Source: Supplied.

Powerline Park’s penultimate round of the 2016 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) championship saw FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Kailub Russell continue his dominance in the XC1 Pro category.

Kicking off the event it was Australia’s Josh Strang who grabbed the All Balls Racing XC1 Pro Holeshot Award, Strang was accompanied by Westfield Powersports KTM Presented by Moose Racing’s Jordan Ashburn and MCS Racing Suzuki/Obermeyer/Kenda/MX Tech/Fly Racing’s Ricky Russell as he lead the way into the woods.

After working his way up from a mid-pack start, Russell made the pass for the early lead right after the rock garden. Strang continued to push and keep Russell in his sights as he battled through a lingering ankle injury, but he soon felt pressure from Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/KR4 Arrive-N-Ride Team’s Thad Duvall.

Duvall was able to catch up and make the pass for second by the time the three-hour race reached its halfway point, he then quickly set his eyes on catching Russell who sat 10 seconds ahead of him. Meanwhile Strang was facing difficulties when his damaged radiator forced him to pull out of the race with only two miles remaining.

With Strang and his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing/Bel-Ray entry out of the event, this allowed Ricky Russell to move into the final podium position behind eventual round and championship winner Russell and second place rider Duvall.

Strang maintains his second place overall standing with one round remaining ahead of Trevor Bollinger, Ashburn and Duvall to round out the top five.