Kailub Russell Tops 2018 Snowshoe GNCC

Rain on the days leading up to the 12th Annual AmsOil Snowshoe GNCC made this year’s event one of the most grueling yet, but that didn’t deter FMF KTM’s Kailub Russell, who turned in an impressive performance to claim his seventh win of the season.

“Man, it was tough today,” Russell said. “The first lap I just wanted to be really patient and kind of feel things out on the track, especially with both sides of the mountain, so you know the holes and can check out the lines. I felt really good after doing that and then my goggles broke, which was a game changer. It was half the speed without goggles on out there because there was so much mud coming up in your face and there was water running down all the slopes; it was really tough. I was right there with Thad [Duvall], he was keeping me honest, and it was tough to get away because every time I would get goggles and try to get away, something would break on them. It was just a cat-and-mouse kind of thing. Finally, going into the last lap and a half I was able to open the gap up and then on the very last lap, I got the pitboard that Thad had crashed and was out of the race, so that’s a bummer. He was riding really good and I hope he’s okay and everything is well. I’m happy to get the win at Snowshoe and head into the summer break in a good position.”

Russell’s usual nemesis, Thad Duvall, was in the hunt briefly, but eventually dropped out due to a wrist injury. With Duvall on the sidelines, Tely Energy Racing’s Grant Baylor stepped up his game to claim the runner-up slot some 48 seconds behind Russell, while JCR Honda’s Trevor Bollinger finished third, three seconds behind Baylor.

Trail Jesters KTM’s Ben Kelley took the win in the XC2 250 Pro class with a fourth overall finish, while FMF KTM’s Josh Toth was second in the XC2 250 Pro division and fifth overall.