best finish I could with the guys."
Finishing 11th was NGPC
Champion Dante Oliveira, who
is a late fill-in for the injured Ben
Kelley. Oliveira has limited expe-
rience racing in the woods.
"Today
was a decent start,"
Oliveira said. "I started off
around fourth and got into the
tighter stuff, pushed the front
in the roots, and dropped back
before I got to find a few more
lines and was able to pick it up.
It's a different beast out here,
but I'm in one piece, learned a
lot, and had fun. I know what I
need to work on and had a great
time racing in GNCC again."
A newly signed member of
Steward Baylor's Rocky Moun
-
tain Red Bear Kawasaki team,
Rachael Archer,
won the WXC
class, topping FMF/KTM's Korie
Steede by just five seconds in a
titanic battle.
"Coming into today was pretty
stressful for me after I picked up
a virus on Friday," Steede said. "I
came in with an open mind, just
to ride my dirt bike the best that
I could today, and it definitely
paid off in the race."
Team Landers KTM's Brandy
Richards rounded out the po-
dium, with GasGas rider Shelby
Turner
fourth and Sherco's
Rachel Gutish in fifth.
"I got off to a great start, and
I just tried to stay smooth and
consistent," Richards said. "On
the second lap, I tried to pick it
up, but the roots were slick out
there, and I went down. These
girls were ripping, and I had a
good time—it was a great race!"
Dakoda Devore (KTM) topped
the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class,
ahead of Beta USA's Jhak
Walker and Dustin Simpson
(Yam).
CN
OVERALL
1. Johnny Girroir (KTM)
2. Steward Baylor (Kaw)
3. Grant Baylor (Kaw)
4. Jordan Ashburn (GG)
5. Evan Smith (Hus)
6. Angus Riordan (KTM)
7. Liam Draper (Yam)
8. Ricky Russell (Yam)
9. Grant Davis (KTM)
10. Trevor Bollinger (Hus)
ROUND 1 / FEBRUARY 18, 2024
BIG BUCK FARM / UNION, SOUTH CAROLINA
OFF-ROAD I THE PROGRESSIVE GRAND NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY SERIES, PRESENTED BY SPECIALIZED
P56
Rachael Archer
took the Women's
Pro-class win for
her new team.
