Source: Supplied.

FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Kailub Russell captured his sixth XC1 Pro win of the season at Snowshoe Mountain’s ninth round of the 2016 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series presented by Maxxis, on Sunday, 26 June.

The rough and rugged conditions created a grueling track for the event that lived up to the nickname of ‘America’s toughest race’, after three hours of racing it was the defending champion who reigned supreme.

Following the unique live engine start, Russell jumped out to the early lead and quickly pulled a large gap on the rest of the field, behind him it was Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/KR4 Arrive-N-Ride Team’s Thad Duvall who came through the pack to second position.

It then became a three-man battle when Australian Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing/Bel-Ray rider Josh Strang came into the mix. The three rode within seconds of each other until Strang fell back allowing for Westfield Powersports KTM’s Jordan Ashburn and N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha’s Grant Baylor to catch up to the front runners.

Unfortunately, Duvall went on to face a mechanical issue with two laps left, handing Baylor the second place position on the fifth lap with Ashburn racing right behind him in third.

Russell continued pushing the pace to cross the line over two minutes ahead of Baylor for the win, rounding out the podium it was Ashburn followed by Steward Baylor in fourth and Australia’s Strang in fifth.

Russell leaves round nine holding a 15-point lead over Strang in the overall championship standings with Trevor Bollinger, Ashburn and Craig Delong rounding out the top five.

Click here for detailed results