Two Stroke Motocross » Race Reports

Taddy Blazusiak Opens 2010 GEICO EnduroCross Series with a win in Las Vegas!

JohnNicholas — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:41:22 +0000

Two Stroke Machines finish 1st and 2nd!

Las Vegas, NV (July 17, 2010) – Taddy Blazusiak, the defending EnduroCross champion rode his Red Bull KTM to a hard fought victory over Geico, Christini backed Geoff Aaron. Zip Ty Husqvarna mounted Cory Graffunder came out on top of a dog fight for the final podium spot over FMF KTM’s Mike Brown and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Justin Soule.

Shotmaker Productions video of the race.

http://shotmakerproductions.com/ShotMaker%20Website/site/exws10_rnd1.html

Aaron, the ten time National Trials champion got the day started by setting the fastest time during the Pioneer Hot Lap that determine the gate picks for the evenings heat races. He also earned a $500 bonus from Rekluse clutch by being the fastest rider using their auto clutch. Mike Brown and Cody Webb, one of the top American Trials riders showed that he is quickly learning how to race EnduroCross by posting the third fastest time.

Blazusiak, Brown and Graffunder were the heat race winners and earned the best gate picks for the main event. The biggest surprise of the night was the fact that Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ricky Dietrich, the 2008 EnduroCross champion, did not qualify for the main after crashing while in a qualifying spot during the Last Chance Qualifier. He was joined on the sidelines by Lucas Oil backed Colton Haaker, last year’s E3 Spark Plugs Junior Champion that also had a very rough evening.

Blazusiak earned the $750 Girardi Wealth management holeshot award but was quickly passed by Geoff Aaron. The two riders swapped the lead several times during the first half of the race until Aaron made a small mistake and fell over in the GEICO rock garden. That gave Blazusiak a small lead that he managed hold for the remainder of the race. The battle for third included Graffunder, Brown, Soule, Gary Sutherlin, Kyle Redmund, and Cody Webb. Webb appeared to have the final podium spot under control before crashing in the Monster water hole and then Graffunder temporarily handed the position away but fought back to get on the podium. Brown rode a steady race to earn forth position ahead of Soule. All of these riders had a shot at the podium and provided some great racing action for the enthusiastic crowd.

2010 Las Vegas EnduroCross Expert Class results:

1. Taddy Blazusiak KTM
2. Geoff Aaron Christini KTM
3. Cory Graffunder Husqvarna
4. Mike Brown KTM
5. Justin Soule Kawasaki
6. Gary Sutherlin Kawasaki
7. Kyle Redmond Kawasaki
8. Jamie Lanza Kawasaki
9. Destry Abbott Kawasaki
10. Cody Webb Gas Gas
11. Kevin Rookstool KTM

The GEICO EnduroCross series presented by E3 Spark plugs now heads to Guthrie Oklahoma for round two on August 14th.

MotocrossQuébec.ca 2stroke Fest

JohnNicholas — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:59:51 +0000

It is under perfect skies that took place the first annual MotocrossQuébec.ca 2stroke Fest. About 40 2 stroke motocross fans from across the province of Quebec, Canada got together last week end on the picturesque circuit of St-Marcel de l’Islet. We were there to cover the event and report to those who could not be there.

The most anxious arrived early Friday afternoon. A cozy village built up around a central fire place. As usual with MotocrossQuebec.ca’s Ride Days, the party and no-pressure atmosphere brought smiles on the lips of everybody involved, regardless of their skill level on the track.

The day started early Saturday morning, everyone being so eager to hear the humming of two stroke engines and to smell the burning premix on a pristine track. Even though some less experienced girls opted to start the day riding around on the grass, they rapidly joined the other riders on the main track. Talking about the girls, they truly represented! in fact, there were almost as many girls as there were guys. Fortunately, they all had different riding gear, so there was no fighting in the only mud hole of the track. A team race was organized mid-day. Despite some hesitation from the beginner riders, the friendly atmosphere made this race really appreciated by all, and will probably become a classic in future Ride Days!

Under the light rain ordered by us specifically to gently water the track for Sunday, the party continued around Chef Isabike’s delicious ribs. The succulent pieces of meat pleased everyone including Gus, MotocrossQuebec.ca’s official mascott. It then kept going all night to the sound of coyotes crying in the distance, probably because they were so happy to see two ponytails arriving. Those guys definitely know how to party, and without them a Ride Day is not a Ride Day. But why did they came so late? To surprise us! Bill and Sly had been secretly working on a CR500AF in the last few months, and they finished it just in time to break it in at the 2stroke Fest. The craftmanship is excellent on the beast. Make sure to check out our website soon for more details.

