Ashburn Dukes it out for Win
W
ith four different winners
emerging from the opening
four rounds, The Dukes GNCC
was primed to become a defin-
ing round five showdown in this
year's
Grand National Cross
Country Series. Phoenix Honda
Racing's Jordan Ashburn rose to
the occasion, outrunning AmPro
Yamaha's Liam Draper in a re-
lentless late-race battle. Ashburn
executed
a decisive final-lap
pass and never looked back,
sealing the victory and becom-
ing the fifth different winner in
as
many rounds, further under-
scoring the unpredictability and
intensity of
this year's champion-
ship fight.
Debuting
as a first-time GNCC
venue, Mine Made Adventure
Park delivered a fast, rough
mix of fresh trails and wide-
open dual track—and the chaos
started immediately. Ashburn
sliced underneath series points
leader Ben Kelley in turn one as
the FMF/KTM rider drifted wide,
snatching the holeshot.
Charging from a fifth-place
start, Red Bear Rocky Mountain
Kawasaki's Steward Baylor Jr
knifed through the silty, rock-
strewn course to grab second,
with Kelley settling into third.
FMF/KTM Factory Racing
standout Grant Davis, fresh off a
dominant Camp Coker win, ran
sixth behind Rockstar Energy
Husqvarna's Craig DeLong and
AmPro Yamaha's Liam Draper.
Then came the heartbreak:
Baylor's bike flamed out just be
-
fore the pits at the end of lap one,
ending his
day and reshuffling the
leaders. Kelley moved into sec-
ond behind Ashburn, with DeLong
into
third. Meanwhile, Liqui Moly
Beta's Jhak Walker paced the
XC2 class, running fifth overall on
adjusted time.
Davis hit the dirt on lap two
and dropped back to midpack,
leading to an extended pit stop
and ultimately a non-finish.
On lap three, DeLong latched
onto Kelley's rear fender, turning
VOLUME 63 ISSUE 16 APRIL 21, 2026 P39
Jordan Ashburn earned his first win of the
2026 season.
PHOTOS: MACK FAINT
