Racing

Thad Duvall Tops Mason-Dixon GNCC

Factory Husqvarna rider grabs third win of season

October 3, 2018

Trail Jesters Racing KTM’s Ben Kelley not only raced his way to a commanding victory in the XC2 250 Pro class, but also powered his way onto the overall podium with a solid third-place finish. Kelley’s incredible performance placed him atop the overall podium for the first time in his career, marking a big moment for the young rider as he joins an exclusive list of GNCC racers to make the overall podium from the XC2 class.Darrin Chapman

The 2018 AMA Grand National Cross Country Series returned to action after its three-month summer break for round 11 at the Mason-Dixon GNCC in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Thad Duvall got back on track by grabbing his third win of the season following a hard-fought battle with Tely Energy KTM’s Steward Baylor.

“It feels so good to be back at the GNCC rounds,” Duvall said. “It was a long day, and I had to battle nonstop, but it paid off. I took the win and it was what I was looking for in my results. I can’t thank the whole Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team enough, and we are looking forward to the next round!”

Trail Jester Racing KTM’s Ben Kelley turned in the ride of the day by coming from the XC2 row to finish third overall and first in the XC2 division, while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Josh Strang finished fourth. FMF KTM’s Kailub Russell had a rough day, finishing fifth after a crash-filled ride.

Kailub Russell had a rough day at the Mason-Dixon GNCC. The series point leader battled through a series of crashes that ultimately resulted in a nagging shoulder injury for most of the three-hour race. “Today was a rough one but we were able to keep the bigger picture in mind and pick up some valuable points,” Russell said. “I had trouble staying off the ground all day but the big one was on lap two when I clipped a tree with my right shoulder and ended up slamming it into the ground. It’s pretty banged up, so I just did my best to keep pushing without doing anything dumb.”Darrin Chapman

Thad Duvall battled with Steward Baylor at the front of the pack for most of the race. However, with two laps to go Duvall made the pass for the lead and pushed hard to maintain it until the checkered flag where time put him in the overall winning position.Darrin Chapman

FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Josh Toth led the XC2 class early in the race. However, Toth began to experience cramping just after the two-lap card came out and he dropped to second in class. “Second isn’t where I wanted to be but I did the best I could out there today,” Toth said. “I was losing a lot of energy leading so I was kind of excited when Ben Kelley got around me. I was following along with him and just cramped up really bad with about two laps to go. I struggled at the end but he stayed the same pace, so congrats to him.”Darrin Chapman

JCR Honda’s Trevor Bollinger battled for third during the early stages of the three-hour Mason-Dixon GNCC, but dropped off the pace after the midway point and settled for eighth at the finish.Darrin Chapman

Trail Jesters Racing KTM/Bonanza Plumbing’s Mackenzie Tricker was third, a little over a minute behind runner-up Tayla Jones.Darrin Chapman

Washington native Ricky Russell was off his usual pace in Pennsylvania, finishing 13th on his AmPro Yamaha.Darrin Chapman

Jones was second overall in the WMX class at Mason-Dixon, but still maintains a comfortable lead in the series championship. With two races remaining, the KR4 Husqvarna rider sits with a comfortable lead over Becca Sheets in the standings, 225 to 198.Darrin Chapman

Ohio’s Cory Buttrick rounded out the top 10 in the XC1 class on his KR4 Husqvarna.Darrin Chapman

New Zealand’s Liam Draper was 18th overall on his KR4 Husqvarna and seventh in the XC2 class.Darrin Chapman

2018 Mason Dixon GNCC Overall Results

Position	Rider	Brand
1	Thad Duvall	Husqvarna
2	Steward Baylor	KTM
3	Ben Kelley	KTM
4	Josh Strang	Husqvarna
5	Kailub Russell	KTM
6	Josh Toth	KTM
7	Pascal Rauchenecker	Husqvarna
8	Trevor Bollinger	Honda
9	Grant Baylor	KTM
10	Jonathan Girroir	Suzuki

2018 GNCC Point Standings

Position	Rider	Brand	Points
1	Kailub Russell	KTM	272
2	Thad Duvall	Husqvarna	232
3	Trevor Bollinger	Honda	177
4	Steward Baylor	KTM	174
5	Ben Kelley	KTM	155
6	Josh Strang	Husqvarna	154
7	Josh Toth	KTM	136
8	Ricky Russell	Yamaha	117
9	Grant Baylor	Husqvarna	83
10	Craig DeLong	Husqvarna	82