VOLUME ISSUE MARCH , P85
WORDS BY SHAN MOORE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEN HILL
I
t might be too early to specu-
late, but judging from the first
two rounds, Johnny Girroir is al-
ready trying to stamp his name on
this year's Grand National Cross-
Country Series, having won the
first two rounds despite suffering
get-offs and hardships in both
races. A big change from last
year's series, which saw seven
winners in the first seven rounds.
Girroir's main rival in the series,
Steward Baylor, could have had
two wins to his credit as well,
had it not been for some unusual
hardships on his part.
This year's Wild Boar GNCC
was wet, muddy, and deeply
rutted. Still, FMF/KTM's Girroir,
FMF KTM Factory Racing Team
Landers' Grant Davis, and Rocky
Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki's
Baylor managed the conditions
better than the rest and went
1-2-3 to fill the podium, with
Davis turning in a particularly
surprising ride since he was in
the XC2 250 Pro class.
Girroir took the lead midway
into lap one ahead of holeshot
-
ter AmPro Yamaha's Ricky Rus-
sell, despite falling in the first
turn and starting last. Mean-
while, Baylor clipped a branch,
knocking him into a rider and
costing him two places.
Girroir gained the lead ahead
of Russell, with Baylor continu
-
ing to work his way to the front.
Johnny Girroir made it two
GNCC wins in a row.
TAKE TWO
JONATHAN GIRROIR OPENS THE 2024
GNCC CHAMPIONSHIP WITH BACK-TO-BACK WINS
