A questionable gas stop by Liqui Moly Beta’s Jhak Walker, combined with an inspired performance by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong, led to an exciting result at the Mason-Dixon GNCC, with DeLong claiming his first victory since the 2024 Ironman finale and Walker securing a best-ever overall finish. Pride and prestige were on the line at round 11 of the 2026 Grand National Cross Country Series at Mathews Farm in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, on October 3-4, but not championship points.
Photos by Mack Faint
Due to a scheduling conflict with this year’s International Six Days Enduro in Portugal, the Mason-Dixon GNCC was designated a non-points-paying event. While the ISDE takes place the following weekend, competitors spend the preceding week traveling and preparing. As a result, several top riders were absent, including Steward Baylor Jr, Grant Davis, Johnny Girroir, Jason Tino, Cooper Jones, Toby Cleveland and Australians Angus Riordan and Josh Strang. Among the Women Pro riders, Rachel Gutish, Korie Steede and Canada’s Brandy Richards were also traveling to Portugal, along with many club riders. Other riders took the weekend off to rest or recover.
As a result of the non-points-paying decision, there would be no distinction between the XC1 and XC2 classes. Both divisions entered the race as a single class under the Open Pro designation. The result was a leaner, more open field and a race that felt more like a high-stakes local showdown than a championship pressure cooker. DeLong, the 2023 XC1 Champion from nearby Morgantown, Pennsylvania, seized the moment on familiar dirt to claim the win.
DeLong grabbed the holeshot into the off-camber first turn, with series points leader Jordan Ashburn of Phoenix Honda Racing in hot pursuit. By the seven-mile mark, DeLong had already stretched out a clear advantage, with Ashburn, Phoenix Honda’s Angus Riordan and Liqui Moly Beta teammates Walker and Strang giving chase. Notably, Walker was aboard a two-stroke.
At the end of the first lap, DeLong held a 17.8-second lead over Ashburn, with Riordan another 1.7 seconds back. On the second lap, Walker slingshot around Riordan for third, then began pressuring Ashburn. Half a lap later, Walker settled into third as DeLong extended his lead to 27 seconds. Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki’s Grant Baylor arrived on the scene and pushed Walker through the tight wooded sections. After two laps, the order read DeLong, Ashburn, Walker, Riordan and Brody Johnson, as Baylor dropped off the pace.
A mile into lap three, Walker passed Ashburn for second. Halfway through the race, he had closed to within six seconds of DeLong and was still chipping away. On lap four, Walker was turning the fastest times on the course, nearly 22 seconds quicker than the leader at one point, and he seized the overall lead during a pit stop.
DeLong refused to let the two-stroke rider slip away. He turned up the heat and was on Walker’s rear fender at the start of the final lap as the leaders dealt with lappers. With a lap-and-a-half remaining, Walker took the safe bet and stopped for a controversial fuel top-off. The Beta team had calculated that the two-stroke could not reach the checkered flag without it. DeLong sailed into the lead. Walker rejoined in second, still within sight of the Husqvarna, and even gained a few seconds, but he never closed enough to mount a serious challenge. Baylor dropped off the pace and gave way to Strang.
As the final lap wound down, DeLong held firm and crossed the finish line nearly eight seconds ahead of Walker. Walker secured his best-ever overall finish, finishing second. Phoenix Honda Racing’s Mike Witkowski slipped under the wire for third.
“I feel like I was capable of doing that all year,” DeLong said. “So, I don’t know if it was just the no points or just a local race close to home. I just felt good. I had a little bit of the upper hand on this dirt. Jhak caught me quick. That two-stroke, he rides it well. That’s a tough bike to ride in these conditions, and he did it well. So, when he had to gas-stop on the last lap, that gave me my breathing room. If he didn’t have to stop, I don’t know what would have happened. It probably would have been a lot closer. But it was still good. It’s been almost two years since I won a race, so it feels good.”
Walker was philosophical about his team’s calculated risk. “I was in fourth for a couple of laps, then I made some moves on Gus and Ashburn, and then I made a hard push to catch Craig,” he said. “I caught him. He pitted, and then I pitted the same lap, but we got out a bit quicker. So I was leading for about two laps, and then I had to pit on that last lap, and he got by me. That last lap got close. And then we got into the slicker stuff, and I struggled to keep up with him. So I’m stretching the cables as much as I can, and we’re burning through a little bit more gas than everyone else on the two-stroke. So we took a gas stop just in case. I mean, I’d rather have a pit and get second than not finish at all, so it was a good decision.”Witkowski flew under the radar for most of the race, ultimately finishing third overall.
“It was a long day. I got a bad start,” said Witkowski. “I was buried and had a lot of work to do early. I was like 13th or something, so to come from that far back, it’s not usual for me to climb all the way back up that far. So that was good. I’m just happy to be on the podium. It’s been a long time. It was a solid day.”
Strang and Baylor rounded out the top five.
The Mason-Dixon Top Amateur honors went to Lane Whitmer as he battled through to finish 11th overall and first in the 250 A class at round 11 as he battles for the class National Championship. After clinching the Open A Championship early, Cole Whitmer would come through to 12 overall to secure second on the Top Amateur podium and in the 250 A class in Pennsylvania. Hunter Smith would battle back to finish third atop the Top Amateur podium with a 13th overall finishing position and third in 250 A.
The AM Bike race saw the youth riders rise to the top of the overall standings at the Mason-Dixon GNCC, with 150 B Schoolboy (12-17) competitors Gavin Abboud and Lucas Skelton claiming the top two positions. Abboud put together a strong performance to capture the AM Bike overall victory, while Skelton battled through the Pennsylvania terrain to secure second overall. Seven Henderson rounded out the AM Bike overall podium in third, while also taking home the 4-Stroke C Lites class victory to cap off an impressive morning of racing.
With the Mason-Dixon GNCC serving as a non-points-paying round for the WXC class, the championship standings were not impacted, but the competition remained strong as the riders battled for podium honors in Pennsylvania. Phoenix Racing Honda’s Tayla Jones made her way to the front of the field and captured the WXC class win, while three-time GNCC WXC Champion Becca Sheets made a strong return to GNCC competition and raced her way to second. Shriver’s Pharmacy/Formation Cementing/Bi Con’s Ellie Winland also put together a solid performance throughout the race, navigating the challenging Mason-Dixon terrain to round out the WXC podium in third.
Up next, the Ironman GNCC takes place from October 23-25 in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
CN
2026 GNCC Round 11 Results
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Craig DeLong (Hus)
- Jhak Walker (Bet)
- Michael Witkowski (Hon)
- Josh Strang (Bet)
- Grant Baylor (Kaw)
- Brody Johnson (Hus)
- Jordan Ashburn (Hon)
- Gavin Simon (Hus)
- Ryder Lafferty (Hon)
- Kailub Russell (Yam)
