Image: Ken Hill.

Australia’s Josh Strang finished third in the Morgantown round of the 2014 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series on Sunday during the Steele Creek round of the championship.

The third round of the season was won by current champion Kailub Russell (FMF/KTM) in mud-soaked conditions, closing the gap to only three points behind his teammate Charlie Mullins in the title chase.

By the time Mullins was settled in the second place spot, Russell had put over one minute on his teammate and the rest of the field and the reigning champ never looked back.

Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/N-Fab Am Pro Yamaha’s Strang began the afternoon just inside the top 10, but the 2011 Steele Creek winner quickly pushed his way through the pack.

Strang caught Mullins just after the two-lap card fell, and after a hard fought attempt at claiming second place, Strang came through the finish just three seconds behind Mullins to capture third place overall for the day.

“It took a while to get going out there,” Strang said. “The last couple of laps felt pretty good. I caught up to Charlie on the last lap but I just couldn’t get by him. But all in all it was a good day.

“Podiums are always nice but it’s been two years since I’ve won a GNCC – I’m ready for a win!”

RideMPS.com/AMSOIL/Honda’s Thad DuVall didn’t get the most desirable start but he put his head down and charged his way through the pack early on for fourth overall.

Factory FMF/KTM’s Steward Baylor earned his best finish of the season with fifth overall for the day. Another minute behind was N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Jordan Ashburn in the sixth place spot.

Factory Husqvarna’s Andrew Delong captured seventh place for the day, followed by Johnny Campbell Racing (JCR) Honda’s Chris Bach in eighth, Rockstar Energy/WMR/KTM’s Ryan Sipes in ninth and Takeshi Koikeda in 10th.

The 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series resumes on 12-13 April with the VP Racing Fuels Big Buck GNCC in Union, South Carolina.

2014 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series
Round three – Morgantown, NC

Overall results:
1. Kailub Russell
2. Charlie Mullins
3. Josh Strang (AUS)
4. Thadd Duvall
5. Steward Baylor
6. Jordan Ashburn
7. Andrew Delong
8. Chris Bach
9. Ryan Sipes
10. Takeshi Koikeda

Championship standings:
1. Charlie Mullins 70
2. Kailub Russell 67
3. Josh Strang (AUS) 58
4. Jordan Ashburn 50
5. Steward Baylor 44
6. Paul Whibley 43
7. Grant Baylor 38
8. Thad Duvall 36
9. Trevor Bollinger 34
10. Ricky Russell 33

Click here for detailed results