After the shocking performance by the XC2 250 class at round one of the Progressive Grand National Cross Country Series, the titans returned to the top at round two in the sand of Florida. The much-anticipated duel between 2024 GNCC overall Champion Johnny Girroir and eight-time GNCC Champion Kailub Russell, who has come out of retirement after retiring in 20220, didn’t take long to get rolling. The duo battled for the win in Florida, pushing to physical limits after three hours in the sand. Girroir emerged on top, so exhausted that he immediately had to get off his bike and lay down the moment he crossed the finish. Wildly, this is actually a fairly common sight at the Florida round of GNCC, which is as physically grueling as it gets.
“I stuck to my word today and didn’t overcook it in the first few laps, because that’s always easy to do,” said Girroir in a FMF KTM factory off-road statement. “I rode within my means, saved some energy, and then had a big battle with Kailub [Russell] in the closing stages. I let it rip in the second-to-last lap, put my head down and did everything I could, so overall I am happy with the day – it was a gnarly round in the sand whoops!”
“Man I’m so happy to be up on the box and perform like that,” said Russell to Racer TV. “I was a little nervous coming into today. My winter has been absolutely terrible. Just little injuries and things like that, setback after setback. Things were adding up, but the one thing I never stopped doing was I just kept showing up day after dad grinding my ass off on the bicycle and in the gym. Yeah, I was like, you know what, let’s suck it up and see what we got. I rode a pretty mistake-free day. I felt damned good, but Johnny was just better than me for about three-quarters of that track, that deep sand. He rode really well. I just stayed focused and stayed hitting my marks. I thought if I was gonna beat him I was going to beat him on fitness, and I almost got there. He rode great, hats off to him. I’m here to fight for wins and not just cruise around.”
The full GNCC report from the series is below.
Moose Racing Wild Boar
Motorcycle Race Report
Girroir On Top at Wild Boar GNCC
PALATKA, Fla. (March 3, 2025) – The final day of the Moose Racing Wild Boar, round two of the 2025 Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, continued on with sunny and warm conditions along with some exciting, heated racing throughout the day.
As the ten seconds call was made and the green flag flew, it would be Flatrock Motorclub GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jordan Ashburn earning himself the $250 Landers KTM XC1 Holeshot Award. However, it wouldn’t be long for AmPro Yamaha’s Kailub Russell to return towards the front of the pack as he was hungry to battle for that overall win.
Russell would make his way into the lead on the opening lap, but he would have to face a hard fight with FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Jonathan Girroir for the remainder of the race. Russell and Girroir would swap the lead position for the next couple of laps before Girroir could make the pass stick for the last three laps of the race. Girroir would push himself on the last lap, coming through to take the Florida win by eight seconds over Russell, who returned to racing this year after a four-year hiatus.
FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Benjamin Kelley would claim third overall on the day after some unfortunate mishaps set him back from challenging for the overall win on the day. Kelley would maintain and push himself forward throughout the day after getting shuffled towards the back of the pack off the start.
Kelley now leads the GNCC standings in both the XC1 class and overall based on solid finishes in the first two races.
“Today was a big day for me,” said Kelley. “I had to work my way up into third after being shuffled back at the start, and then clipped a tree with my handguard and ended up going down pretty badly. I dropped back again after that, so it took me a bit to regroup, but I charged toward the front guys and then had another big one... Thankfully I’m okay! The track was sick, I loved it, and had a lot of fun.”
Wild Boar - Overall Race
March 1, 2025| Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jonathan Girroir | 03:03:30.639 | Southwick, MA  | KTM | ||
| 2 |  Kailub Russell | 03:03:38.898 | Boonville, NC | Yamaha | ||
| 3 |  Ben Kelley | 03:04:23.331 | Harwinton, CT | KTM | ||
| 4 |  Grant Davis | 03:07:07.259 | Meshoppen, PA | KTM | ||
| 5 |  Angus Riordan | 03:07:49.979 | Australia  | KTM |
Wild Boar - XC2 Pro Race
March 1, 2025| Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grant Davis | 03:07:07.259 | Meshoppen, PA | KTM | ||
| 2 | Angus Riordan | 03:07:49.979 | Australia | KTM | ||
| 3 |  Cody J Barnes | 03:09:21.459 | Sterling, IL | Honda | ||
| 4 |  Josh Toth | 03:14:18.794 | Winstead, CT | Kawasaki | ||
| 5 |  Nicholas Defeo | 03:14:48.095 | Myrtle Beach, SC | Kawasaki |
Wild Boar - XC3 Pro-Am Race
March 1, 2025| Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  James Jenkins | 03:32:52.867 | House Springs, MO | Yamaha | ||
| 2 | Luke Brown | 03:37:36.970 | Wellington | Yamaha | ||
| 3 | Raley L Messer | 03:02:25.715 | Beaver Dam, KY | Beta | ||
| 4 | Philippe Chaine | 03:04:04.551 | Canada  | KTM | ||
| 5 | Jayson T Crawford | 03:08:25.178 | Rock Falls, IL | Yamaha |
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben Kelley | Harwinton, CT | 148 |
| 2 | Grant Davis | Meshoppen, PA | 147 |
| 3 | Angus Riordan | Australia | 122 |
| 4 | Cody J Barnes | Sterling, IL | 105 |
| 5 |  Liam Draper | Auckland, New Zealand  | 100 |
Teammates, and XC2 250 Pro competitors, FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Grant Davis and Angus Riordan continued to battle for the entire three-hour race, swapping the lead position on several different occasions. Davis would hold on to grab the XC2 win and fourth overall on the day while Riordan finished second in XC2 and fifth overall at the Moose Racing Wild Boar.
