VOL. 53 ISSUE 23 JUNE 14, 2016 P33
it was an all-out battle between
Strang and Russell with only six
seconds separating the pair.
Russell was able to work his
way around Strang, but not even
a mile later Strang was eager
to get back in the lead and put
a move on Russell. The two
came together during the pass
ultimately taking both of them
down. While Strang was able to
quickly recover, Russell faced a
mechanical issue resulting from
the crash, which left the defend-
ing champion unable to finish
the race.
"Kailub started to catch me
on the last two laps and then
was right on me on the last lap,"
said Strang. "Around the six-mile
marker we had different lines
and he came up next to me and
we rubbed and I backed off and
he passed me. Then about a half
mile later the same opportunity
came up where I was able to
get up next to him and we both
came together and got tangled.
He hit a tree and then I hit the
next tree in line. I'm not a dirty
rider but that's racing. We both
want to win, and it's unfortunate
that it had to be this way."
Ashburn stayed consistent
and kept charging in an attempt
to catch Baylor before the finish.
A mere second separated them
as they crossed the line in sec-
ond and third with Baylor taking
the advantage.
"I've struggled big time in
the GNCC series all year long,"
said Baylor. "Ever since I sunk
my bike in Florida it went down-
hill from there. I'm still trying
to bounce back from both my
injuries this year. It feels great to
be back on the podium where I
know I belong, but I wish I could
have been up in the front battling
for the lead instead of third."
MCS Racing Suzuki's Ricky
Russell hung with the top racers,
finishing just off the podium in
fifth overall and fourth in XC1
Pro. Bobbitt followed in fifth and
eighth overall.
In the XC2 Pro Lites division
Coastal Racing Husqvarna's
Craig DeLong grabbed yet
another $100 Hot Cams XC2
Holeshot Award with his team-
mate Layne Michael right
behind him. The lead position
continued to be exchanged
between Michael, DeLong
and Solid Performance KTM's
Jesse Groemm. However, JCR
Honda's Trevor Bollinger had to
work his way through nearly the
entire class to take home his
sixth win of the season. Groemm
and Michael crossed the line in
second and third, and DeLong
would finish just off the podium
in fourth. "I had to kick my bike
seven times on the start before
it would start," said Bollinger. "It
was tough to make up that much
time. The woods were good, but
the fields were super dusty. You
just had to be smart on the first
few laps. Once I got with Craig
we were rolling pretty well and
eventually, I was able to bring it
on in." CN
XC1 Pro
1. Josh Strang (Hus)
2. Grant Baylor (Yam)
3. Jordan Ashburn (KTM)
4. Ricky Russell (Suz)
5. Russell Bobbitt (KTM)
XC2 Pro Lites
1. Trevor Bollinger (Hon)
2. Jesse Groemm (KTM)
3. Layne Michael (Hus)
4. Craig DeLong (Hus)
5. Joshua Toth (KTM)
Trevor Bollinger scored
another win in the XC2
Pro division.