2025 Grand National Cross Country racing series round two, Wild Boar GNCC in Florida serves a battle of the ages as Johnny Girror fights off former mentor Kailub Russell for the win with Ben Kelley taking an impressive third.

If round one of the 2024 GNCC season was all about the resurgence of Kawasaki as a force, round two was all about the return of Kailub Russell, as the eight-time champion signaled he is back in it to win it.

A battle for the ages put the anomaly of the XC2 class riders dominating in the mud two weeks ago to bed, and the big boys meant serious business was resumed in the brutal Palatka sand.

Over three hours of racing in the notorious conditions pushed riders beyond their limits, as always, but it was the old dog, Russell, showing how much his winter training counted, pushing Johnny Girroir right to the flag.

As trainer to both first-placed Girroir and third-placed Ben Kelley, Russell knows all about their programs, their limits, and, quite obviously, his own. It was impressive, to say the least, how the GNCC GOAT stuck it to all but the current champion this weekend.

Riding the AmPro Yamaha, Kailub was quick to take over from Jordan Ashburn, who claimed the holeshot. From there, a hard-fought battle with FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Jonathan Girroir unfolded for the remainder of the race. Russell and Girroir swapped the lead position for the next couple of laps before Girroir made the pass stick for the last three laps and opened a half-minute gap.

But with Kelley back to his best and pushing hard behind, Russell put in a storming final lap to push Girroir all the way to the flag, with a winning margin of just eight seconds.

FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley claimed third overall on the day after some mishaps and crashes along the way, including one just off the start, which made his first laps hard work. Still, the story of the day was in three parts, as the current, former, and most decorated GNCC champions pulled clear of the pack for the overall podium in an impressive show.

Johnny Girroir: “I stuck to my word today and didn’t overcook it in the first few laps, because that’s always easy to do. I rode within my means, saved some energy, and then had a big battle with Kailub [Russell] in the closing stages. I let it rip in the second-to-last lap, put my head down and did everything I could, so overall I am happy with the day – it was a gnarly round in the sand whoops!”

XC2 boys back in their place

While the smaller 250 bikes shone bright in the mud of round one at Big Buck, there’s no excuse for horsepower int eh deep sand of Florida and these boys had a harder time doing that catching and overtaking thing they do from the second row.

FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Grant Davis and Angus Riordan once again battled for the entire three-hour race, swapping the lead position on several times before Davis went on to grab the XC2 win and fourth overall on the day while Riordan finished second in XC2 and fifth overall.

AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper was also in the mid-pack mix in the sandy terrain steadily to cross the line sixth overall ahead of Phoenix Racing Honda’s Michael Witkowski.

Lyndon Snodgrass had a great ride but a refuelling error meant a top five place dropped to P8 after he refuelled outside the designated pit area and received a one position penalty, making him sixth in the XC1 class and therefore eighth overall.

Phoenix Racing Honda’s Cody Barnes rounded out the top three XC2 250 Pro class finishers and ninth overall on the day, while Enduro Engineering Triumph Racing’s Ricky Russell rounded out the top 10 overall finishers and earned himself a seventh in XC1.

2025 Wild Boar GNCC overall results (top 25):

First Women’s XC win of the season for Richards

Rocky Mountain Red Bear Team Green Kawasaki’s Rachael Archer was fastest out the blocks in WXC morning race but would soon feel the pressure from FMF KTM Factory Racing Lander’s Brandy Richards.

As the class emerged from the trail and headed towards timing and scoring on the opening lap, it was Richards leading the way and already gapping the rest of the field. Richards would continue to lead the way for the remaining laps, earning her first win of the season and first overall in the AM race. 

Phoenix Racing Honda’s Tayla Jones had to work her way up through the field making passes to land her a spot on the podium and only pushed through to P2 on the final lap to claim here best result as she makes her return to GNCC Racing this season.

Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Korie Steede would battle towards the front of the pack for the majority of the day going between second and third in the class with ’24 champion and round one winner Rachael Archer fading to fourth with Rachel Gutish fifth in WXC.

2025 Wild Boar GNCC Am Race results (top 20):

There’s no let up after this brutal round with GNCC round three next weekend, breaking new ground in Talladega, Alabama on March 8-9.

More information: www.GNCCRacing.com

Photo Credit: Mack Faint