2021 Ironman GNCC | Race Report & Highlights

October 27, 2021

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The 2021 Grand National Cross Country Series season-ender will be remembered for years to come. After a year of racing through the woods of America’s East Coast, two talented and determined riders entered the finale round with championship hopes and a handful of points between them. This was the first time that FMF/KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley or AmPro Yamaha’s Stu Baylor had truly contended for XC1 supremacy, and with all-time great Kailub Russell retired, both riders knew this was their opportunity to claim the top step.

The title fight was not without its share of controversy; Baylor and others were penalized championship points for riding too far outside of the designated course at the prior round (Buckwheat 100 GNCC), a situation that was complicated by video footage, people who were involved in the woods, the way the protest was filed, and personal opinions by racers, teams, and fans. Baylor was docked four points for the infraction, which gave Kelley an eight-point advantage going into the final round and created a number of “X Rider must finish here for Z Rider to win the title” scenarios.

Hopes for a head-to-head race were effectively washed away after heavy rains hit Indiana and dumped inches of rain on the property in a matter of hours. As a result of the conditions and delays, officials made the extreme decisions to take out trademark sections of the miles long course and cut the race duration down to just two hours.

The chaos kicked off as soon as the green flag waved. Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing’s Ricky Russell claimed the holeshot and was soon passed by Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Josh Strang and Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Thad Duvall while Kelley and Baylor got caught up in the splash of the first turns and were far from the front as they filed into the woods.

Things went from bad to worse for the title rivals on lap one when the standing water in the puddles and stream crossings caused their bikes to take on water and started to run poorly.The necessary trackside repairs (air filter removal, tip the bike over to drain the water) dropped Kelley and Baylor through the running order, and at one point, the two were nearly outside of the top 100. Both were able to rejoin the race and had mechanics swap clutches, filters, and other water-logged parts during later pit stops.

The front-runners didn’t seem to have the same issues. Instead, there was back and forth between Strang and Duvall as the veterans of the series managed to stay up and going in the unprecedented conditions. The gap between the two seemed to stay at just a few seconds for the full duration of the race and lasted until the final lap, when Duvall took a better line, made a pass, and rode on to his first win in two years.

Kelley and Baylor were able to overcome their early issues and poor rank as the race went on, and after passing dozens of riders, both crossed the finish line. Kelley’s efforts helped him reach ninth overall in the race and fourth in the XC1 class, while Baylor battled back to 65th and was credited with sixth overall.

Kelley knew that he’d clinched the championship when he crossed the finish line, and despite not winning as many races as Baylor through the season, he had a twenty-point gap in the final standings. This is sure to be the first chapter in an exciting saga between the two friendly rivals and their less friendly teams.

Lyndon Snodgrass put in a season-best rider at the finale and the rider’s hours-long efforts netted him an impressive result. In addition to his dominant win in the XC2 category, the Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green finished third overall on the day, ahead of many in the XC1 class. Phoenix Racing’s Cody Barnes climbed from eighth place in XC2 on lap one to second place at the checkered flag, while Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing’s Ryder Lafferty finished third.

The WXC division title was also decided at the finale, and it too was a muddy challenge that went to the last lap. BABS Racing Yamaha/Fly/Maxxis/Pro Circuit’s Becca Sheets and AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer went into their morning race with only a few points splitting them in the standings, and both knew that the other would be a contender for the race win. Archer got the early lead and set the pace while Sheets fell from second place to fourth place on the second lap. This mistake swung the points to Archer’s favor, buth Sheets managed to push on the final lap, claim third place, and score the necessary point to clinch the title.

2021 IRONMAN GNCC

XC1 Pro Event Results