The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team travelled to the sunlit swampland of Palatka, Florida, for the first round of the 2016 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) season where rider Josh Strang claimed the overall win! A mixture of dusty sections, tree stumps and massive mud holes challenged the riders over a grueling three-hour race.
Off of the start and into the first two laps, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racer Andrew DeLong held the lead until a pass was made by teammate Strang. The two came into the Pro Pits at the third lap in first and second with a very close gap of a couple seconds. Strang would hold onto the lead until the end of the race, marking his first win of the season.
“I spend hardly any time in Florida,” explained Strang, “so I just wanted to ride my own race and ride well. I had a terrible start but worked up to the front and just rode at a comfortable pace for the rest of the race. I would say that a win is a very good day.”
DeLong would succumb to the pain in his hand and fall back to 11th place after spending much of the race battling in the top five.
“I started off the day feeling good,” said DeLong. “Off the start I got into the lead and pushed hard. I led for two laps and then ran into some issues with my hand like last year. So I just focused on finishing out the day and getting a hold of some points. I plan to get my hand looked at this week. Even though the day didn’t go as planned, I was thrilled to lead for a couple of laps. I’ve never had the lead in a GNCC before.”
Rockstar Energy and Husqvarna supported rider Ryan Sipes claimed fifth on his Husqvarna FC 450 after recovering from a crash on the start and picking through the pack. Canada’s Tyler Medaglia made an impressive charge off the start, even holding onto third for some of the race and eventually finished seventh in XC1 Pro on his Husqvarna FC 350.
The GNCC recommences on March 13th in Sparta, Georgia.
GNCC Round 1 Results:
XC1 Pro:
1. Josh V. Strang, HSQ
2. Daniel Milner, YAM
3. Kailub K. Russell, KTM
4. Christopher Bach, HON
5. Ryan Sipes, HSQ
6. Grant Baylor, YAM
7. Tyler Medaglia, HSQ
8. Jordan Ashburn, KTM
9. Steward Baylor Jr., KTM
10. Ricky A. Russell, SUZ
11. Andrew R. Delong, HSQ
...
17. Thaddeus Duvall, HSQ
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