AMSOIL GRAND NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY SERIES
OFF ROAD
BY JEN KENYON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEN HILL
H
aving already clinched the
2014 title, Factory FMF/
KTM's Kailub Russell
made the decision to race a KTM
150XC at the final two rounds
of the AMSOIL Grand National
Cross Country Series. While it's
not uncommon for off-road rid-
ers to experiment with different
bike models after wrapping up
a championship early, Russell's
performance on the smaller bike
was without a doubt a memo-
rable feat. Most XC1 Pro riders
choose to compete on a 450cc
four-stroke machine, while riders
such as Steward Baylor and Ja-
son Thomas choose a 250 two-
stroke. While it's not as prevalent
in GNCC, Factory Husqvarna
recently introduced the 350 four-
stroke with Andrew Delong this
season, and of course we've
seen Russell take his KTM 350
to two straight titles, a bike that
couldn't be more contrary to the
150cc machine he's on now. In
what began as a light-hearted,
charitable way to end the sea-
son, has now become a personal
challenge for the two-time GNCC
champ.
Russell was miles away from
doing the unthinkable, as he
led over two hours of racing at
the ITP Powerline Park GNCC.
That is, until Rocky Mountain
ATV*MC/N-Fab AmPro Yamaha's
Josh Strang finally made a last-
lap pass on Russell to finally seal
the deal after an incredible battle.
Russell's struggle of competing
with an underpowered machine
seemed to be just as difficult
as Strang's come-from-behind
charge, but nothing made these
two riders work harder than when
they hooked up—literally—on the
final lap of the three-hour race.
In XC2-class action KTM's
Grant Baylor claimed another
victory but more importantly the
class title, his second in a row.
Baylor led from start to finish,
ending his XC2-class career on a
high note.
>>XC1
THE SHOWDOWN
The penultimate round brought
a few fresh faces to the XC1 Pro
class, including the return of 2011
GNCC National Champion Char-
ROUND 12/OCTOBER 5, 2014
POWERLINE PARK/ST. CLAIRSVILLE, OHIO
P94
Josh Strang
outdueled Kailub
Russell late in the
race to nab his
first GNCC win
since 2011.
THE
