The following press release is from GNCC Racing:
BECKLEY, W.Va. – The dusty and dry conditions would write the book for the eleventh round of racing in the 2024 Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship. The Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Mountaineer GNCC went out with a bang on Sunday in Beckley, West Virginia, as the 2024 GNCC National Champion was crowned two rounds early.
With starts being key this weekend, Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jordan Ashburn would grab the $250 Steel City Medical Center’s XC1 Holeshot Award and head into the woods first. It was a close call thought with Phoenix Racing Honda’s Michael Witkowski as they came in almost side-by-side to the first turn. Witkowski would take the lead from Ashburn once they were in the woods, but Ashburn was eager to get back to that number one spot and would make the pass on lap two around Witkowski. Ashburn would continue to lead the race, pushing himself more and more ahead of the pack, and coming through to earn his first win of the 2024 season with a 42 second lead over the rest of the field.
As the race continued on Witkowski would find himself battling back in second after being passed by Ashburn, but on the last lap of the race would start to have some issues and be unable to hold off some of his competitors. In just his second XC1 Open Pro race, AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper would make the pass into second after running third for majority of the day to land himself another podium finish. Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Trevor Bollinger would also have his best finish of the season as he kept pushing after a good start to earn third overall on the day. Witkowski would come through to finish fifth overall, fourth in XC1.
Active Air/Max Motorsports/FXR/Husqvarna’s Evan Smith would run fifth in XC1 for the duration of the three-hour race, coming through sixth overall on the day. Phoenix Racing Honda’s Ruy Barbosa worked his way back from eighth place to finish sixth in XC1, and ninth overall on the day. JS Racing/Beta’s Josh Strang would come through seventh in XC1 and round out the top 10 overall after managing to survive the dusty conditions.
Coming through the finish eighth in XC1, and 12th overall was FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Jonathan Girroir. After a consistent year finishing on the podium, and earning four victories thus far in the year, Girroir’s overall finish at The Mountaineer was enough for him to wrap up the 2024 Overall GNCC National Championship two rounds early.
"This is my childhood dream, and I took every path on the way to being here, took the hardest roads, and none of this has come easy,” said Girroir. “Anyone out there chasing their dreams, you can do it, keep on pushing and put your head down. Keep fighting! Thank you to FMF KTM Factory Racing, the entire crew, my family, and everybody behind us for being part of this championship."
The Mountaineer - Overall Race
September 14, 2024| Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jordan Ashburn | 02:41:23.058 | Cookeville, TN  | GasGas | ||
| 2 |  Liam Draper | 02:42:05.595 | Auckland, New Zealand  | Yamaha | ||
| 3 |  Trevor Bollinger | 02:42:29.700 | Morganton, NC | Husqvarna | ||
| 4 |  Grant Davis | 02:42:31.699 | Meshoppen, PA | KTM | ||
| 5 |  Michael Witkowski | 02:42:47.730 | North Liberty, IN | Honda |
In his second race back from injury, FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Benjamin Kelley would come through ninth in XC1 and 14th overall on the day.
"It was a tough day for me with the dust. I had a bad start and couldn’t work my way up through the field with the blinding dust... just didn’t have the comfort to be aggressive and make passes," said Kelley. "We gained more seat time being back at the races though and we will keep pushing through the final rounds. Congratulations to Johnny and the team on bringing home the title this weekend."
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jonathan Girroir | Southwick, MA | 271 |
| 2 | Jordan Ashburn | Cookeville, TN | 229 |
| 3 | Grant Davis | Meshoppen, PA | 224 |
| 4 |  Steward Baylor | Belton, SC | 210 |
| 5 |  Craig Delong | Morgantown, PA | 168 |
It was an unfortunate day for Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki’s Steward Baylor as he earned a tenth in XC1 but would receive no overall points as he suffered a mechanical and was only able to complete two laps.
As the afternoon race got underway, it was FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Grant Davis earning himself the $250 Steel City Medical Center XC2 Holeshot Award and grabbing the early lead. Davis would put his head down and push forward, looking to move as far up in the overall standings as possible during the day. As the race was winding down, and the riders out on their last lap, Davis would come through to finish fourth overall on the day and earn the XC2 250 Pro class win. Davis currently sits in control of the championship standings for the XC2 250 Pro class.
