Zac Herrin
The first round of the 2024 Progressive GNCC Series was this past weekend in Union, SC. The VP Racing Fuels Big Buck GNCC is one of the longest running stops on the circuit, and always brings a huge turnout of off-road racers looking to start their season off strong. As always, team/bike changes, new riders, and “flying during testing” rumors swirled around the pits as everyone tried to predict the man to beat on the weekend.
Because of the massive amount of racers, an alternate schedule was used meaning we got our first taste of two wheeled racing action Saturday afternoon following the Pro ATV race. The Bike Youth race contains 13 classes varying from Superminis down to 65’s, but without a doubt the action is at the front of the field in the YXC1 Supermini Sr. class. There were several names being tossed around for the favorite coming into the season, but it was 2023 overall Youth Champion Caleb Wood (who also got two Top 10 finishes at Loretta’s last year) that had the most buzz.
When the green flag flew it was some of the favorites up front as Caleb Wood, Brayden Baisley, and Brody Amos were all inside the top three coming through the first lap. Wood led the way early, but Baisley was able to capitalize on a mistake and take over the lead. Baisley put his head down and maintained a healthy lead for the next two laps. Caleb Wood had repassed for the lead on lap 4 with Baisley about 12 seconds behind. Baisley cut the gap down to less than two seconds as they took the white flag, and with roughly 15 minute lap times, it was going to be an all out brawl to the finish. Lapped riders heavily affected the leaders on the final lap, but they stayed merely bike lengths apart. When they appeared out of the tree line on the final lap, Caleb Wood was leading by half a bike length over Brayden Baisley. Three turns separated Wood from grabbing the win….and two lapped riders. With nowhere else to go and no chance of letting off the throttle, both Wood and Baisley PLOWED into the lapped riders trying to keep their momentum headed to the finish. Both stayed on two wheels, and Caleb Wood held on to get the YXC1 and Youth overall victory. Brayden Baisley crossed the line just behind in second, and Brody Amos fought hard to hold onto the final podium spot.
The WXC class was one of the most talked about coming into the season. All of the top three finishers from 2023 switched teams and bikes for the new season. Along with new teams, some new faces showed up to Big Buck wanting to get in on the championship battle. Landers Racing RedBull Factory KTM’s Brandy Richards came out swinging as she grabbed the holeshot and early race lead. She was closely followed by reigning champion Rachael Archer on her new Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki, as well as last year’s runner-up Korie Steede on her Rockstar Energy Husqvarna. As the two hour race wore on, we saw Archer and Steede get around Richards making it a two rider battle to the finish. Last year, Archer seemed to get the better of Steede late in the races, but as they took the white flag, Steede was less than a second behind. Lapped traffic was brutal and forced them to take new lines even on the final lap. Racing out of the woods on the last lap, Rachael Archer had managed to open up about six seconds and took the win. Korie Steede would hang on for second place, and Brady Richards maintained third to round out the podium.
The XC2 class started with BANG as all the riders came into turn one. All except for defending champion Liam Draper who had to jump start his bike after issues getting it to fire. With the 2023 champ starting from the back of the pack, it was a great opportunity for last year’s runner-up Angus Riordan to get out to an early lead and try to run away with the win.
Unfortunately for Riordan, Draper rode like a man possessed to get to the front of the class and actually passed for the lead going into the final lap. The two swapped the lead a number of times as they navigated lapped traffic and when the checkered flag fell it was Angus Riordan on his Landers Racing RedBull Factory KTM grabbing the win by 2 seconds over the AmPro Yamaha of Liam Draper. Third place went to Grant Davis who had a quiet but impressive ride on his Landers Racing RedBull Factory KTM as well.
The XC1 class made history in 2023 with 8 different winners throughout the season. To say the hype was huge coming into the year, would be an understatement. The Champion, Craig DeLong, is back in 2024 with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna and was his usual quiet but confident self coming into the weekend. Steward Baylor is taking a different approach with an entirely new program in 2024 where he is both racer AND team owner. His Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki team had success in the Youth and WXC classes, so now it was up to the boss to get the job done in XC1. Stu struggled off the start, as did his brother Grant Baylor. At the front of the field it was FMF RedBull KTM’s Johnny Girroir grabbing the holeshot and leading wire to wire over the three hour race. He would be under pressure early from AmPro Yamaha’s Ricky Russell but managed to keep himself out front. The Baylor brothers began to charge forward, picking their way through the rest of the XC1 field. DeLong was sitting in fourth when he had a big get off and had to fight just to make it to the finish. The man on the move for the final hour was Grant “The Grizzly” Baylor, running 23 seconds faster than his competition. When the dust settled it was Johnny Girroir grabbing the win by less than a minute over a charging Steward Baylor. Grant made several passes on the final lap and put himself in third on the day.
With the season officially started it looks to be another great year of GNCC Racing. The next round will be in Palatka, FL in two weeks. The sand and hotter conditions often make this one of the most brutal races of the year. For all the up to date information on the series go to www.gnccracing.com and be sure to tune in to www.racertv.com to watch all 13 rounds live.
Images: Ken Hill/GNCC Racing
Let’s get Zac in the booth for RCSX after GNCC