Kit Palmer | July 10, 2017
2017 The Wiseco John Penton GNCC Results – For the first time of his career, Grant Baylor finished out a GNCC on the top step of the podium. It came at The Wiseco John Penton GNCC in Millfield, Ohio, July 9, where a strong and steady ride netted him the overall.
2017 The Wiseco John Penton GNCC Results
“I haven’t even broken into the top five all year, so this is an awesome feeling knowing this is where I should be,” said Baylor (Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/KR4/ Husqvarna).
Second overall was Thad Duvall (Rockstar Energy/Factory Husqvarna) despite being the first rider to take the checkered flag. After battling with defending champ Kailub Russell for much of the race, Duvall came out on top only to learn that a protest had been filed against him for cutting a section of the racecourse. After a review, Duvall was docked on position, which officially handed Baylor the victory and Duvall second place.
Despite the penalty, Duvall was happy to finish ahead of championship rival Russell, who was actually leading the race on the final lap when a mechanical problem stopped him in his tracks. Russell (FMF KTM) quickly resolved the problem but not before Duvall and Baylor had squirted past him. The points leader, Russell, still finished third to retain his place at the top of the championship leaderboard, but not by much. His lead over Duvall has shrunk to just three points.
“It’s been a bad few weeks, nothing is going right,” said Russell. “I’ve blown a lot of points and it’s a tough pill to swallow. I was making stupid mistakes today. I finally felt like I was riding really well on the last three laps, and then I ran into some mechanical problems on the last lap. I felt good, and I was riding good. It’s not a lack of effort—things just aren’t coming together like I’m used to.”
Fourth across the finish line was Chris Bach (RPM/KTM) but he too was docked a position for cutting the same section as Duvall. As a result, he was officially given fifth place, which moved Ryan Sipes (Coast Racing/Husqvarna) up a spot to fourth.
Sixth place went to Russell Bobbitt who got off to a fast start with the $250 All Balls Racing Holeshot Award.
The top XC2 250 Pro rider was Layne Michael in seventh overall, while Trevor Bollinger, previous-round winner Ricky Russell and Josh Toth, second in XC2, rounded out the top 10 overall.
Craig Delong was third in in XC2 in 11th overall.
For the first time, Hunter Neuwirth (Husqvarna) won the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class, with Mark Heresco Jr. (KTM) taking second and Devan Welch (Yamaha) third.
Tayla Jones (Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/KR4/Husqvarna) took top honor in the WXC class
The Wiseco John Penton GNCC
Millfield, Ohio
Round 9 of 13
Saturday, July 9
XC1 Open Pro Event Results:
- Grant Baylor (Hus)
- Thad Duvall (Hus)
- Kailub Russell (KTM)
- Ryan Sipes (Hus)
- Chris Bach (KTM)
- Russell Bobbitt (KTM)
- Trevor Bollinger (Hon)
- Ricky Russell (Yam)
- Philippe Chaine (KTM)
- Josh Strang (Hus)
*Overall National Championship Standings:
- Kailub Russell (205)
- Thad Duvall (202)
- Steward Baylor (152)
- Ricky Russell (147)
- Josh Toth (137)
- Grant Baylor (119)
- Trevor Bollinger (100)
- Jordan Ashburn (99)
- Josh Strang (89)
- Craig Delong (87)
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2017 National Champion.
XC2 250 Pro Event Results:
- Layne Michael (Hus)
- Josh Toth (Yam)
- Craig Delong (Hus)
- Benjamin Kelley (KTM)
- Mike Witkowski (KTM)
- Jesse Groemm (KTM)
- Austin Lee (Hon)
- Sam Evans (KTM)
- Zack Hayes (KTM)
- Drew Higgins (Bet)
XC2 250 Pro Series Standings:
- Josh Toth (243)
- Craig Delong (186)
- Layne Michael (186)
- Mike Witkowski (159)
- Jesse Groemm (140)
- Austin Lee (126)
- Ben Kelley (118)
- Zack Hayes (109)
- Sam Evans (85)
- Zach Nolan (79)
FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am Event Results:
- Hunter Neuwirth (Hus)
- Mark Heresco Jr. (KTM)
- Devan Welch (Yam)
- Jason Thomas (Hus)
- Jaryn Williams (Yam)
- Josh Adkins (Yam)
FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am Points Standings:
- Jason Thomas (232)
- Mark Heresco Jr. (180)
- Hunter Neuwirth (180)
- Jack Edmondson (145)
- Josh Adkins (115)
- Jaryn Williams (114)
- Devan Welch (97)
- Paul Whibley (67)
- Dustin Gibson (61)
- Nate Smith (47)