felt comfortable, and then my
arms were getting smoked there
toward the end in all the ruts.
It was so physical. And Girroir
got me back, and then I got him
back on the last lap. I was lead-
ing and ended up trying to go
around
a lapper and slid down,
and that cost me first."
DeFeo rounded out the overall
podium and finished first in the
XC2 class. "I picked off a couple
of guys in my class, and then a
and Johnny were in a battle. I
think he didn't have any brakes,
and he hit me and flipped mud in
my eye. I couldn't see anything. I
just made my way to the finish."
Due to the time adjustment,
DeFeo bumped his teammate
and team owner, Steward Baylor
Jr, off the overall podium. Baylor
ended up fourth overall and third
in the XC1 division.
"It was frustrating out there,
just a lot of mistakes on my
ROUND 1 / FEBRUARY 15, 2026
BIG BUCK FARM / UNION, SOUTH CAROLINA
OFF-R0AD I PROGRESSIVE GRAND NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY SERIES
P78
AmPro Yamaha's Danielle
McDonald won a very competitive
WXC division.
couple of guys got stuck in a few
of the mudholes," said DeFeo.
"On the third lap, I just found
something different, and I pushed
to the front of the pack. I just kept
getting around people without
them even noticing 'cause my
bike was so quiet—there's mud
over the exhaust—and then me
