Source: Supplied.

Round 11 of the 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC) took place in Somerset, Pennsylvania, on Sunday with the Car-Mate Mountain Ridge GNCC. The weather may have cooled down with the threat of Hurricane Joaquin, but the racing action only heated up going into the last three rounds of the season.

Rocky Mountain ATV MC/KR4/FAR’s Thad Duvall secured his first overall win of the 2015 season, while DirtWise/Maxxis/KLIM-backed Jason Thomas claimed the XC2 championship with his second place class finish.

Obermeyer Suzuki/Fly Racing/Maxxis Tires’ Chris Douglas led the way through the first turn, grabbing the $250 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award and took the early lead, followed closely by N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Jordan Ashburn on the opening lap. Ashburn was able to quickly capitalize on the weather conditions and move to the front of the pack.

Meanwhile, N-Fab AmPro Yamaha-backed Grant Baylor got off to a not-so-favorable start, where he tipped over in the first corner. Baylor was able to rebound from the trivial mistake and work his way up to the front-runners checking in second on the first lap.

Within the second lap Ashburn had extended his lead by 37 seconds, but the running order tightened up immensely on the third lap when Duvall closed the gap by less than 10 seconds. Duvall would immediately move into the lead when Ashburn had to exit the track to make an extra pit stop due to his rear wheel’s bib disintegrating.

The N-Fab AmPro team was able to make a quick change and Ashburn re-entered the track where he left off still holding onto a top five position. Ashburn’s misfortune opened the doors not only for Thad, but also Baylor, to gain a position in the overall running.

Baylor’s race management skills allowed him to catch up to Duvall, only trailing by 10 seconds. Baylor eventually passed Duvall as he stopped to get a splash of gas, but Duvall would not stay behind for long.

Duvall’s stellar performance vaulted the West Virginia native into the lead for the final four laps, and also second into the overall points championship chase. Ashburn finished out strong, capturing third place in the XC1 Pro class and overall.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Josh Strang proved that he is still in the game by getting fourth overall, and behind Strang was JCR’s Honda-backed Chris Bach. AirGroup/Rockstar Energy/Husqvarna’s Ryan Sipes dealt with handlebar issues, putting him sixth.

Following behind Sipes in seventh was N-Fab AmPro Yamaha rider Daniel Milner, Beta’s Cory Buttrick in eighth, Douglas in ninth, and rounding out the XC1 top ten was Funmart Cycle/FLY/RidePG.com’s Adam Bonneur.

Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/KR4/FAR’s Nick Davis was able to jump out to the quick lead claiming the $100 Hot Cams Holeshot Award, but struggled with holding the lead on the first lap to Thomas and Raines Riding University/Atlas Yamaha/OffRoadViking.com’s Ricky Russell.

However, as the race wore on, Davis picked up his pace drastically, where he rode on uncontested for yet another win in the class, as well as an impressive fifth place overall finish.

Thomas was able to hold on for a second place finish, which was a good enough placement to result in being crowned the 2015 XC2 Pro Lites champion. Thomas will remain in the XC2 division throughout the end of this season, but will move up to the premier XC1 Pro division starting in 2016.

The WXC front-runners dominated the 10 a.m. race once again, with two female competitors even making the overall podium. Factory FMF/KTM’s Kacy Martinez captured her 10th victory of the season, followed by N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Becca Sheets in second and her teammate Tayla Jones came in third for her first podium appearance of the season.

2015 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series
Round 11 – Mountain Ridge, PA

Race results:
1. Thad Duvall
2. Grant Baylor
3. Jordan Ashburn
4. Josh Strang
5. Chris Bach
6. Ryan Sipes
7. Daniel Milner
8. Cory Buttrick
9. Chris Douglas
10. Adam Bonneur

Championship standings:
1. Kailub Russell 283
2. Thad DuVall 200
3. Grant Baylor 198
4. Chris Bach 173
5. Josh Strang 166
6. Ryan Sipes 154
7. Jordan Ashburn 132
8. Jason Thomas 132
9. Trevor Bollinger 94
10. Ricky Russell 93

Click here for detailed results