Australian Josh Strang finished third at the Mountain Ridge GNCC round on Sunday.

Charlie Mullins claimed his second win in a row and fourth of the year with an impressive runaway performance at the VP Racing Fuels Mountain Ridge GNCC in Somerset, Pennsylvania on Sunday.

After the start, the 11th round of the 2011 Can-Am Grand National Cross Series appeared to be a five-man affair as Mullins battled with his FMF/KTM teammate Kailub Russell, FMF/Makita Suzuki’s Josh Strang, WMR Racing/Clockwork/Planet Fitness KTM’s Nate Kanney and Am Pro Racing/FMF Yamaha’s Paul Whibley.

However, heading into the second lap, Mullins, Russell and Strang made a break from the pack – with Russell holding the upper hand.

Near the halfway point of the race, Mullins took the lead from Russell and then later pulled a considerable gap when Russell took a hard fall in the rocks. After that, it was all Mullins, as the Ohio rider decided it was time to check out.

“Me, Kailub and Strang had our own little battle going,” said Mullins. “One of us would fall down and someone else would get the lead, and it was kind of like that for most of the day. I didn’t take any chances but I rode hard.”

Indeed, Mullins rode hard enough to extend his lead to nearly a minute and a half by the end of the race.

But while Mullins rode solo out front, a wild battle for second took place further back between Kanney, Strang (who was battling issues with his rear brakes) and Whibley.

Whibley eventually finished second, while Australia’s defending champion Strang was third to round out the podium.

With the win, Mullins extended his lead in the series standings to 17 points over Strang, while Whibley, who also won the $250 Motosport.com Holeshot Award to start the race, sits third in the standings another eight points back.