FMF KTM’s Ben Kelley takes advantage of Grant Davis’ dramatic DNF at final Grand National Cross Country Racing round of the season, the Ironman GNCC in Crawfordsville, Indiana to claim second overall title as Mike Witkowski takes maiden win and Korie Steede is the new Women’s champ.

With points tallies locked in, the Ironman proved the defining bookend of a GNCC season. It was a race of highs and lows as we saw long-time series leader unable to compete, handing the series title to his KTM teammate on a plate and a first-time winner, plus a historic one-two for Phoenix Racing Honda.

Michael Witkowski it was who clinched his first-career overall win at the 2025 Ironman GNCC in Crawfordsville, Indiana, powering through the rugged 13th and final round of the season to take the top spot.

Witkowski has shown he has of speed, but pulled off the win saying it “just felt effortless”: “Yeah, honestly last night I was like, ‘Man, I can do this, I’ve just got to put this all together,” said Mike. “Today, man, the bike felt so good. I think that was the key factor. I got a good start, and it honestly just felt effortless. They always say when you win it feels easy, but it truly was. Just a special day. It went so smooth. Just a huge thanks to the team, it was incredible. To go into the off-season like this, it will make it so much easier to put in all those hours.”

Barnes backs-up with another P2

Cody Barnes would come through to finish second overall while earning his second-straight XC2 class win of the season, solidifying his second place finish in the XC2 points standings for the 2025 season.

“It was a good day,” said Cody Barnes. “I got off to a third place start which was good and made a couple of passes. I got off by myself, and I was with the XC1 guys, and it was hard to pass. With the dust and the fields, no one wanted to let anyone by…I get it. Second overall on the day is good and for Pheonix Honda to finish 1-2 is good, it shows the progression of the team. First place in XC2 feels good, and this is the closest I get to a race at home.”

Draper’s consistent season

AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper battled his way up to third and then into second in XC1, pushing his way to be in the mix but ultimately unable to catch Witkowski for the overall but still putting in another podium ride at the season finale in Indiana. 

“It was a battle from the word go, I had a pretty average start, I don’t know where I was but it wasn’t at the front,” said Liam Draper. “Made some moves and felt really good for the first two or three laps. Made it to the fuel stop and after that, I had three good crashes back to back and lost touch with Mikey [Witkowski]. From there it was really tough to dig out of that hole and find my flow again. Yeah, definitely bummed to not get that win.”

FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Jonathan Girroir made a strong return to the woods for the 2025 season finale for a hard-fought third place finish in the XC1 Open Pro class and fourth ahead of Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green’s Grant Baylor finishing fifth overall.

Davis crashes out 

The big news on the day was the conclusion of the 2025 GNCC overall title with the already crowned XC2 250 Pro Class Champion, Grant Davis, entering the 13th round  with a seven-point margin in the overall standings.

Electing to up the capacity of his Landers KTM, and race in XC1, Davis dramatically crashed out on lap two, leaving many wondering why he and the team changed up the bike when a cruise to the title looked odds-on. Davis has posted a remarkable season this year, earning four overall wins and three podium finishes to be the most consistent of the official KTM riders up until two disastrous DNFs in the final two rounds.

Kelley keeps on keeping on

Keeping at it until the very final flag is what GNCC is all about and Ben Kelley demonstrated why by earning his second overall GNCC National Championship. Kelley has had his own injury issues and has worked hard to be back in contention, and though his results have been up and down this year, so have many of the elite riders in a topsy-turvey season.

You have to be in it to win it ,and the Ironman wasn’t without problems for Kelley who overcame mid-race issues to finish inside the top 10 which was all he needed with the knowledge Davis was out.

“I knew at the pit that Grant was out, and I was battling with Jordan in fourth, we were fighting for the third place spot,” said Ben Kelley. “I was comfortable there. That’s when my bike started to bog down and I was like 'You’ve got to be kidding me.' I saw a KTM guy, it turned out to be Timmy [Weigand, Team Manager] and told him I needed an air filter. I was able to finish that lap, luckily, and get the filter changed, but I dropped way back and didn’t know where I was for a while.

The new GNCC champ added: “I’m pumped! It’s been a long road with a lot of injuries between now and my first championship, and not many people are able to do it twice. It was an honor to battle with Grant all year – he and I were so close all season and it took me to ride at my absolute best to beat him. We had some inconsistencies, but in the end, I was the most consistent and put myself in a good position today off the start. I wanted the win, but I prioritized bringing it home safely in the end with the big picture in mind. It’s a long season, a lot goes into this, and a big thanks to the FMF KTM Factory Racing Team for all the support!”

Final 20205 GNCC overall points

2025 Ironman GNCC results:

Steede earns maiden WXC title

Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Korie Steede captured her first WXC GNCC National Championship with the class win at this final round. Marking a major milestone in her career, Steede rode the wave of multiple strong finishes throughout the year to earn the title.

Coming through just 1.7 seconds off of Steede was FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Brandy Richards. After making a pass on Steede when the white flag came out, a hard-charging Steede wanted to go out in style and passed her IDSDE teammate on the final lap of the race.

Outgoing champion, Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green’s Rachael Archer found herself in the third place but unable to catch the front runners, ending her hunt for her fourth-straight championship and finishing the season second in WXC.

The morning race was mobbed by a list of interlopers at this final round, with riders like Cole Martinez, Zach Osbourne and Ryan Sipes.

2025 WXC final standings:

2025 Ironman AM race results:

Photo Credit: Mack Faint