Kailub Russell turned back the clock at Sunday’s Ironman GNCC in Crawfordsville, Indiana, claiming his first victory of the 2026 season and extending his record as the winningest motorcycle racer in Grand National Cross-Country history. While the eight-time GNCC Champion enjoyed a relatively trouble-free afternoon, the penultimate round of the series produced plenty of drama behind him, including late-race heartbreak for two riders who appeared headed for strong finishes.
Photos by Mack Faint
Russell, who returned to competition last season following a four-year hiatus, entered the race with 68 career victories, already well ahead of the legendary Scott Summers’ 46. His 69th came in convincing fashion, as the AmPro Yamaha rider, Russell, took control early and never looked back.
Perfect weather greeted the riders, although the dry conditions created thick dust and deep silt that made visibility and traction unpredictable. With passing opportunities limited in places, getting a good start was especially important.
FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Grant Davis, winner of the John Penton GNCC in September, grabbed the holeshot after Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Craig DeLong ran wide in the first turn despite getting the quickest jump off the line. Russell tucked into second, followed by his AmPro Yamaha teammate Liam Draper.
Meanwhile, championship leader Jordan Ashburn’s afternoon started disastrously when the Phoenix Honda Racing rider crashed in the first turn, taking out FMF KTM’s Ben Kelley and Liqui Moly Beta’s Josh Strang.
Russell wasted little time moving to the front. By the seven-mile mark, he led Draper, with Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki’s Steward Baylor Jr third, followed by Davis and Evan Smith.
By the end of the opening lap, Russell had already built a 32-second lead over Draper, with Baylor in third.
From there, Russell controlled the pace, taking advantage of the clear track ahead while his pursuers struggled with the increasingly difficult conditions en route to a relatively easy win.
“It feels great to finally get a win on the year,” said Russell. “It was looking pretty dismal at times. Everybody’s riding at such a high level, you just can’t really pick your way through like I used to be able to, I just don’t have that dog in me anymore.”
Russell was particularly pleased to win on a 450 for the first time in his career (his first win on a Yamaha last year came on a 250F) at a track where the larger machine’s characteristics worked to his advantage.
“It was my first win on a 450. I knew I needed the power,” he said, “the extra little power. Overall, the bike worked great.”
Behind Russell, Draper delivered one of his strongest performances of the season, finishing second and putting himself back into the championship conversation heading into the finale.
“I knew the start was going to play a big role in today’s race, and you had to be at the front to be in this battle, and I was able to get a good start,” said Draper. “There at the end, I knew it was going to be tough to get Kailub, so I just rode smart and bought it back in because the track was brutal. You didn’t know what was under the silt.”
For Baylor, the afternoon was considerably less rewarding.
After three DNFs in the opening five rounds, many had written the Kawasaki rider out of the championship picture. However, a remarkable midseason turnaround had put him back into contention for his first GNCC title.
Running third for much of the afternoon, Baylor appeared headed for another valuable points haul despite crashing and dislodging his airbox cover. His mechanic was forced to make repairs in the field, securing the cover with tape while Baylor managed to retain third.
Then disaster struck when Baylor ran out of fuel with two laps to go, forcing an extended 56-second pit stop that dropped him to 10th and dealt another blow to his championship aspirations.
Davis inherited third, but his own podium hopes disappeared when his KTM came to a stop within view of the checkered flag due to a clogged air filter.
The misfortune promoted Phoenix Honda Racing’s Mike Witkowski, last year’s Ironman winner, to third overall, while Davis ended the day in 13th.
Liqui Moly Beta’s Jhak Walker won the XC2 250 Pro division with a fourth-place overall finish. Walker ran as high as third overall midway through the race.
Ashburn, meanwhile, staged an impressive recovery after falling outside the top 15 on the opening lap. The current points leader steadily worked his way through the field, reaching eighth by lap three before eventually finishing sixth behind DeLong. Baylor was seventh.