Everybody took out their silky smooth riding style for Sunday, as two professional photographers came directly from Paris to witness the event. Their work will be available for everyone to see soon.

Some honorable mentions for the week-end: 17-year-old Émilie who drove across the Province all by herself in her beat up truck to come and ride her YZ125 with us. The two ponytails who finished their project just in time to show it to the world. Don’t forget Nick who doesn’t even ride and drove over 4 hours just to hear the smokers scream! And what about Dave who bought a brand new YZ250 especially for the occasion?

We’d like to conclude by thanking everyone who brought something to the table to make this event a success: Hipertech lubricants and TwoStrokeMotocross.com for their prizes. Jay and Isabelle for their hospitality and for the event poster. Francis Fontaine and his partner for their photography work. René Thibault and Mick Blanchet for their incredible track and facility. Finally, thanks to all of those who made the trip for this memorable event!

See you at the next Ride Day!

- l’équipe Factory MotocrossQuébec.ca

Cumbria Twin Shock & 2 Stroke Championships

Paul Harris — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:30:40 +0000

It’s been a fascinating journey watching the 2 stroke fight back – in the UK at least, the vanguard was led by Chris Barker and the brilliant DEP British 2 Stroke Championships. Chris built a fantastic series out of nothing, but when the MCF took it on and built it up, by taking it to a higher, more professional level, there was arguably an impact on the club racer who wanted a simple day’s racing – there’s no doubt that MCF, by running it alongside the Red Bull Pro Nationals and the Elite Youth Cup, have raised the profile of the 2 Stroke British Championships, but it meant that a lot of the riders who made up the five full gates at the start of 2008 missed out on a spot in 2009 and more so for 2010.

Craig Hancock pancakes his RM125 on his way down towards the infamous Hawkstone whoops.

For 2010 the limit was set at one 125 gate and one Open gate. Also, rightly or wrongly, for some riders it felt like the series had shifted away from a hard-core 2 stroke championship to just being a sideline support series to a mainly four stroke championship – it’s still the most prestigious 2 stroke title in the UK, but the focus has maybe shifted from where it was back when Chris kicked the whole thing off.

A little ways back from Thomas and Hollis was this 1987 KX125. One of the best parts of the weekend was seeing old steeds like these brought out and raced in anger.

But for the clubman rider who wants his no-frills pre-mix fix, another series pulled up to the gate for ‘10 – Darren Hudson decided to use the Cumbria Twin Shock series as a platform on which to build a new 2 stroke championship aimed at the same rider who grew so disillusioned with the relentless 4 stroke onslaught in the first half of the decade.

Matthew Thomas leads former AMCA Superclass winner Charlie Hollis - Hollis had style dripping out of his pores but MCF's 2009 125 Junior champion Thomas was more than a match for pace.

As a fan of 2 stroke racing, I managed to get along to the second round of the series at the sublime Hawkstone Park, and I had what ranks amongst one of the most enjoyable weekend’s racing I think I’ve ever been to – it’s hard to pinpoint what made it so good. The weather was great, which helps, and the racing was brilliant, but it was the atmosphere that made it special, even with a lack of spectators – it was almost like everyone was there with the sole purpose of having a good time, and the racing was almost incidental.

Is there a finer sound than a pack of howling 125s on full bore through the woods?

That’s not to say that that it wasn’t taken seriously – it was, there were some seriously quick riders and everyone was on full loud all the way through the field. But you could wander through the paddock and chat to anyone, and when the racing finished for the day on Saturday, everyone was tipping back a few, whether around a barbeque in the pits or dancing to the rock band in the beer tent. Not to put the rose tinted spectacles on or anything, but it was just like the good old days…

The mixing of the Twin Shock and 500 Two Stroke classes created some fascinating match-ups - here Alex Rach aboard an air cooled Maico prepares to cut under Justin Penty's Aluminium framed CR500.

There was plenty of racing to watch at round two of the MD Racing/UFO Vets and 2 Stroke Championship. In the 125 class, 2009 Fucsh Silkolene 125 Junior champion Matthew Thomas was on blistering form, unbeaten over five motos on the weekend with a field that included (on Saturday, at least) former AMCA Superclass champion Charlie Hollis.
Hollis took a brace of seconds in the opening two motos but went missing in action on Sunday, Matthew Wild taking advantage to take second overall ahead of Alex Finnegan, Josh Quinlan and Ash Crossley.

