In round one of the GNCC Series KTM came out strong and gave a great showing for the day. In the XC1 class KTM privateer Shane Watts took the overall win with David Knight following for a second place finish. Knight came off the start in the top five and steadily moved his way up to second from there.
“David did great today, especially considering he has a broken hand. He had a tough battle for second and rode strong,” said KTM Off Road Race Team Manager Antti Kallonen.
Justin Soule and Robbie Jenks both came off the start in the top ten and both suffered some crashes and other challenges. Soule crossed the finish line in sixteenth and Jenks in eighteenth.
“Justin and Robbie both have some improving to do and we will be sure to have stronger finishes at the next round,” said Kallonen.
In XC2 class action Kurt Caselli dominated the field with a strong start and winning the class by over nine minutes. Teammate Justin Soule finished second overall in the XC2 class after a good start and consistent riding throughout the race.
“Kurt and Justin both rode very well today and I’m please with their performances,” said Kallonen.
XC1 class: 1. Shane Watts - KTM
2. David Knight - KTM
XC2 class: 1. Kurt Caselli – KTM
2. Justin Williamson – KTM
Overall Results: 1, 9 Shane Watts - KTM
2, 101 David Knight - KTM
3, 13 Garrett Edmisten - Kawasaki
4, 3 Charles Mullins - Yamaha
5, 160 Kurt Caselli - KTM
6, 8 Jimmy Jarrett - Suzuki
7, 177 Simo Kirssi - Kawasaki
8, 2 Barry Hawk Jr. - Yamaha
9, 12 Jesse Robinson - Kawasaki
10, 115 Mike Kiedrowski - Suzuki
12, 11 Justin Williamson - KTM
David Knight: “I’m over the moon to have finished in second, it’s the same result Juha got in ’05. I just want to get through the second race now with a similar result and then get my hand fully healed up and get bike fit and ready for the rest of the championship. The first few laps were hard because of the dust and not knowing exactly where all the tree roots were, but things went really well.
“Getting 33rd pick of the start didn’t help me but I made an ok start considering I was right up the inside and just tried not to make any mistakes during the opening laps. The dust made it hard to catch and even follow some of the other faster guys, but I worked my way passed several riders and felt good at the end of the first lap.
“I’ve not done much riding during the two weeks before the race so I didn’t feel as fresh on my bike as I should. My hand wasn’t too bad thankfully, but it did start to give me some trouble towards the end of the race as I started to get really bad blisters. My lack of bike fitness was more of a problem.
“I’m still not 100 per cent settled and comfortable on a two-stroke yet after riding a four-stroke for so many years but I know that the more I race the better I will feel. All things considered I’m more than pleased with finishing second. It was a hard race but a great result to start the championship with.”
Next event will be round two of the US GNCC series, The General GNCC at Washington Georgia, March 11. Find the latest pictures of round 1 in the GNCC series on www.ktmimages.com
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