Cycle News

INTERVIEW P162 GNCC CHAMPION KAILUB RUSSELL Even a 15-second penalty in the championship decider didn't faze the new champ. on, especially in that kind of condition, and I was searching for a bike setup," said Russell. "Every time I would come in we would change the suspension trying to find a little more traction. Russell's momentum stalled on day two, however, when he got a two-minute penalty for entering a time check late. "I was just sitting around, not paying attention and Brownie [Mike Brown] was a minute ahead of me and he was working on his bike because he was having clutch problems, and I wasn't watching the clock, and then all of a sudden I realized I was a minute late," said Russell. "By the time I got to the checkin I was two-minutes late, so that kind of burst a bubble. After that, the next two days were kind of so-so." Russell did manage to turn it around over the last few days, picking up the pace and finishing the event 16th overall in the final E2 standings. "It will be a lot easier next year," says Russell, "especially knowing the format. It's tough for us, because the lines form so much differently over there, the way they hit some of the corners is kind of mind-boggling. I know I found myself getting into a corner over there and the berm would be another 10 yards away, or I would go over the berm. I was just con- fused about how they rode the track the way they did so fast. So we just need to practice that kind of stuff, knowing when to cut to the inside of the corners and rail outside. I think those tires are really the deciding factor of where those lines end up." As for next year, Russell is toying with the idea of riding a 450; he's been testing one at his home in West Virginia during the off-season. "As of right now, it's kind of up in the air which bike I'll ride next year, the 350 or the 450. I'm just kind of searching for something different. It's not that the 350 is bad, I've just been on it for three years now and I think something new would add a little spark. It's something to work for, for sure," said Russell. "We're going to do some suspension testing soon and that's when I'll make my deci- sion. If I'm just as fast on the 450 and I think I can prepare myself to ride it for three hours, then I'll go that route. But if there's any doubt in my mind then I'll stick with the 350." Another thing that Russell would like to try is EnduroCross. "I'm trying to get Antti to let me try a few of them, but it's so hard for someone from the east coast to ride that series. There's really no place to practice something like that. You can't just go out in the hills and practice rocks and logs lying out there. I can't just ride out in my backyard to practice EnduroCross. But it looks fun and I would definitely like to try it. The way it's been the last two years it looks like you just need to sack up and jump some stuff, and I feel like I've always been able to do that." CN

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