Caution - earth moving in progress.

The 250s saw Alex Rach win in imperious form, Richard Chin heading a frantic battle for second ahead of Lewis Farrow, Kevin Green and Craig Marsden, whilst 500 victory went to Justin Penty, ahead of Steve Ward and Sean Hodgson. The 500 class was grouped together with the Twin Shock class, which was won by Rach, this time on an air-cooled Maico of circa 1981 vintage, which made for a fascinating matchup – Penty on his aluminium-framed CR500 was plenty quick but he was outrun by Rach on what was clearly a very well sorted Maico. Who says you need all the latest kit…?

Kerry Wilson won the Ladies in front of Stacey Fisher and Louise Williams, whilst Gary Jones emerged triumphant in the Vets class ahead of Colin Thomas and Peter Taylor and the MX1 podium saw Steve Wade, Alex Cox and Tom Crittenden whilst the MX2 pode was Jake Millward, Tim James and Luke Newman.. But whilst the on-track action was of the typically frenetic two-stroke type (even the four stroke races were good, though it pains my heart to admit it), the atmosphere off track was a revelation – relaxed and happy, it was all about turning up and just racing a great track. No frills, no special effects, just good solid racing – I’ll leave the final word to the Facebook summation of Dan Grove, who was one of a vast number of happy racers I spoke to. “Blinger of a weekend on the scrammy!” he says – couldn’t have put it better myself…

Mike Sleeter attempts to Qualify for Hangtown National on a Two-Stroke

JohnNicholas — Mon, 31 May 2010 20:27:27 +0000

While this in nearly a week late.. it’s important news for the two-stroke fans. KTM test rider/Pro Racer Mike Sleeter attempted to qualify for the opening round of the AMA Pro Motocross Series at Hangtown.

Here is Micheal’s qualifying time

46 111 Michael Sleeter KTM 250 SXF 2:21.094 0.000 – 2:21.094 – 2:27.164

Unfortunately he did not qualify for the National. Here are some photos from race day and a video from TransWorld Motocross. The following quote is from comments Mike Sleeter made on Pro Ride.com

Mike Sleeter. Photo by Brown Dog Wilson.

“It was such a blast riding the 2-stroke yesterday and I was a little upset that I didn’t qualify seeing I know I had a little more in me. I rode a little tight but the cool thing is everyone commented on how fast my bike looked. Well everyone it was a bone stock motor and it rips! I put some suspension and an FMF fatty pipe on it and took it the races. After the weekend I really want to push to the AMA and MX sports that we need to let the 2-stroke in the lites class. Privateer riders would be competitve with power on a small budget. I rode Seales race bike last week back to back with my 250 2-stroke and the 250f is still easier to go fast so let a privateer race the 250 2-stroke in the lites class atleast he will have a fighting chance to get a good start.”

“I wish it was just a power situation, but thats not the case bc the bike has plenty of power. it’s the way the tracks lays out with 4-stroke power. You get larger breaking bumps bc of the engine break and the ruts arent that great of an arch bc riders point and shoot on 4-strokes where a 2-stroke has to get on the gas on the entry of the turner and carry your speed through the turn.”

“On a different note the whole time I was going around the track in practice I was thinking I wish I was on the 350. I have logged more hrs on that bike then anyone in the US so I gues you could say I wasn’t surpised the way the bike performed. Of course the rider still has to get it done so hats off the MA he rode his butt off! Also for all those guys that are claiming it’s not a 350 and it’s big bore of some sort I just sit back and laugh bc you will have a 350 passing you up a hill very soon.”

In addition to Mike Sleeter there are a few other brave racers willing to attempt to qualify for AMA Pro Motocross Nationals on two-strokes in 2010. A huge thumbs up to all these racers.

http://motocross.transworld.net/1000096405/videos/riding-with-mike-sleeter-2/

Strong Results for Two-Strokes in MX-GP’s

Crooijmans — Thu, 06 May 2010 00:45:51 +0000

Second KTM SX250-rider also succesfull in MX1-GP.

The Netherlands, May 05 2010.

Yentel Martens (son of former 500cc World Champion Jacky Martens) decided just a few weeks before his ‘home GP’ in Valkenswaard to quit racing his 450 4stroke and go definitely back to racing Two-Strokes.

