IN
THE
WIND
P46
STRANG'S WIN, RUSSELL'S TITLE AT UNADILLA GNCC
A
fter a three-month hiatus,
the 2015 AMSOIL GNCC
Series resumed with the Parts
Unlimited Unadilla GNCC—round
10 of the series. Despite the
generous summer break in the
championship, many of the rac-
ers were far from rested, having
come straight from the ISDE,
including Kailub Russell, Thad
DuVall and overall ISDE winner
Ryan Sipes.
Despite suffering a knee injury
while in Slovakia, Kailub Rus-
sell made his return to GNCC
racing a successful one, even
if he didn't lead the way. The
Factory FMF/KTM rider officially
announced that his injury at the
ISDE was, in fact, a torn ACL,
but the points leader still lined up
for the Pro race. All he needed
was a top-five finish to wrap up
the title, and Russell was able to
claim a fourth-place finish to col-
lect his third-consecutive GNCC
National Championship.
"I wasn't sure how I was going
to feel on the bike, because
anything can happen to make
my injury worse," said Russell.
"It took me about an hour and a
half to feel like I had warmed up
and get my momentum going."
Russell's fourth-place finish left
the battle for the lead wide open.
Josh Strang showed he was
back on point after using the
summer break to fully recover
from a shoulder injury. After a
string of second-place finishes
in the first half of the season,
the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna
Factory racer was finally able
to take the final step up on the
podium to claim his first win of
the season.
Strang led the charge from
start to finish, claiming the $250
All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot
and never looking back. Air-
Group/Rockstar Husqvarna's
Ryan Sipes wasn't far behind
Strang, but Sipes had his hands
full fending off the advances of
Thad DuVall who moved up to
challenge him for the runner-
up position on the second lap.
The duo had a good battle
throughout the three-hour race,
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
KEN
HILL
After using the
summer break to
heal an injured
shoulder, Josh
Strang made
his return to
GNCC racing a
successful one,
taking his first win
of the season.
