After disappointing results at the first two rounds of the series, finishing outside of the top 20 in both races, Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki’s Steward Baylor Jr might still have a glimmer of hope for his first GNCC title after a little “Shakin’ and Bakin’ ” led to an overall win at Talladega GNCC in Lincoln, Alabama, on March 9.
Photos by Mack Faint
Baylor was two minutes down from the leaders after falling in the first turn but used his mud-riding skills and experience to pass FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers’ Grant Davis on the final lap to score the overall victory in the rain-soaked race. The race was so muddy and rutted that it was shortened from the usual three hours to just two hours (four laps). Talladega Super Speedway is a new venue on the series schedule, so the course featured all fresh-cut trail, which greatly favored the XC2 riders, which started one minute behind the XC1 riders.
“For an XC2 rider, the trail is already broken in by the XC1 class and you can see all the holes and roots, so it’s easier to sprint on the first lap and make up that minute gap,” said Am Pro Yamaha’s Liam Draper, who finished ninth overall at Talladega. “Then you can latch onto the back of an XC1 rider, and you already have a one-minute advantage on him on adjusted time. I know what it’s like to lead and to have to break in trail. Once 10 bikes have gone through a section, it’s a lot easier to catch the front guys.”
Draper grabbed the holeshot at the start of the race, leading Snodgrass Husqvarna’s Lyndon Snodgrass and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig DeLong into the tight and slippery single-track. Meanwhile, Am Pro Yamaha’s Kailub Russell, Baylor, Phoenix Honda Racing’s Mike Witkowski and FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Johnny Girroir all slid down in the first turn, losing valuable time.
By mile marker 11, Baylor had managed to sprint his way into the physical lead in the race, followed by Triumph Racing’s Ricky Russell. After leading, Draper dropped to third, with Snodgrass and a goggle-less DeLong rounding out the top five. Girroir and FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers’ Grant Davis ran sixth and seventh, although on adjusted time Davis held the lead, with Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki teammates Nick DeFeo and Josh Toth, all three XC2 riders, holding down the top positions.
Ricky Russell took the lead heading into lap two with Draper and Baylor in tow, however, by the midpoint of the race, Davis was in the physical lead, having passed Baylor and Ricky Russell. Girroir came next, followed by Beta Racing’s Josh Strang.
Ricky Russell dropped off the pace on lap three, falling back to eighth overall, while Toth broke off his shift lever and struggled to get back to the pits. After making it to the pits and replacing his shift lever, Toth could not restart his bike and was forced to drop out.
Girroir put on a big push near the end of lap three and was closing on Baylor, sitting just five seconds behind the XC1 class leader, but got stuck in a rut on the final lap and dropped down to seventh.
At the nine-mile marker, Baylor passed Davis to take over the physical lead, although Davis still held the overall lead on adjusted time.
Desperately wanting to take the overall win, and probably remembering that “if you ain’t first, you’re last,” Baylor put his nose to the grindstone and made up the one minute and 50 second deficit to pass Davis on the final lap to take the overall win. Davis ended up second overall and first in the XC2 division, while DeLong was third overall and second XC1 rider.
“That was brutal,” said Baylor. “It wasn’t easy going down in the first turn, but I got back up there and used the XC2 class as markers to see where the bad spots were. I still took a few bad lines and got hung up a few times on the way to the front, but I was wasting no time. I knew I wanted to be in the front.
“My goggles were covered, and I couldn’t see; it was too blurry with the mud, but I pulled into the pits, got new goggles, new gloves and sprayed the seat off. It was not a mile later I ruined my gloves and goggles, trashed the seat, and I was just sliding all over the place, so I gave up a lot of time to Grant. I knew it was going to be tough.
“When I saw I had three miles to go, I knew I needed to put a minute on him, but I knew I gained a minute at that point just to catch him. I thought it would be near impossible, but it was the luck of the draw. He went down in a mudhole. I knew his gloves and goggles would be ruined, and I did everything I could. I mean, I annihilated the last half of the course, just wide-open, and I was able to make it happen.”
Even though he led most of the race, Davis was still happy with second overall and first in the XC2 class.
“I got the holeshot in my class, and I got in a good flow and got to the back of the XC1 class and started picking them off pretty fast,” said Davis. “Then I caught Stew and Ricky [Russell], and I’m thinking to myself, doing the math in my head. I’m like, there are only two XC1 riders in front of me right now, so I got around Stew when he made a mistake, and then me and Ricky rode together for a while.
“Then I finally got around him and just put the hammer down. I tried to pull away, and I think I got a pit board saying I was two minutes up. I was like, alright, just cruise, but my bike started running bad, and then at the four-mile marker, my bike shut off on me for like a minute and a half. I looked back, and Stew was right there, and I just kept going, and he got around me. I just latched on to him, and then it quit on me again for another two minutes. But I’m happy with first in my class and second overall. I extended my points lead, so I’m right there for the overall championship.”
DeLong capitalized on a good start and rode a consistent race to finish third overall.
“That was nasty,” said DeLong. “Good start, for sure, that was the key. I’m ready for the next round, and this is the momentum that I needed for sure to get going. I struggled the first couple of races, so I’m happy to get on the podium and happy to put myself in that battle.”
Despite falling in the first turn, Phoenix Honda Racing’s Mike Witkowski rode consistently, limiting his mistakes, and came home with fourth overall.
“It was kind of a dull day,” said Witkowski. “I just played it smart, honestly. I just picked guys off where I could and tried to pick good lines. Once I got into a flow about midrace, I just found myself at the front. Then me and Craig [DeLong] linked up and basically were back and forth for the last couple laps. Unfortunately, I buried it with about a mile to go, and he got away, but I’m happy with fourth overall [and third XC1] and good points for the weekend.”
Witkowski’s teammate Cody Barnes battled his way through the deep ruts and water holes to finish fifth overall, 30 seconds ahead of FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers’ Angus Riordan.
FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley, who came into the race holding the XC1 points lead, was seventh overall, followed by FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers’ Chase Landers, who had his best finish to date, with eighth overall.
Draper, who led the early stages of the race, finished ninth, with AmPro Yamaha’s Kailub Russell rounding out the top 10.
Canadian Philippe Chaine survived the mud to take the win in the FMF XC3 125, beating out Jayson Crawford (Yamaha) and Isaiah Brown (Yamaha) to do so.
Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki’s Rachael Archer won the Women’s WXC class by just over a minute ahead of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Korie Steede, with Phoenix Honda Racing’s Tayla Jones finishing third another minute and 30 seconds back. FMF KTM’s Brandy Richards and Rieju USA’s Rachel Gutish were fourth and fifth.
2025 Talladega GNCC Round 3 Results
OVERALL
- Steward Baylor Jr. (Kaw)
- Grant Davis (KTM)
- Craig DeLong (Hus)
- Mike Witkowski (Hon)
- Cody Barnes (Hon)
- Angus Riordan (KTM)
- Ben Kelley (KTM)
- Chase Landers (KTM)
- Liam Draper (Yam)
- Kailub Russell (Yam)
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