His performances during training and a week before the GP in a race for the Dutch Championship against several regular GP competitors showed he was faster on his SX250 than he was with his SX450F. The decision was made; for the rest of the season Yentel will be only racing the SX250. This is not ‘just’ good news, it will also bring continuous development of the SX250 as his father is not only Team Owner but also the main engineer of the official satellite-team from KTM; www.jmracingteam.com!

Cedric Soubeyras

Jacky’s work and improvements on the bike will certainly be taken into consideration by the KTM-factory when developing the new bikes for the next years.

In the first two GP’s of this year we already had young Frenchman Cedric Soubeyras who choose to compete on a two-stroke after good results in the pre-season such as an stunning win in the Genova-supercross where he beated some af the best SX-riders of the world on their 4strokes.

His GP results where impressive; in the Bulgarian and Italian round of the WorldChampionship he scored points in every 4 motos!

Yentel Martens

For the third round in The Netherlands our 2-stroke hero got company of Yentel Martens, also on a SX250; without a doubt the best 250 Two-Stroke man can buy.

Yentel did what he hadn’t performed thus far on his 4-stroke in the first 2 GP’s; he scored World Championship points in both moto’s! Cedric also scored points for his fifth consecutive heat but failed to finish in the second moto due to some crashes on the extreme Dutch sand-track.

So now not only are the 125cc’s back on the GP’s ,with their official European Championship to be held on 7 selected rounds and with many many competitors, but also we hear the wonderful and decent sound of two-strokes again in the MX1-GP’s!!

Lots of good luck and success for Cedric and Yentel!!

Fuchs Silkolene 2 Stroke Motocross Championship 2010 Round 2 – Landrake 125 class – Video Coverage

JohnNicholas — Mon, 03 May 2010 11:45:54 +0000

The second round of the Fuchs Silkolene 2 Stroke Motocross Championship took place and our man of the spot Joe Golding was there armed with his video camera. Joe does an amazing job on all his videos and these are no exception. Watch and enjoy!

UEM Motocross European Championships – Italy April 11

JohnNicholas — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:07:30 +0000

The opening round of the UEM European Championships held on 125cc machines was a complete success on many levels. According to an FIM Press Release there were a total of 66 entries for this class, significantly more than any other class for the weekend, this includes the MX1 and MX2 classes! It seems that there is a great deal of interest in the 125cc two-stroke.

Here are a couple of brief, but fun videos from the event.

Results for Round 1

Pos # Name Country Bike 1 2 Overall

1	911	Tixier, Jordi	FRA	FFM	KTM	25	25	50
2	76	Rauchenecker, Pascal	AUT	OeAMTC	KTM	20	20	40
3	99	Ciucci, Dawid	ITA	FMI	KTM	22	15	37
4	35	Lafont, Yohan	FRA	FFM	Yamaha	13	18	31
5	23	Bernardini, Samuele	ITA	FMI	KTM	7	22	29
6	211	Jaulin, Sulivan	FRA	FFM	Yamaha	16	13	29
7	22	Ferrandis, Dylan	FRA	FFM	Kawasaki	14	12	26
8	20	Olsen, Stefan	DEN	DMU	Suzuki	10	14	24
9	195	Justs, Roberts	LAT	LAMSF	Husqvarna	11	10	21
10	172	Van Iperen, Tom	NED	KNMV	Yamaha	9	11	20
11	103	Bastemeijer, Donny	NED	KNMV	Suzuki	12	6	18
12	222	Lacan, Jordan	FRA	FFM	KTM	18	0	18
13	123	Dewulf, Jeffrey	BEL	FMB	TM	8	9	17
14	114	Booker, Jordan	GBR	ACU	KTM	0	16	16
15	181	Janvier, Yerki	BEL	FMB	TM	15	0	15
16	951	Aubin, Arnaud	FRA	FFM	Yamaha	6	8	14
17	142	Paturel, Benoit	FRA	FFM	Yamaha	4	5	9
18	613	Chauveau, Jeremy	FRA	FFM	Yamaha	0	7	7
19	105	Jönsson, Jesper	SWE	SVEMO	Suzuki	5	2	7
20	43	Moroni, Luca	ITA	FMI	KTM	0	4	4
21	100	Vincenot – Marchal, Germain	FRA	FFM	Kawasaki	1	3	4
22	174	Versluis, Dave	NED	KNMV	KTM	3	0	3
23	78	Ruzzi, Davide	ITA	FMI	KTM	2	0	2
24	119	Houghton, Ryan	GBR	ACU	KTM	0	1	1
25	44	Muratori, Francesco	ITA	FMI	Suzuki	0	0	0
26	611	Cociu, Mihail	MOL	FMR	Kawasaki	0	0	0
27	192	Cuppen, John	NED	KNMV	Yamaha	0	0	0
28	91	Seewer, Jeremy	SUI	FMS	Suzuki	0	0	0
29	193	Brackman, Wietse	BEL	FMB	Yamaha	0	0	0
30	102	Plessers, Mathias	BEL	FMB	KTM	0	0	0
31	201	Marchelli, Michele	ITA	FMI	KTM	0	0	0
32	359	Zinetti, Nicolo	ITA	FMI	KTM	0	0	0
33	531	Bizet, Nicolas	FRA	FFM	KTM	0	0	0
34	51	Castro, Sergio	ESP	RFME	TM	0	0	0
35	194	Bakens, Robin	BEL	FMB	Yamaha	0	0	0
36	25	Karner, Philipp	AUT	OeAMTC	KTM	0	0	0
37	95	Blömer, Nigel	NED	KNMV	TM	0	0	0
38	40	Zecchina, Simone	ITA	FMI	Suzuki	0	0	0
39	148	Albers, Rene	NED	KNMV	Yamaha	0	0	0

