Shan Moore | March 28, 2022
Ben Kelley claims fourth straight GNCC win at the Dunlop Tiger Run in South Carolina
Ben Kelley (1) made his way to the front of the pack right after the start and never looked back.
By Shan Moore | Photography by Ken Hill
Four for four. That’s Ben Kelley’s record in GNCC competition for the 2022 season, his latest win coming at this weekend’s Tiger Run GNCC in Union, South Carolina. The FMF/KTM rider has dominated the competition so far this year and this weekend’s race was no different. After taking the lead in turn two to begin the three-hour, seven-lap race, Kelley led the rest of the way, delivering a mistake-free performance on the rough, dry, hard-packed and slick 12-mile course. Feeling no pressure early in lap one, Kelley finished almost a minute-and-a-half clear of runner-up Jordan Ashburn (Magna1 Motorsports/Husqvarna) at the finish.
“Leading the whole race is hard, especially this track,” said Kelley. “It was rough, dry, hard pack, slick. That stuff is just hard to ride for me. This was probably the toughest race so far this year, but I felt good. Stayed off the ground.”
Kelley for sure has the momentum now, but he is not taking anything for granted.
Kelley made it four straight wins to start the 2022 GNCC season.
“It’s a long season and everyone is going fast out there, so I’m just going to keep working hard, having fun and taking it one race at a time,” Kelley said. “A couple of those guys that are out injured right now, I’m sure they’ll be coming back hungry and wanting to kick me off the top. So, just going to keep working hard, having fun.”
Ashburn, who grabbed the holeshot to start the race, has been the picture of consistency all season, finishing finished 3-3-6-3 in the first four races. Ashburn ran solo in second for most of the race after giving way to Kelley after the start.
“I tried to latch onto Ben the first lap and he just kind of took off,” said Ashburn. “I wasn’t super comfortable the first lap. It took me a while to get going. I got going and kind of just mirrored him I think pretty well all day until right there towards the end. Just kind of settled back and rode by myself.”
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Trevor Bollinger, who has suffered the last two years with injuries and sat out the entire 2020 season, finished an emotional third, his first podium since taking a runner-up finish at the 2019 Ironman GNCC. Bollinger battled with Grant Baylor and Craig DeLong early in the day but broke away midrace to finish a lonely third.
Jordan Ashburn put in another solid ride, this time taking second overall.
“It was a good race,” said Bollinger. “Once I made it into third, I was kind of by myself. Those boys got ahead and put like a minute on us, and I pretty much managed that gap. I cut it down one time later in the race, but I just don’t think I had enough to catch Jordan. This podium feels good, it’s been a long road to get here from where I was. I’ve done a lot better than third, but I think this tops it all after everything I’ve been through. Missing a year of racing, you don’t realize how much you lose. I’m just thankful to be back where I was. Thanks to everyone who had my back.”
Babbitts Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Lyndon Snodgrass claimed his second-ever XC2 250 Pro division win (his first came at the 2021 Ironman race) with a fourth overall finish. AmPro Yamaha’s Mike Witkowski shadowed Snodgrass for the first five laps, but a hard crash with two laps to go dropped the Yamaha rider out of contention, eventually finishing 43rd overall.
Trevor Bollinger got on the podium for the first time since 2019.
“Honestly, I struggled a little bit just starting off,” said Snodgrass. “First dry race of the year, kind of thing. Just sharp, square-edged bumps out there and I struggled to get a flow. Two laps in, I started to get a flow. I was kind of running a gear high and making it happen, so I was able to catch up and get back into the lead there. Me and Michael were battling for a bit, and then I’m not sure what happened to him. I was just out front the last two laps kind of by myself, just trying to ride it to the end.”
Snodgrass moved to within one point of Witkowski (96-97) in the XC2 250 Pro division series standings with the finish.
Despite feeling a bit under the weather, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong battled with Bollinger before finishing fifth overall.
“Today was a tough day,” DeLong said. “I had a decent start and made my way into third for a bit around the halfway point, but I’ve been sick all week and that sickness kind of caught up with me out there. About two hours in, I started to feel it. I just kind of hung on and did what I could. I came out of here with some solid points and a decent finish, so I’m happy.”
Phoenix Racing Honda’s Ruy Barbosa claimed his first top-10 finish of the season in sixth overall and second in the XC2 250 Pro division.
Grant Baylor ran as high as fourth during the early stages of the race but crashed hard on lap three. After a quick pit stop to straighten up the front end of his bike, the Rev Motorsports/GasGas rider managed to salvage a seventh overall finish.
Fourth overall, Lyndon Snodgrass won the XC2 class and is now one point from the championship lead.
RPM Racing KTM’s Gus Riordan is adapting well to East Coast racing and finished a solid eighth overall and third in the XC2 250 Pro division.
Cobequid Mountain Sports/GasGas Canada’s Tyler Medaglia used his motocross skills to finish ninth.
FMF/KTM’s Josh Toth was looking to capitalize on his podium finish at the previous round, however, a couple of racing incidents cost him valuable time late in the race and he ultimately dropped him from fifth to seventh in class and 10th overall at the finish.
“Not a great day for me,” said Toth. “I got a decent start and rode mid-pack for the first two laps, but I couldn’t quite get comfortable. I finally started feeling comfortable and reeling in the top guys but then I had an incident with another racer that cut down in front of me, and I had nowhere to go so I slammed into him. On the same lap, I had another incident with a lapper and just mangled my bike. I had to get the front-end straightened out just so I could keep rolling and I lost a bunch of time.”
Trail Jesters Racing KTM’s Korie Steede came out on top of an exciting battle with KTM’s Brandy Richards, grabbing her first-ever WXC class win by four seconds ahead of Richards at the finish.
In her first GNCC competition, Richards took the lead on lap two when early leader Rachael Archer (AmPro Yamaha) dropped out of contention after tangling with another rider and damaging her rear sprocket beyond repair. Steede pushed Richards for the remainder of the race, making a last-lap pass in traffic to overtake Richards for the win.
Korie Steede took the lead on the last lap and came out on top of the Women’s Pro class.
“The first couple races I just was struggling with a couple things, like really being there in the first couple laps,” said Steede. “I figured it out today. Hopefully I can keep it going.”
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna/Surge Off-Road Coaching Team’s Tayla Jones was third, followed by FXR/KTM’s Shelby Turner in fourth and Raines Racing Yamaha’s Prestin Raines in fifth. Archer was 10th.
Magna1 Motorsports/Husqvarna’s Brody Johnson beat out XC/Moose Racing/XC Gear’s Zack Hayes to win the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am, with Enthusiast Inc/Moose Racing/MX Tech’s Hunter Neuwirth finishing third. CN
OVERALL
- Ben Kelley (KTM)
- Jordan Ashburn (Hus)
- Trevor Bollinger (Hus)
- Lyndon Snodgrass (Kaw)
- Craig DeLong (Hus)
- Ruy Barbosa (Hon)
- Grant Baylor (GG)
- Gus Riordan (KTM)
- Tyler Medaglia (GG)
- Josh Toth (KTM)
