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Gilmer, TX – The Suzuki Grand National Cross Country Series is billed as America’s largest off-road series, but at the 2005 series opener in Texas, two of the world’s best rose to the head of the pack. KTM’s Juha Salminen, the highly-touted ten-time World Champion from Finland, handled a rugged, rocky track with ease to take the win, a strong performance KTM expected and the competition feared.
“It is great to start off with a win but I really did not know what to expect,” said the 28-year-old. “I have not ridden against these riders. The track was rough. I tried a few times to pull away but I would make a mistake. Finally one time I was able to pull away. I was just a little nervous early on, but I am happy now.”
Second place went to FMF Suzuki’s newest recruit, young Australian Enduro Champion Glenn Kearney. “This is even more than I expected,” said Kearney. “I have such great support from this team and I’m glad to be racing here. We went a little fast early on today, and I did get fatigued with two laps to go, but I just never gave up.”
KTM’s Mike Lafferty battled with Kearney and Salminen all day before ending up third, enough for dubious top-American honors. “You know, it just aggravates the heck out of me because I really wanted to win,” said Lafferty. “When those guys want to race like that, go fast early, I have no problems with it. I was comfortable. But the race is won on the last lap, and I wanted to put myself in position to do it, but it fell apart on me. I tried to get a little aggressive and I got tangled with a lapper. Juha went around, and then he swapped out, and I tried to pass him and got tangled in some bushes.”
Fourth went to Kawasaki Team Green’s Chuck Woodford, his best start ever for the GNCC season. “I had the speed and everything I needed today, I just let it get away from me,” said Woodford. “I should have ridden a few more rocky tracks leading up to this race. But we’ve really been putting in the extra effort this season to be ready.”
Throttlehead.com Kawasaki’s Steve Hatch finished fifth after a come-from-behind effort.
What about the other GNCC favorites? Defending GNCC Champion Rodney Smith attended the race as a spectator due to a broken leg. 2003 GNCC Champ Barry Hawk was running up front early on his Am Pro Yamaha, but he crashed and kinked his throttle cable on a rock, resulting in a costly DNF. FMF Suzuki’s Fred Andrews was riding well on his new RM-Z450, but he took a rock to the radiator to knock him out. Last year’s GNCC runner-up, Jason Raines, was returning from recent shoulder surgery. Without full strength, he soldiered on to tenth.
Suzuki privateer Doug Blackwell grabbed the holeshot in Texas, but the fast-sprinting duo of Lafferty and Salminen were quickly into the lead. Kearney followed them while attrition worked over the rest of the field. The three would swap the top spots around for the entire race until Salminen pulled away on the last lap to win it.
With twelve more rounds of GNCC racing to go, Salminen is realistic about his title chances. “Yes, I think I could win it,” he says. “But I still do not know what to expect from these riders. They are all very good, there are maybe 13 guys who could win.”
The Suzuki GNCC series continues in three weeks with the Orange Crush GNCC in De Leon Springs, Florida. The Florida GNCC is traditionally the largest event of Daytona Bike Week in terms of entries, with over 1,000 riders expected to race on March 3 – 5.
The AMA-sanctioned Suzuki Grand National Cross Country series is America’s premier off-road racing series. The 13-round series is produced exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The nearly three-hour long GNCC races lead as many as 1400 riders through tracks ranging from eight to twelve miles in length. With varied terrain including hills, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed. GNCC featured sponsors include Suzuki, Parts Unlimited, Moose, Maxxis, Pirelli, Wiseco, Klotz, FMF and ITP, and riders compete for over $1.3 million in series prizes and contingency money. Associate sponsors include Moose Utility Division, Scott, Alpinestars, Ohlins, Cometic, Outerwears, Race Tools, Twin Air, SFB Racing, Thor, Racer X Illustrated, Motion Pro, Tire Balls, Moto-Tee’s, Warrior and Laeger’s.
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| Salminen and Kearney Turn GNCC Opener International | Log-in or register a new user account | 0 Comments |
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