2023 Mason Dixon GNCC Round 8 Results

Shan Moore | June 5, 2023

After having seven different winners in the first seven rounds, the Grand National Cross-Country Series finally saw its first two-time winner of the 2023 season when Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong took a hard-fought win at the Mason Dixon GNCC in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, June 4, over FMF/GasGas privateer Layne Michael, topping the North Carolina rider by eight seconds.

Craig DeLong at 2023 Mason Dixon GNCC — **Eight races in and Craig DeLong finally is the first double winner in this year’s GNCC Series.**

Photos by Ken Hill

DeLong was in championship contention last year thanks to consistency, although he didn’t have a win all year. But to have two wins this year before the summer break is huge. With the win, DeLong went from 16 points behind Tely Energy Racing/ Rocky Mountain ATV-MC KTM Racing’s Steward Baylor in the championship to an eight-point lead after the race, when Baylor suffered a ninth-place finish.

DeLong grabbed the holeshot ahead of Michael to lead the pack into the woods for the first time.

DeLong, Michael, Magna1 Racing Husqvarna’s Jordan Ashburn, FMF/KTM’s Johnny Girroir and Baylor constituted the order at the halfway mark of the opening lap in the dry/slick and dusty conditions. RPM Racing KTM’s Gus Riordan led the Pro 2 class.

At the halfway point of the race (lap three), DeLong held an 11-second lead over Michael, with Ashburn another 39 seconds back.

By lap four, Michael had caught and passed DeLong to take the point when DeLong went down, with Ashburn still in third. It was the first time Michael had led a lap in XC1 competition. DeLong retook the front spot on the following lap, returning the favor when Michael bobbled.

Liam Draper at 2023 Mason Dixon GNCC — **Liam Draper captured the XC2 250-class win in seventh overall.**

AmPro Yamaha’s Ricky Russell also moved up a spot, passing Ashburn to move into third.

At the finish, DeLong grabbed his second win of the season, with Michael claiming his first podium of the year and Ashburn finishing third.

“I pretty much ran up front all day but then I had a run-in with a lapper and Layne got by me and I thought that was going to be it,” said DeLong. “It was pretty dusty, and I couldn’t get to his rear wheel, it took me a lap to get used to the dust, but I finally caught him, and I put a lot of pressure on him, and he ended up making a mistake and I was able to just kind of squeak by him and I was able to ride it out from then. It was a brutal track, and it was very hard to pass, and the start was important, and I was able to get that.”

Michael was ecstatic with a second. “Honestly, I didn’t expect to battle up front,” said Michael. “I got super lucky getting a good start and honestly, I just settled into my pace. Craig was going faster than me but he ended up making a mistake and I just kept my same pace, but unfortunately, I got off balance and hit a tree and he got around me and then I made another little mistake and that was it.”

AmPro Yamaha’s Ricky Russell came home third. “I’m usually a good starter and the one race you needed a good start I totally botched it,” said Russell. “I got sideways, and I was just buried so I was kind of stuck behind Stew for a while and the front guys were getting away. I was getting a little frustrated because you couldn’t see and then once everybody got separated, I started to make some moves and then I saw the podium.

Meanwhile, Babbitt’s Online Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Grant Baylor was fifth ahead of FMF/KTM’s Ben Kelley.

AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper moved into the lead in the Pro 2 class on lap four. However, Riordan regained the lead on lap five, but Draper would not be denied and retook the lead on the final lap, holding it to the finish, winning the XC2 250 Pro class and claiming seventh overall.

Korie Steede at 2023 Mason Dixon GNCC — **Korie Steede won the Women’s Pro class.**

“I’m so stoked I don’t even know what to say,” said Draper. “I broke my footpeg off on lap three and we had to replace it. I was in second and I just gave it everything I had for the win.”

FMF/KTM’s Johnny Girroir toughed out an eighth overall, with Steward Baylor and RPM Racing KTM’s Angus Riordan rounding out the top 10.

Trail Jesters Racing KTM’s Korie Steede took the win in the WXC class ahead of AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer. “I got the holeshot and built up a 10-second lead, and then I went down and Archer got me. We just kind of yo-yoed from there,” said Steede. “On the last lap, Archer ended up going down with some lappers and I got the lead again and held on to the finish.”

Over and Out KTM’s Rachel Gutish took third.

In the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class, Toby Cleveland (Husqvarna) took a 17-second win over Beta Jahk Walker, with Beta USA’s Jason Lipscomb (Husqvarna) in third.