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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/615690
INTERVIEW CYCLE NEWS RIDER OF THE YEAR KAILUB RUSSELL P70 three consecutive runner-up finishes, led the championship, and committed to seeing the series through to the end. "It ended up being really spe- cial," Kallonen said. The second-to-last round was the Black Coal in Lynnville, Indiana, and Kallonen was nervous. He'd seen the troubles that come with riders competing while injured and the emotions involved. Russell is the first rider he's ever been able to work with from a young age; he was a Team KTM rider as a teenager and Kallonen was very aware of the kid's astuteness and deter- mination. At the Black Coal he reminded his franchise rider that he understood if he didn't feel up to competing. "I'm so close and I don't know if I'll ever have this opportunity again to win this championship," Kallonen remembers Russell telling him. Like at Unadilla, he started slow. At the end of the third sec- tion he pulled up to his father, Jeff. "It came apart again. [The knee] popped again," Jeff Rus- sell remembers his son telling him. "And to get anything out of Kailub in the middle of the race is pretty tough." Ryan Sipes won, Chris Bach was second and Russell was third, good enough to win the National Enduro title and be- come the first rider ever to take the GNCC and Enduro Champi- onships in the same year. Only Charlie Mullins has one of each title. ---- The Enduro title was special to Kailub not only because he now shares a record with his father, but because he had the oppor- tunity of sharing the experience with him. That's something he doesn't get in GNCC with his "It meant a lot to my dad," Kailub said. "Since I've been a professional, Enduro has been the only racing that my dad has been able to be there in full sup- port. He was chasing me around the woods and that was nice to see." In 2016, Russell will throttle back on his two-wheeled com- mitments. The first round of Enduro is February 7, much too soon to expect to be 100% healthy. He has called on former champions such as Mike Lafferty and Destry Abbott for advice on returning from injury. Abbott said it's natural to be mentally unsure coming into the first race back from a major injury. "Once he dabs that foot a few times and sees that it's a 100%, then he can say 'Okay, we're good to go,'" Abbott said. Russell is optimistic about being ready to win a fourth consecutive GNCC title, a feat only Ed Lojak (1980-1984 and 1986-1989) has accomplished. His 30 career wins put him third on the all-time list, three behind Rodney Smith and 16 in back of Scott Summers. "I'll be 100% and it will be like it never happened," Russell said. "I don't see any problem with coming back. Lots of people come back from this." However, first he needs to learn the art of changing diapers and soothing a crying infant. Those skills could be a bit more challenging. CN I HATE LOSING MORE THAN I LOVE WINNING. – KAILUB RUSSELL dad being the leader of the trail crew and other family members involved in the promotions company that runs the series. Jeff admits that he actually goes out of his way to avoid his son on GNCC race weekends. At the Enduro events and ISDE he wears the team shirt and gets to be a dad. The Russells are the first father/son combo to claim the same major profes- sional motorcycle champion- ship since Kenny Roberts Sr. (1978-1980) and Kenny Roberts Jr. (2000) won the FIM 500cc World Road Racing titles.