Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Josh Strang bolted off the start and claimed the holeshot with teammate, Thad Duvall, behind him.
Duvall quickly closed the gap and after a few miles, made the pass for the lead. This early lead set the pace for Duvall to keep the lead the entire race. Over three hours of racing in the heat on an extremely technical course proved to be an advantage for Duvall as he would take the overall win.
“It is an awesome feeling to take the trophy home in front of all my friends and family! The track was rutted and muddy, the heat didn’t help either. I powered through and felt good all day.” said an excited Thad Duvall.
Josh Strang rode his FX 450 to claim the holeshot. As the race progressed, Strang would battle to stay within the top three positions. Halfway through he found his groove and was able to put down solid lap times through the mud. Strang made valuable passes that ultimately secured his second place finish overall.
It was a rollercoaster of a day for the Five-Time GNCC Champion as he struggled to keep his bike on two-wheels for a majority of the race. Off the start, Russell was one of the last riders to take off after having trouble firing his bike on the line.
He eventually got going and charged his way from last to third on the opening lap, where he looked to be making up solid ground. However, on lap two Russell submersed himself into a water section and was forced to pit early and change out his gloves, where he dropped over a minute back from third-place.
He swapped the third and fourth-place positions for most of the race before locking down the final podium position around the halfway point. Russell put on a late-charge to catch second place as he posted his fastest laptime of the race on the last lap to finish only two-seconds back for third overall.
Tayla Jones lost her early lead after running into problems and would finish third for the day. Fellow Aussie Mackenzie Tricker scored her first win of the season ahead of Shelby Rolen in second.
John Penton GNCC Round 7 Pro Results:
XC1 Open Pro Results
1. Thad DuVall, HQV
2. Josh Strang, HQV
3. Kailub Russell, KTM
4. Steward Baylor Jr., KTM
Overall Championship Standings
1. Kailub Russell, 5 wins, 196 points
2. had DuVall, 2 wins, 181
3. Steward Baylor Jr., 135
XC2 250 Pro Results
1. Josh Toth, KTM
2. Ben Kelley, KTM
3. Craig DeLong, HQV
XC2 250 Pro Standings
1. Ben Kelley, 3 wins, 190 points
2. Josh Toth, 4 wins, 170
3. Craig DeLong, 117