Russell Wins And Kanney Lands On The Podium At The First GNCC - Dirt Rider Magazine

River Ranch, FL - In two impressive rides Shock Doctor/KTM Factory XC2 Team rider Kailub Russell ran away with the win in his class while XC1 rider Nate Kanney finished 3rd overall at the opening round of the GNCC Series.Kanney started in the top five and stayed there riding a great race. He was as high as 2nd place at one point before he encountered mechanical problems that forced him to take an extended pit stop. When he reentered the course he was in 4th. After a remarkable charge he caught 3rd (who shortly after withdrew from a mechanical problem) and finished the race in the final podium position.Not far behind Kanney in what was probably the most unpredicted and remarkable ride of the day was Shock Doctor/KTM Factory rider Mike Brown. With the WORCS Series his main focus, Brown has decided to ride a select variety of different events this year to help with his training. He showed up as "that motocross guy" but soon showed the GNCC crowd that he had what it takes to run up front. Brown started near the back of the pack on the start but by the end of the first lap he was in 9th. He remained there for three laps until he caught the pack ahead of him and began to charge forward. On the final lap he passed three riders to move from his current 7th position to 4th overall. "I had a lot of fun here and I would love to race more GNCC's. This is the type of racing I love," commented Brown after the race.Kanney's teammate, Kurt Caselli, also had a decent day finishing 6th overall in his debut race as a full-time GNCC Series participant. Caselli started 4th around the first turn but lost valuable positions when he lost his way in all the dust. "I actually had to stop for a second when I went off course due to the dust and I had to wait for another rider to go by so I could follow him back on track," stated Caselli of his first lap. Later on the second lap Caselli got stuck in one of the mud holes on the course and lost time getting his bike out. When he recovered he found himself back to 12th position. In the remaining laps he rode great and fought his way back to 6th.Mexico's KTM Red Bull Factory rider Homero Diaz also made an appearance at the first GNCC and had a blast. "This was my first GNCC and I loved it. The terrain was definitely not what I am used to but after I learned it on the first lap - I had a great time and am glad I came," remarked Diaz. After the long three hour battle in foreign territory Diaz finished 11th overall in his first GNCC event.Shock Doctor/KTM Factory XC2 riders Kailub Russell and Cory Buttrick are the newest members to the team but you wouldn't know it from watching them ride. Both riders showed up with their KTM machines "Ready to Race" and achieved fantastic results for the first round which included a win for Russell. In his remarkable victory, Russell led every lap of the race from the first turn to the checkered flag winning by over a minute ahead of the second place rider. His teammate, Buttrick, started around 9th and worked his way up into 4th by the end of the race just one spot shy of the podium.Next Event: March 8, 2009 Washington, GAOverall Results XC1 Class -
1) Charles Mullins
2) Paul Whibley
3) Nate Kanney - KTM
4) Mike Brown - KTM
5) Barry Hawk
6) Jimmy Jarrett
7) Kurt Caselli - KTM
8) Dustin Gibson
9) Jesse Robinson
10) Glenn KearneyOverall Results XC2 Class -
1) Kailub Russell - KTM
2) Jason Thomas
3) Jake Korn - KTM
4) Cory Buttrick - KTM
5) Scott Watkins
6) David Snyder
7) Shane Obanion - KTM
8) Andrew Matusek
9) Brian Lawson
10) Eric Bailey - KTM