross-Country Series
started as a three-man
battle involving Steward Baylor,
Ben Kelley, and Craig DeLong,
who were the winners of the
first three rounds. The champi
-
onship wound up being one of
the most competitive on record,
producing eight different win
-
ners in the 12-round champion-
ship. The rider with the most
consistency would prevail. And
that rider was Rockstar Energy
Husqvarna's Craig DeLong.
It wasn't until this year that
he claimed his first career XC1
win, which came at round three
in Georgia. Little did he know
what that win would lead to—his
first GNCC XC1 Champion
-
ship. And it came in dramatic
style, with the championship
being decided at the final race
between Rocky Mountain/Tely
Energy KTM's Steward Baylor
and DeLong.
In 2023, Mother Nature threw
everything it could at the Grand
National Cross-Country Series,
including mud, dust, sand, and
exhausting trails. DeLong finally
broke out of his shell, winning
that first XC1 race in Georgia in
just his second full season in
the class. He'd go on to win two
more throughout the season;
those three wins were the most
by anyone.
At 26 years of age, when
most riders are reaching the end
of their careers, the likable, soft-
spoken, and sometimes quiet
off-roader from Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, turned heads with
this year's title run. After all,
DeLong was still looking for his
first overall win in the highest
class and wasn't a pre-season
favorite to win the champion
-
ship like were defending champ
Jordan Ashburn, former champ
Ben Kelley, and the always-fast
Steward Baylor. However, those
closest to him weren't surprised
at all. DeLong had spent the
winter in Florida "working his
butt off," getting ready for the
upcoming season and was as
prepared as anyone. If not more.
"Going into the year, I guess
my biggest goal was to get my
first win," said DeLong. "Last year,
towards the end of the season,
I got into the lead in a couple of
the races and leading part of the
race and was finding my spot and
getting into the battle. My main
goal this year was to win some
races and just be there in the
championship hunt.
"I knew I wasn't going to do
anything crazy or stupid and
wind up taking myself out of
the hunt. But this year, I knew
I was going to be in the hunt
in the end. So, I just knew I
needed to get a win, at least
get the first one under my belt,
or get a couple in the season.
My main goal was, first, to get
SINCE 2012, CRAIG DELONG HAS BEEN CHASING THE GNCC NUMBER-ONE
PLATE IN THE PREMIER XC1 CLASS. ELEVEN YEARS AND AN XC2 TITLE
LATER, HE FINALLY CAUGHT IT. DELONG TALKS ABOUT HOW HE WON ONE OF
OFF-ROAD RACING'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS TITLES
BY SHAN MOORE • PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEN HILL
