"I had to get off and lift it
out of there, so by that time I
was already behind. I just kept
plugging along all day. It was a
tough track. It was really tricky
and slick, and it was hard to fig
-
ure out the lines. I was making
a few mistakes and just riding
a little tight and just awkward;
just not like committing to stuff.
I figured it out that last two laps,
and I just never gave up, just
kept plugging away. I'm obvi
-
ously not happy with the result.
I wanted to win; I wanted to
be on the podium, but with the
mistakes I made that first lap
with how bad it was looking, I'm
content with fourth and ready to
move on to the next round."
Kelley, who says he's nearly
one hundred percent after sever
-
al major injuries, was the first of
the XC1 riders, finishing fourth
overall. Kelley had problems
keeping up with his position in
the race, as well.
"Honestly, it's hard to under
-
stand the pit boards out there
saying that I was P1 XC1 but
sixth overall," said Kelley. "It
was confusing. It was tough out
there that first lap. All the water
and trying to break that trail, it
was just a little sketchy, and it
was just crazy for the guys in
front, but about two miles in,
I just took a bad line to try to
make a pass and just buried the
bike.
during the first three laps.
Girroir failed to make a hill
and flooded his bike when it
landed upside down. He lost
several minutes trying to get it
to start and eventually had to
bump-start it to return to the
race.
Lap four was a tough one
on the pre-race favorites and
former champions, with Red
Bear Rocky Mountain Kawa
-
saki's Steward Baylor Jr. frying
a clutch, AmPro Yamaha's Liam
Draper having to push his bike
back to the pits for unknown
reasons, and Rockstar Energy
Husqvarna Factory Racing's
Craig DeLong calling it quits for
mechanical reasons.
ROUND 1 / FEBRUARY 16, 2025
BIG BUCK / UNION, SOUTH CAROLINA
OFF-ROAD I PROGRESSIVE GRAND NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY SERIES, PRESENTED BY SPECIALIZED
P80
Amateur rider
JoJo Cunningham
from Ohio was
fifth overall.
