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| 03.03.2010 |
| GNCC Bike XC2 Series - Round 1 River Ranch, FL |
| FMF/KTM rider Kailub Russell finished on the podium in the XC2 class at the opening round of the GNCC Series at the Westgate Resort Dude Ranch while teammate Steward Baylor finished 7th overall. |
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Russell, the defending XC-2 Champion, shined in Monday’s practice session and looked to be the one to beat on Tuesday afternoon. Russell had a great jump at the start of the XC2 race, rounding the first turn in 2nd, but a bobble in the slick terrain caused him to lose balance and run alongside his bike before he got back on board at the end of the pack. He quickly moved himself into the top three by the end of the first lap. Shortly after, Russell began to pump up and had to slow his pace. “I suffered from arm pump today a couple different times during the race which really set me back,” commented Russell. “I just didn’t get comfortable out there and lost some time to the front runners.”
On top of Russell’s arm pump issues, he also collided with another rider in a dangerous spot on the track where experienced riders where jumping the section while others were rolling the outside line. Russell leaped into the air to jump the section and collided with a rider who opted not to do the jump, sending them both to the ground. Despite his setbacks Russell still walked away with a solid 3rd place finish at the opener. KTM privateer Jesse Robinson earned 2nd overall.
Russell’s new teammate, 15 year-old Baylor, also had an up and down race. Baylor garnered a mid-pack start on his KTM 250 XC two-stroke and quickly moved into the top ten. Baylor was running in 6th position for the majority of the race before hitting a bridge which riders had to duck down behind their bars to cross under. The impact of the crash sent Baylor to the ground and caused him to lose a few minutes before recovering and returning to race action. He eventually finished 7th.
Overall XC2 Class
1. Jason Thomas
2. Jesse Robinson – KTM
3. Kailub Russell – KTM
4. Josh Weisenfels
5. Jake Korn – KTM
6. Dustin Gibson – KTM
7. Steward Baylor – KTM |
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| FMF/KTM rider Kailub Russell |
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