"I got the holeshot and was pumped going into the woods, because I knew that would be key today," said Davis. "We were rolling pretty fast today, aside from a pretty hard crash there in the late stages, but other than that it was a good day!"
Battling back to finish second in the XC2 250 Pro class was Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cody Barnes. After starting back in the fourth place position, Barnes would aim to make his way towards the front of the class as the race continued on, and he would be able to move into third and then work to make the pass for second with just two-laps remaining. Liqui Moly Factory Beta Racing’s Jonathan Johnson rounded out the XC2 250 Pro class podium as he battled back to earn third on the day.
The Mountaineer - XC2 Pro Race
September 14, 2024| Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grant Davis | 02:42:31.699 | Meshoppen, PA | KTM | ||
| 2 |  Cody J Barnes | 02:44:14.579 | Sterling, IL | Honda | ||
| 3 |  Jonathan Johnson | 02:44:57.859 | Landrum, SC | Beta | ||
| 4 |  Angus Riordan | 02:46:48.799 | Australia  | KTM | ||
| 5 |  Toby D Cleveland | 02:49:43.510 | Erin, NY | Husqvarna |
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grant Davis | Meshoppen, PA | 344 |
| 2 | Angus Riordan | Australia | 298 |
| 3 | Cody J Barnes | Sterling, IL | 231 |
| 4 |  Brody Johnson | Landrum, SC | 173 |
| 5 |  Thad Duvall | Williamstown, WV | 168 |
Grabbing the FMF XC3 class Lojak Cycle Sales Holeshot Award was Japan National Cross Country competitor and guest this weekend, Keita Watanabe. As the class headed onto the track, it wouldn’t take long for Devore/KTM/SRS Suspension’s Dakoda Devore to move into the lead and Liqui Moly Factory Beta Racing’s Jhak Walker to be right behind him on the first lap. Walker would make the pass around Devore, and he would continue to push himself for the remainder of the race. Walker crossed the line first earning his fourth win of the season. Devore would earn second on the day, and currently sits just 7 points behind Walker in the championship standings. Destructo Racing/Dixie Fuel/Total Control Suspension’s Dustin Simpson had a consistent race as he sat in the third place position from start to finish.
Earning Top Amateur honors at The Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Mountaineer GNCC was Team Green Kawasaki and your 2024 250 A National Champion, Nick DeFeo, as he came through 7th overall on the day after pushing himself for the three-hour duration. Gavin Simon would stand second on the Top Amateur podium as he came through 13th on the day and second in 250 A. Joseph Cunningham rounded out the Top Amateur podium as he crossed the finish line 16th overall and first in Open A.
The Mountaineer - XC3 Pro-Am Race
September 14, 2024| Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jhak Walker | 02:47:48.178 | Morrisonville, IL | Beta | ||
| 2 | Dakoda Devore | 02:59:27.779 | Uhrichsville, OH | KTM | ||
| 3 | Dustin S Simpson | 03:04:22.050 | Oakboro, NC | Yamaha | ||
| 4 | Tyler Scheels | 03:17:25.019 | Monterey, TN | KTM | ||
| 5 | Joe Schriver | 02:31:33.859 | Turentum, PA | Yamaha |
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dakoda Devore | Uhrichsville, OH | 335 |
| 2 | Jhak Walker | Morrisonville, IL | 332 |
| 3 | Dustin S Simpson | Oakboro, NC | 183 |
| 4 | Joe Schriver | Turentum, PA | 171 |
| 5 | Sawyer Carratura | Allison Park, PA | 163 |
In the morning race as the green flag flew for the WXC class it was Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki’s Rachael Archer grabbing the $100 Kanati Tires WXC Holeshot Award and heading out onto the course with the early lead. Archer would continue to push herself through the dry and dusty conditions, maintaining her lead for the majority of the race. However, FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Brandy Richards also had a good start back in second and was also pushing herself through the conditions to fight for that lead position.
Richards would catch Archer as the white flag flew, indicating one more lap to go, and make the pass on her to take over the lead on the last lap. Richards would emerge from the trails first as she headed towards the finish line to earn her fourth WXC and her third overall win of the season. Archer would come through second overall and in the WXC class.
