Australia's Josh Strang will need to claw back in the standings if he wants to defend his GNCC title.

Australia’s defending U.S. Grand National Cross Country Champion Josh Strang will look to get his title hopes back on track this weekend when the series continues in the Mountain Ridge GNCC.

This year’s epic championship battle continues to unfold in the XC1 bike class as the points margin becomes tighter and more intense each weekend.

FMF KTM’s Charlie Mullins grabbed the points lead back from Strang in round 10, while AmPro Racing Yamaha’s Paul Whibley closed within 12 points of the front-runners.

FMF Makita Suzuki’s Strang had a first-lap crash with FMF KTM’s Cory Buttrick at Unadilla, leaving Buttrick out with a concussion and Strang to finish outside the top 10 after replacing bike parts in order to go on.

Strang now trails Mullins by eight points heading into this weekend’s VP Racing Fuels Mountain Ridge GNCC in Somerset, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is known for its rock-strewn GNCC courses and this weekend’s Mountain Ridge event promises nothing less, with obstacles like ‘Rock’n Randy’ a fan-favorite rock section in the woods.

Taking the win at Rock Run earlier this season, Whibley showed remarkable poise in the rocky terrain and may have a mental advantage heading into this weekend’s race.

Stay tuned to MotoOnline.com.au on Monday to see where Strang ends up this weekend.