2023 Wild Boar GNCC Results

Shan Moore | March 7, 2023

After finishing second to Tely Racing Rocky Mountain ATV-MC KTM’s Steward Baylor at the series opener in South Carolina two weeks ago, FMF/KTM’s Ben Kelley claimed his first win of the season at the Wild Boar GNCC on a sandy, whooped-out course at Hog Waller Raceway, round two of the 2023 U.S. Grand National Cross-Country Series in Palatka, Florida, dominating the race while nursing a leg injury.

Ben Kelley at 2023 Wild Boar GNCC — **Ben Kelley got back to his winning ways at the Wild Boar GNCC in Palatka, Florida. He’s won the last three races at this venue.**

Photography by Ken Hill

The win was his third straight at the Florida venue. Kelley appeared unstoppable during the first half of last year as he won the first six rounds of the 2022 season. However, Kelley spent the final seven rounds on the sidelines recovering from a leg injury after a nasty crash at the Lead Belt National Enduro in Missouri during the summer. At the Wild Boar, it appeared he was approaching the form he held midseason last year, even though he had re-injured his leg two weeks before at an enduro.

“It feels damn good to get this win,” said Kelley. “This race is brutal. Man, every year you don’t know what to expect, whether your body is going to hold on or not because it’s a battle of attrition more than anything. Whether you go fast, slow, try to cruise, it zaps you the same, but I had a solid race.”

With the win, Kelley is knotted up at the top of the championship point standings with Baylor, who finished second in Florida, at 55 points each.

“I got a bad start and just kind of managed the first two laps,” said Kelley. “I was trying to make passes, but at the same time I was riding real smooth, trying to rest my whole body. I’m happy it wasn’t six laps. I didn’t even see the two-lap card and I’m like, oh boy, it’s going to be brutal, but in the end, it felt pretty good.”

Steward Baylor at 2023 Wild Boar GNCC — **Opening-round winner Steward Baylor was second overall, despite finishing lap one in 13th place.**

Tely Racing Rocky Mountain ATV-MC KTM’s Ben Nelko grabbed the holeshot to start the three-hour race, only to be passed by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong at the seven-mile marker of lap one. DeLong rode strong and held the lead ahead of AmPro Yamaha’s Ricky Russell, last year’s champ Magna1 Motorsports’ Husqvarna’s Jordan Ashburn, Canadian motocrosser Tyler Medaglia and FMF/KTM’s Johnny Girroir. DeLong held the lead by as much as 20 seconds until the halfway mark when Russell, Kelley and Girroir went by. Girroir dogged Kelley for half the race and ran in second behind his KTM teammate for a while but then dropped back with stomach issues.

Baylor had to make up for a bad start to claim the runner-up slot.

“I was on the struggle bus out there on that first lap,” said Baylor. “We’ve had a really tough time trying to find a happy medium on these bikes. It was a big change and a late change. I had hand surgery late last year, so I wasn’t able to start testing until January, and then you kind of get thrown to the wolves. So, we’re testing as we’re racing. The bike was phenomenal at Big Buck but different here in the sand. So, we just have to find that happy medium. I’m happy to come away with a podium and tied for the points.”

DeLong was pleased to make the podium in Florida, especially after a fifth-place finish at round one.

Craig DeLong at 2023 Wild Boar GNCC — **Craig DeLong led the first three laps. He filled out the podium.**

“I had a great start for once,” said DeLong. “It was cool to be up front. It’s something that I always kind of struggle with, but my mechanic and I, we worked on the starts and we got dialed now. I got out front and Nelko was leading. He was kind of sprinting away from me, but I was content with my speed. I came around a corner and he was tagged up in some vines and stuff. Once I got around him, I was like, all right, I think I can get a little gap. So, I just rode in my comfort zone and was really smooth.”

Russell got around DeLong at the one-hour mark to take the lead but lost it during a pit stop and cruised home with fourth.

Ricky Russell at 2023 Wild Boar GNCC — **Ricky Russell led a lap but eventually finished fourth.**

“I knew it was going to be a long day, so I was just trying to ride effortlessly, which is impossible in Florida, but I was trying to ride as effortlessly as I could,” said Russell. “I felt good. I was just smooth and steady, and I was able to pass Craig at the halfway mark. I was able to start pushing and I was feeling really good. Then we pit and after the pit, they got away from me and I kind of lost focus a little bit and just wasn’t hitting my marks. I hit a wall a little bit. Once they gave me the white flag, it kind of sparked me back up, knowing that there was only one more lap. I was able to give it a little bit of a push. Craig was only a few seconds ahead of me. I kept getting the board ‘minus 10’ from Craig. That was for the podium. He pushed hard too, because he caught Stew. So, I was just too little too late.”

Coastal Racing GasGas’ Ryder Lafferty cracked the top five and grabbed the XC2 250 Pro win, his second class win in a row.

Ryder Lafferty at 2023 Wild Boar GNCC — **Ryder Lafferty was the top XC2 250 Pro rider in fifth overall.**

“I earned this one,” said Lafferty. “I got out front and pushed away, got a gap and kind of was by myself. I feel like this was the first round I surprised those guys and this one I owned it. I won, straight up.”

AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper, who has been riding well lately, was sixth overall and second in the XC2 250 Pro class.

“I was like mid-pack off the start, but I just worked my way up,” said Draper. “I was in fourth at the end of the first lap and I stayed there most of the race until going into the fourth lap where I was pitting and I passed Jonathan Johnson for third and kind of sprinted away because I knew I had to fuel, and he had already fueled. I got fuel and then went out behind him, and I passed him back and pulled a little gap away from him and was kind of just by myself. Then the last lap I went into a minute or so down off of Ryder and finished out 14 seconds behind him.”

Draper ended up posting the fastest lap time out of all of the classes on the last lap.

Ashburn was seventh overall, while Babbitts Monster Energy Team Green Kawasaki teammates Lyndon Snodgrass and Grant Baylor were eighth and ninth. Snodgrass also finished third in the XC2 250 Pro class, while Trail Jesters Racing KTM’s Grant Davis was 10th overall and fourth in the XC2 250 Pro class.

Korie Steede at 2023 Wild Boar GNCC — **Korie Steede won the Women’s Pro race.**

Trail Jesters Racing KTM’s Korie Steede grabbed an early lead and built an early lead in the WXC class to take a 1:23-second win ahead of AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer. GasGas’ Rachel Gutish was third with FLY Racing/KTM’s Shelby Turner in fourth. CN