"It was a great race today," said Richards after grabbing the WXC win. "I was second off the start, made a few mistakes, but I was able to sprint to the end and brought it home on the last lap."
The Mountaineer - XC3 Pro-Am Race
September 14, 2024| Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jhak Walker | 02:47:48.178 | Morrisonville, IL | Beta | ||
| 2 | Dakoda Devore | 02:59:27.779 | Uhrichsville, OH | KTM | ||
| 3 | Dustin S Simpson | 03:04:22.050 | Oakboro, NC | Yamaha | ||
| 4 | Tyler Scheels | 03:17:25.019 | Monterey, TN | KTM | ||
| 5 | Joe Schriver | 02:31:33.859 | Turentum, PA | Yamaha |
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Rachael Archer | New Zealand | 275 |
| 2 |  Brandy Richards | Lake Havasu City, AZ | 264 |
| 3 |  Korie Steede | Beloit, OH | 234 |
| 4 |  Shelby A Turner | Barons, AB  | 189 |
| 6 | Prestin I Raines | Travelers Rest, SC | 159 |
Cade Slaats in the 150 B Schoolboy (12-17) class would battle through the day to earn third overall in the morning race and stand atop the podium with Richards and Archer. Coming through third in WXC was Bonecutter Off-Road/Sherco/FXR’s Prestin Raines. Raines would have her work cut out for her throughout the race as she battled with Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Korie Steede for majority of the day.
On Sunday morning in the youth bike race, it would be Travis Lentz coming through first to earn the overall and YXC1 Super Mini Sr. (14-15) class win after moving into the lead position on the second lap of the race. Brody Amos would sit third for majority of the race before making his move into second while out on the fourth lap. Caleb Wood rounded out the overall and YXC1 podium as he earned third on the day after battling back from a fourth place starting position.
In the YXC2 Super Mini Jr. (12-13) class it was Hayden Dupuis battling his way up through the pack after coming through fourth on the opening lap. Dupuis would find himself steadily working through the riders and making a last lap pass into the lead. Phillip Arnold would cross the line second in class, with Colby Goodman finishing third on the day. Other winners in the youth ranks were Hunter Carey in the 85 Big Wheel (11-15) class, Hunter Hawkinberry in the 85 (12-13) class , Deegan Caplinger in the 85 (11) class, Ryder White in the 85 (7-10) class, James Razor in the 65 (10-11) class, Tripp Lewis in the 65 (9) class, Daxton Mullins in the 65 (7-8) class, Jayden Shea in the Girls Super Mini (12-16) class, Baylee Arsenault in the Girls 85 (7-13) class, Paisley Harris in the Girls 65 (7-11) class and Wyatt Younker in Trail Rider (7-15).
On Saturday in the Bike Micro race, it was Tripp Lewis coming through to earn the overall win as well as the MXC1 (8-9) class win followed by Daxton Mullins coming through second overall on the day and in the MXC1 class, while Kane Morrison made the move up to MXC1 and grabbed the third overall spot on the podium. In the MXC2 (6-8) class it was Cade Propst taking home the win while Maura Tsakanikas and Canon Freeman rounded out the top three in the class. Ryder Baricska would come through to take home the 50 Sr. 1 (7) class win, Baron Evkovich earned the 50 Sr. 2 (6) class win, Braddox Hall grabbed the 50 Jr. 1 (6-7) class win, and Jacobi Duvall took the 50 Jr. 2 (4-5) class win. Deegan Deel would earn the Micro-E (4-7) class win, Codie-Mae Lloyd earned the Micro (4-6) Shaft Drive class win and Alaina Sollon would earn herself the Trail Rider (7-9) class win on the day.
The AMSOIL Moto Hero was awarded to Chris Hardman from Parkersburg, West Virginia. Chris was a Sergeant in the United States Air Force and comes from a family that had 7 sons who all joined the military with 5 sons in the Army and 2 in the Air Force. Chris is part of Amber "Turkey Girl" Hardman's Pit Crew and her mechanic. Chris received a $250 AMSOIL shopping spree, a $500 Kanati Performance tires gift certificate as well as a commemorative American flag courtesy of Columbia flag and sign co along with a $200 gift certificate for their online store.