Look for the next round on May 16.

Fuchs Silkolene 2 Stroke British Championship – Round One, Foxhill Moto Park

Paul Harris — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:49:53 +0000

The vast package of races that is the Red Bull Pro Nationals made their 2010 bow at former des Nations and Grand Prix circuit Foxhill Moto Park on the 14^th of March – the supporting Fuchs Silkolene 2 Stroke British Championships ran the Open class on Saturday which saw James Noble sweep imperiously to a trio of wins aboard the steel framed Proppa.com Honda CR500. Behind him, some typically frenetic 2 stroke racing saw a frantic four-way battle for the podium with Stuart Edmonds coming out on top ahead of reigning champion Mark Eastwood, Nathan Parker and Dave Willett, a welcome sight after the series stalwart‘s lengthy absence last year with a serious knee injury – Willet would lose out on victory in the final moto by less than a tenth of a second to Noble, so that knee must be fairly well healed…

Dave Willett surfs his YZ to victory.

In the 125 class of the 2 stroke Championships, Dave Willett took the race one win ahead of reigning champion Jim Davies, who was recovering from a midpack start, followed by the Kawasakis of Jamie Smith and Luke Remmer, before the race was stopped prematurely by the collapse of an inflatable arch – race two saw both Willett and Davies on the floor on lap one, James Dunn leading from the off and desperate to get away before the chasing pack closed him down. Jamie Smith, Lloyd Morgan and Luke Remmer indulged in a three way battle before Smith broke free and began to run Dunn down. Morgan and Remmer would be scrapping all race, whilst Smith bridged the gap to Dunn, taking a great win by less than a second from Dunn, Remmer and Morgan. Willett finished with a spectacular flourish in moto three, however, winning by a country mile ahead of the TM of Davies and young Dunn – both Smith and Remmer were in the hunt but Smith would crash out of contention whilst Remmer would collide with another rider whilst leading, damaging his front wheel and effectively ending his contribution to proceedings.

Results/Series standings

Open Expert

1 James Noble                        75
2 Stuart Edmonds                        58
3 Mark Eastwood                        55
4 Nathan Parker                        54
5 David Willet                        51
6 Daniel Arnold                        45
7 Zac Blackwell                        41
8 Will Worden                        38
9 Connor Walkley            35
10 Dexter Marks                        29

Open Junior

1 Daniel Ward                        72
2 Jason Kendrick                        60
3 Joe Golding                        52
4 Mark Sharman                        50
5 Shane Headon                        50
6 George Foames                        38
7 Scott Ross                        38
8 Scott Webb                        37
9 Daryl Hall                        36
10 Ben Anstie                        32

125 Expert

1 David Willet                        66
2 Jim Davies                        59
3 James Dunn                        56
4 Lloyd Morgan                        52
5 Jamie Smith                        45
6 Matthew Thomas            44
7 Peter Mitchell                        41
8 Matthew Coles                        39
9 Luke Remmer                        38

125 Junior

1 Charles Statt                        75
2 Ryan Tomkins                        66
3 Ashley Crossley            56
4 Simon Booth                        48
5 Ben Thomson                        46
6 Jason Wells                        43
7 Chase Neale                        40
8 Stevie Gesner                        38
9 Nathan Jacobs                        29
10 Tom Johnson                        26

Hawkstone International

James Palmer — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:03:21 +0000

Thousands of fans and enthusiasts flocked to the 13th annual running of the famous Hawkstone International. While many spectators would have expected the dull, relentless hum of four-strokes boring their ears, watchers were pleasantly surprised to find a few riders keeping the sweet sound of a two stroke in the air.

