Top Euros To Compete in Final GNCC Round

Kit Palmer | October 7, 2002

According to a press release from Ligne Racing, the importer and distributor of CRD International products, three top off-road racers from Europe will be coming to America to compete in the final round of the Grand National Cross Country Series in Crawfordsville, Indiana, October 20.

French riders David Fretigne, Sebastien Guillaume and Guillaume Porte are planning to give GNCC racing a try. Fretigne (pictured) is one of Europe’s top off-road riders who just won the 250cc Four-Stroke class at the recently concluded ISDE in Czech Republic and is the 2002 French Enduro Champion. Fretigne will ride a Yamaha France YZ250 in Indiana.

Guillaume was the runner-up in the French Enduro World Championship and will ride a factory Husqvarna 250 CR in the U.S., while Porte, who was injured earlier in the year, will ride a factory Gas Gas 250 EC.

“Riding in the U.S., in a series new to me, will be a challenge – a challenge I’m looking forward to,” Porte said. “I think the American riders will be tough competitors and the course will quite difficult.”

Kit Palmer | Off-Road Editor

Kit Palmer started his career at Cycle News in 1984 and he’s been testing dirt and streetbikes every since – plus covering any event that uses some form of a knobby tire. He’s also our resident motorcycle mileage man with a commute of 120 miles a day.