VOL. 50 ISSUE 43 OCTOBER 29, 2013
RUSSELL
REVAILS
Kailub Russell crowned after
final-round showdown
P83
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEN HILL
O
nce again, this year's
GNCC
Championship
came down to a finalround, winner-takes-all showdown, and both times Kailub
Russell was involved in the dramatic conclusion. Last year, Russell came out on the short end of
the stick, finishing second place
to Paul Whibley in both the race
and the 2012 Championship.
Just four points separated the
two after all was said and done.
This year, Russell again found
himself in another similar finalround decider at the The Ironman
GNCC in Indiana, with him carrying a two-point advantage over
his FMF/KTM teammate Charlie
Mullins. Unlike last year, however, Russell found the end results
far more to his liking. He made
up for a shaky start, worked his
way to the front and held on to
take the win and the 2013 GNCC
Championship, the first of his
young career.
Things didn't start out too well
for Russell. He got a little over
anxious on the start and lit his
electric-start KTM too early, before the green flag dropped, and
officials were forced to hold Russell back 15 seconds.
"I usually rest my thumb on my
starter [button] before the 10 seconds call, but this time I put a little
too much pressure on it," Russell
said. "I made a mistake and they
penalized me for it."
That could've been disastrous