Grant Davis: “This track is definitely gnarly, I’ll tell you that! I got off to a good start, and had a good battle with Gus. I pushed hard to make the pass on him, and then on the second-to-last lap I clipped a lapped rider and went down pretty hard. Other than that, everyone was ripping today, congratulations to the other two boys on the podium, and a big thanks to my whole team.”
Angus Riordan: “It was a brutal day and the bumps were just massive out there. The layout was good this year, Grant was riding really well today and I did everything I could to chase him down, but second was the best we had for this weekend.”
AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper would battle back to finish inside the top five in XC1 after crossing the line eleventh on the opening lap. Draper put his head down and pushed through the sandy terrain steadily making his way up through the riders as he crossed the line sixth overall on the day and fourth in XC1. Phoenix Racing Honda’s Michael Witkowski continued to battle mid-pack throughout the day as he finished fifth in XC1 and seventh overall on the day in Florida.
Lyndon Snodgrass would put in a good ride as he battled within the top five for the majority of the race. Snodgrass would receive a one position penalty for receiving gas outside of his designated pit area, therefore making his sixth in the XC1 class and eighth overall on the day. Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cody Barnes would come through to round out the top three XC2 250 Pro class finishers and ninth overall on the day, while Enduro Engineering Triumph Racing’s Ricky Russell rounded out the top 10 overall finishers and earned himself a seventh in XC1.
After earning the holeshot award, Ashburn would come through to finish eighth in XC1, followed by Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Craig Delong and Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green’s Steward Baylor finishing ninth and tenth in the XC1 Open Pro class.
In the XC3 125 Pro-Am class it was Jayson Crawford jumping out to grab the $100 Lojak Cycle Sales Holeshot Award, but at the end of the day it would be James Jenkins coming through to take the class win after holding the lead position for the duration of the race. Luke Brown would battle his way up to second on the day, and Riley Messer rounded out the top three XC3 finishers in Florida.
The Moose Racing Wild Boar Top Amateur honors would go to Joseph Cunningham as he came through to earn 16th overall on the day and earn the 250 A class win. Gavin Simon would come through right behind Cunningham to take second in the 250 A class, and on the Top Amateur podium as he finished 17th overall. Lane Whitmer would come through 19th overall to round out the top three in the 250 A class, and atop the Top Amateur podium at round two.
As the WXC class took off in the morning race it was Rocky Mountain Red Bear Team Green Kawasaki’s Rachael Archer grabbing the $100 Landers KTM WXC Holeshot Award to get started, but she would soon feel the pressure from FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Brandy Richards. As the class emerged from the trail and headed towards timing and scoring on the opening lap, it was Richards leading the way and place a substantial gap over the rest of the field. Richards would continue to lead the way for the remaining laps, earning the win in the sandy terrain.
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Rachael Archer | New Zealand | 184 |
| 2 |  Korie Steede | Beloit, OH | 166 |
| 3 |  Tayla Jones | Yass, Australia | 130 |
| 4 |  Shelby A Turner | Barons, AB | 119 |
| 5 | Carly Lee | Millville, NJ | 94 |
After starting back in the fifth place position on the opening lap, Phoenix Racing Honda’s Tayla Jones would steadily work her way up through the field making the necessary passes to land her a spot on the podium. On the last lap Jones would make a final push, and finish second in the WXC class as she makes her return to GNCC Racing this season. Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Korie Steede would battle towards the front of the pack for the majority of the day going between second and third in the class. As the checkered flag flew, Steede would round out the top three WXC finishers.
Travis Lentz would come through in the Youth Bike race to earn his second-straight overall win of the season, while he also went on to earn the YXC1 Super Mini Sr. (14-15) class win. Kamden Krause would battle through to take second overall on the day and in the YXC1 class behind Lentz, while Ace Tokar earned the YXC2 Super Mini Jr. (12-13) class win and rounded out the top three overall Youth Bike finishers. Earning third in YXC1 would go to Cooper Duff as Hayden Dupuis and Phillip Arnold came through to finish second and third in the YXC2 class.
In the 85 Big Wheel (14-15) class it was Hunter Carey coming through to earn the class win, while Gavin Abboud took the 85 Big Wheel (11-13) class win at round two. Evan Porter would earn the 85 (12-13) class win, while Trason Landrum earned the 85 (11) class win. Tripp Lewis would earn first place in the 85 (7-10) class, Todd Toland took the win in the 65 (10-11) class and Matthew Simoneaux earned the 65 (9) class win. The 65 (7-8) class win went to Tanner Toland and Sahara Robinson earned the Girls Super Mini (12-16) class win in Florida. Vaida Lavergne took the Girls 85 (7-13) class win while Aubrey Tsakanikas earned the Girls 65 (7-11) class win. Camden Phillips would earn the win in the Trail Rider (7-15) class.
The AMSOIL Moto Hero was awarded to Joshua Webb from Montville, Ohio. Josh is in the United States Marine Corps as a Lance Corporeal. Josh served during Operation Enduring Freedom as an artillery specialist from 2008 until 2012. He has been racing since 2018, and back in 2020 he earned the Vet B National Championship. Josh will receive an AMSOIL shopping spree, commemorative American flag from Columbia flag and sign co. Plus $200 gift certificate for their online store and a $250 KANATI certificate.
