Zac Herrin
We’re gearing up for our annual Vurbmoto Classic at NXT LVL 101 in South Carolina on September 13-15. It’s our biggest race of the year. If you don’t believe us, just ask riders like Jo Shimoda, Haiden Deegan, Adam Cianciarulo, Justin Barcia, Justin Cooper, Cooper Webb, among others what this race meant to them. They will tell you that it completely changed the trajectory of their careers. We took them to the top baby! Now we will take you to the top. Sign up for your classes today and see if you can become King or Queen of the Classic.
This weekend marks the return of the Progressive GNCC Racing series with the Kanati Tires Buckwheat 100 in Newburg, WV. Round 10 will kick off the final stretch of racing to close the 2024 season. The racing has been extremely close throughout the season and with so many possible outcomes, we wanted to make sure you knew everything before you tuned in.
There are several storylines coming into the final four rounds. FMF/RedBull KTM’s Johnny Girroir is currently leading the XC1 Pro class by 43 points over Stew Baylor. Girroir has five wins on the season including the last round at Snowshoe. Girroir has stayed busy during the summer break, wrapping up another US Sprint Enduro title and re-signing with FMF/RedBull KTM. Confidence should be at an all time high for Johnny, which could be bad news for the rest of the class.
However, never one to give up, Stew Baylor looks to come out swinging aboard his Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki and start to chip away at Girroir’s points lead. Stew has stayed near the front all season and has seven podiums including two wins. But, a tenth at round 7 severely hurt his points chase and now has to start getting wins if he wants a shot at the title. Returning to the XC1 field is teammate of Girroir and 2021 Champion Ben Kelley. Kelley is coming off of a hip injury, but has a decent amount of time on the bike. He certainly holds the potential to shake up the podium and possibly grab a win. Last year’s XC1 Champ Craig DeLong has not had the season he hoped for with his Rockstar Husqvarna team. He currently sits fourth in points behind Coastal GasGas’ Jordan Ashburn. DeLong showed he still has what it takes by winning round 7 and says he is getting back to feeling like the rider he was last year. Ashburn has had a quietly stellar year staying inside the top five almost every race and the consistency has paid off.
The XC2 class has had to deal with the rise of Grant Davis and his Lander’s Racing KTM. Davis has proven to be a headache for both the XC2 and XC1 classes as he has run at the top of the overall timing board multiple times throughout the season. He has five wins this season and holds a 37-point lead over his teammate Angus Riordan. Riordan has snatched three wins on the season and is really the only rider with a shot at taking the title from Davis. The teammates seem to get along, but it’s quite clear they both want to be the one holding the #1 plate at the end of the season. AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper sits third in points even after missing round 9 due to injury. Look for Draper to be back in action at Buckwheat and possibly show a wheel to the KTM boys.
The closest points battle is in the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class where Jhak Walker on the Liqui-Moly Beta leads by only seven points over Dakoda Devore. Devore has five wins to Walker’s three, but a few races off the podium has given Walker control of the title for now. Dustin Simpson or “Dirt Bike Jesus” as the fans call him, round out the top three in points. Simpson has grabbed multiple holeshots and been near the front all year, but hasn’t been able to grab a win yet this season.
Last, but certainly not least, is the battle in the WXC class. Leading is Rachael Archer on the Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki. She is the reigning champion in the class and has gotten four wins this season. Just 18 points behind is Rockstar Husqvarna’s Korie Steede. Steede has been consistently on the podium and has two wins at rounds 7 and 8. She came up just short of the title last year, so look for Steede to really make a charge these last four rounds and shift the momentum in her direction.
While we don’t know who will grab the win this weekend, we know it will be great racing and a fight until the final checkered flag.
You can get tickets and information on upcoming rounds at www.gnccracing.com and if you can’t make it out to the race, you can catch the race live on www.racertv.com.
Main Image and Davis Photo: Mack Faint
Girroir Image: Ken Hill
