Jimmy Jarrett has spent most of the 2010 season trying to rehab a shoulder he injured during the opening round of the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series back in March. This summer the GEICO/JG Off Road/ Monster Energy Kawasaki rider suffered a further setback when a hit-and-run driver struck him while he was bicycling near his home in Ohio. So it was somewhat surprising when Jarrett took the win at the Unadilla GNCC in New Berlin, New York. What was even more surprising was that he beat out pre-event favorite Nate Kanney for the win.
Jimmy Jarrett narrowly missed getting the holeshot at the start of the race but moved into the lead within the first mile of the race. By the end of the opening lap, however, Nate Kanney had pulled to within striking distance and at that point, said Jarrett, “The race was on.” “I got in the lead early on and then Nate passed me and the battle began,” said Jarrett. “We went back and forth and then I tipped over with two laps to go and he got away from me and I thought it was over with. But he got into some lappers and I was able to catch up to him. Then on the last lap, not far from the end, he just lost the front end on some slippery rocks and I knew that was my shot and I just pinned it.”
Nate Kanney came into the Unadilla round with plenty of momentum from his big with at this year’s Snowshoe GNCC in West Virginia. The FMF/KTM rider was also looking forward to riding the rocky Unadilla course, which he says suits his style. On the final lap Kanney had the race all wrapped up, until he lost the front end on a slippery camber and went down. “I had the lead for a while and Jimmy was right on me and we were having a good race,” said Kanney. “He kept the pressure on and I had to push on the last lap and I crashed trying to get around a lapper and unfortunately I didn’t have enough time to make it up. I didn’t get the win but I’m really happy for Jimmy. He’s had a lot of bad luck this year and he really rode good today so I’m happy for him.”
Clockwork/Ride PG/KTM’s Chris Bach claimed his fourth podium finish of the year with a come-from-behind ride at Unadilla. After working his way into the top three, Bach went down in a rut and had to start the process all over again. “The track was really blown out and there are a lot of lines everywhere so it was easy to make some moves,” said Bach. “I got up to the front and I slipped in behind Kanney and I thought I would just track him, but I went down and lost a lot of ground. But I just put my head down and was determined to get back to the front and finished third.”
After starting out the year with four-straight wins, Josh Strang has struggled to make the top three, earning just two podium finishes in the last six races. At Unadilla, the FMF/Makita Suzuki rider finished fourth. “I was a little off the pace today and I got a pretty bad start, but I was pretty happy overall,” said Strang. “I actually picked up a few points and my bike was awesome. The testing we did the last few weeks – we got the thing dialed in, so I’m pretty stoked about that. It’s a bummer not to get on the podium but I’m still in good shape for the championship.”
Charlie Mullins has been slowly cutting into Strang’s points lead over the course of the second half of the season, however, Unadilla was a setback for the Obermeyer/FMF/Am Pro Yamaha rider. During the opening lap, Mullins fell in a turn and damaged his throttle housing and had to return to the pits to get it fixed. He was never able to make up for the lost ground. “It was kind of frustrating,” said Mullins. “I felt I rode good enough, and the bike was working okay, it was just a freak deal. I guess that’s racing.”
FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell came out on top of a race-long battle with series rival Jason Thomas for the win in the XC2 division. Thomas and Russell swapped the lead several times though out the race, but the deciding factor was a final lap collision between the two riders that left Thomas on the ground and Russell with the lead. Russell ended up with the win, his sixth of the season and a five point boost in the series points standings. “I had a couple of crashes today, but I was able to catch back up each time,” said Russell. “There at the end, me and Jason were both going for the same line and we came together and he got the bad end of the deal.”