The sun-kissed track enjoyed a short break from the recent terrible weather and was therefore in perfect condition – rutting up where needed and staying smooth where not. The line up for MX1 saw 4 riders, Micheal Hughes, Daniel Arnold, Barry Turnbull and Danny Blakeley, mounting 250 stokers against the mighty 450. Both Daniel Arnold and Barry Turnball qualified high enough to make it into the Open/MX1 race. With the sun shining the riders lined the gate for the opening MX1 race. Aboard his Honda 250 Daniel managed a respectable 26th place with Barry Turnball placing in 29th.

Daniel Arnold on his Honda CR250.

Race two turned out better results for both the riders. Daniel achieved a 22nd place out of 32 riders whilst Barry bettered his first race result with a 26th. After the days racing Barry had to say – ‘‘I had been looking forward to the Hawkstone International for months and I must say it was the best its ever been on the weekend. The track was near perfect condition and very demanding as it always has been. My little Suzuki 250 2 smoker was running spot on! My day went really well as I managed to qualify and I was really pleased with my results and my overall result of 26th. I would like to thank my sponsors; Roy at Wakefeild Offroad, Wulfsport, Muk junkie, Vertical Bikes, Jim Scafton at Motoshack for sorting my graphics out and a big thanks to my younger brother Craig for being there in the mechanics zone during the days racing.”

Barry Turnball blasting on his Suzuki RM250.

Flying the flag alone in MX2 was Frenchman Jordi Tixier about a KTM 125 riding for the JM Racing KTM team. After making everyone’s head turn by qualifying 29th just a couple of seconds off the leaders on his underpowered 125 he managed a 29th in race one and a very impressive 11th in race two beating the likes of Matiss Karro and Graeme Irwin giving him an well respected overall of 17th. Having such a good days racing Tixier made it into the field of the best riders from MX1/MX2 to race the Super final where with a consistent ride he finished 21st.

Jordi Tixier racing his KTM125 against the 250F's at Hawkstone.

Jordi Tixier exiting a turn.

Story and Photos by James Palmer

Jason Thomas puts Two-stroke on top of podium in Parts Unlimited River Ranch GNCC

JohnNicholas — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:40:52 +0000

Lake Wales, Florida (March 2nd, 2010) In the XC2 division, Jason “UK7″ Thomas took advantage of the new rule, which allows 250 two-strokes to compete with 250 four-strokes in the Lites class this year, riding a Monster Energy/FAR Racing/ Andrews Cycles-backed YZ250 two-stroke to a first place finish in the division.

Last year’s champ Factory FMF/KTM Off-Road’s Kailub Russell went down in the first turn, but recovered to finish third, despite tearing the skin off his hand on the choppy course.

“I just washed out the front in the first turn, but going into the woods I was already in third, so I was pumped about that,” said Russell. “The skin ripped on my hand and it was pretty bad after that.

Jesse Robinson, riding a two-stroke KTM, capitalized on Russell’s injury to claim second.

“I was behind Thomas at the start but I kind of pumped up, and then Kailub caught me,” said Robinson. “Later in the race, I just picked it up and moved into second.”

Meanwhile, Kawasaki rider Josh Weisenfels and KTM-mounted Jake Korn rounded out the top five.

Jason Thomas Winning the Florida GNCC on his two-stroke.

XC2 Results:
1. Jason Thomas (Yam)
2. Jesse Robinson (KTM)
3. Kailub Russell (KTM)
4. Josh Weisenfels (Kaw)
5. Jake Korn (KTM)
6. Dustin Gibson (KTM)
7. Steward Baylor (KTM)
8. Scott Watkins (Kaw)
9. Travis Hullfish (Kaw)
10. Corey MacDonald (Yam)

To read the complete story http://gnccracing.com/articles/1975_strang-wins-parts-unlimited-florida-gncc

About GNCC Racing
The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series is America’s premier off-road racing series. Founded in 1979, the 13-round championship is produced exclusively by Racer Productions.ÊCross country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The grueling three-hour GNCC races lead as many as 1,800 riders through tracks ranging in length from eight to 12 miles, competing for more than $3 million in prizes. With varied terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed. Weekly Television coverage begins each Sunday on Versus starting April 25. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.