Jason Tino (KTM) finished second in XC2 and eighth overall. Ryder Lafferty (Honda) was ninth, while Toby Cleveland (Husqvarna) rounded out the overall top 10 and finished third in XC2.
With Russell celebrating a milestone victory and Draper gaining valuable ground, the championship battle remains unsettled heading into the season-ending Buckwheat 100 GNCC in West Virginia, November 7-8.
Ashburn heads into the series finale with a nine-point advantage over Baylor, 202-193, while Draper remains firmly in contention, just two points behind Baylor. Despite three DNFs in the opening five rounds, Baylor has fought his way back into the championship picture, setting up a three-way showdown with the top contenders separated by just 11 points.
Brandy Richards (KTM) took the win in the WXC class, passing Danielle McDonald (Yamaha) late in the race. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Korie Steede was third, ahead of Tayla Jones (Honda) and Megan Janyssek (Husqvarna).
The win put Richards in sole control of the class championship; she was tied at the top with Steede coming into the race.
“We were sprinting pretty much the whole time during that race,” Richards said. “It was a fast pace and difficult to maintain physically, but we dug deep on the final lap to get into the lead and put in a sprint all the way until the finish. I’m happy with the points lead entering the finale. I will likely need to win that one too.”
The WXC title race is wide open, with Richards, Steede and McDonald separated by just nine points.CN
2026 GNCC Round 12 Results
2026 GNCC XC1 Open Pro Round 12 Results
- Kailub Russell (Yam)
- Liam Draper (Yam)
- Michael Witkowski (Hon)
- Jhak Walker (Bet)
- Craig DeLong (Hus)
- Jordan Ashburn (Hon)
- Steward Baylor (Kaw)
- Jason Tino (KTM)
- Ryder Lafferty (Hon)
- Toby Cleveland (Hus)
2026 GNCC Points Standings (After 12 of 13 rounds)
- Jordan Ashburn (202/2 wins)
- Steward Baylor Jr (193/3 wins)
- Liam Draper (191)
- Craig DeLong (159/1 win)
- Ben Kelley (157/1 win)
- Mike Witkowski (137)
- Kailub Russell (129/1 win)
- Grant Davis (120/2 wins)
- Angus Riordan (119)
- Jhak Walker (119)
2026 GNCC XC2 250 Pro Round 12 Results
- Kailub Russell (Yam)
- Liam Draper (Yam)
- Michael Witkowski (Hon)
- Craig DeLong (Hus)
- Jordan Ashburn (Hon)
- Steward Baylor (Kaw)
- Ryder Lafferty (Hon)
- Grant Davis (KTM)
- Evan Smith (KTM)
- Korey McMahon (KTM)
GNCC XC2 250 Pro Points Standings (After 12 of 13 rounds)
- Jhak Walker (245/2 wins)
- Angus Riordan (241/5 wins)
- Jason Tino (237/2 wins)
- Brody Johnson (204)
- Jason Lipscomb (156)
- Gavin Simon (153)
- Toby Cleveland (143)
- Nick DeFeo (106/2 wins)
- Christopher Parris (54)
- Joseph Cunningham (36)
2026 GNCC WXC Round 12 Results
- Brandy Richards (KTM)
- Danielle McDonald (Yam)
- Korie Steede (Hus)
- Tayla Jones (Hon)
- Megan Janyssek (Yam)
- Addison Harris (KTM)
- Carly Lee (KTM)
- Elizabeth Allen (Tri)
- Lilley Sheets (Yam)
GNCC WXC Points Standings (After 12 of 13 rounds)
- Brandy Richards (279)
- Korie Steede (270)
- Danielle McDonald (270)
- Lilley Sheets (162)
- Carly Lee (156)
- Elizabeth Allen (119)
- Jocelyn Barnes (116)
- Tayla Jones (113)
- Addison Harris (92)
- Emma Smith (68)
