David Knight Results Service
Red Bull KTM Off Road Race Team

Knighter dominates ’08 US GNCC Round 1

Red Bull KTM Off Road Race Team rider David Knight turned a potentially disastrous start to the first round of the ’08 Grand National Cross Country series into the perfect beginning to his GNCC championship defence as he managed to overcome a dead last start at The Triton GNCC in Melbourne, Florida and record yet another dominant win, finishing nearly three-and-a-half minutes ahead of his closest rival Jimmy Jarrett.

Confident of a good result following an extensive winter of testing and training at his home in the Isle of Man, Knight was also well aware that the opening round of the 13 event GNCC series would be extremely difficult. Always a challenging race, The Triton GNCC proved to be that and more as the six-lap event took its toll on many of the Pro class competitors.

For Knight things were tough right from the get go as he was left helplessly watching his XC1 class rivals as they disappeared off into the distance while he feverishly tried to fire his 450cc KTM into life. Having practised numerous starts the day before the race, each and every one of them perfect in every way, come the most anticipated start of the GNCC championship Knight found himself left behind and with a serious amount of work to do

But in typical Knight style it wasn’t long before the comeback began and he set about working his way forwards during the dusty opening lap. Fearing that those at the front of the race might open up an irreversible advantage, the defending series champion went all out to make up as many places as he could and ended lap one in an incredible sixth position. Out front FMX legend turned Rally driver Travis Pastrana lead, but it wasn’t long before Knight was in the hunt for the lead position.

Pitting for the first of his two scheduled fuel stops at the end of the second lap Knight was just seconds behind the then leaders Nate Kanney and Pastrana. Quickly passing both riders Knight then started to open up what would become a convincing advantage. Making the incredibly rough track look much less difficult than it was David, having built a comfortable lead, then eased his pace a little during the final two laps but still crossed the finish line comfortably ahead of his nearest rival Jimmy Jarrett. In doing so he claimed a well-deserved victory.

David Knight: “It’s great to win the first round of the series, but I could have made things a little easier for myself. I must have practised 100 starts the day before the race ad each one of them was perfect. The one I needed to get right and I just couldn’t get the bike started. Although it made things a lot harder than they should have been it’s nice knowing that I passed each and every rider to earn the win.

“The first lap was terrible – it was so dusty. I thought that I had no chance of catching the leaders, but somehow I managed it. I got stuck behind a few riders, then passed a few, and then I’d get stuck behind someone else. Once I got into the forest tracks I came up on Hawk and Edmisten. I was a bit surprised that they weren’t going faster than they were. I decided enough was enough at that point and decided to make a break for it.

“When I came into the pits I saw Nate Kanney just leaving, so I figured I was pretty close to the front. I passed Pastrana and Nate early on lap three and then started pulling away. I kept my pace pretty consistent and got my lead up to about two minutes and then backed my speed down a bit. The track was that rough that you had to keep pushing wherever you could.

“It was nice to get to the finish. I kept counting down the mile markers all the way to the finish. I was certainly pleased the race was over. My bike wasn’t set-up exactly the way I wanted it but it was great. You couldn’t push 100 per cent because the track was so rough. Obviously I wanted to start the season with a win but when I set off last thought there was no way I’d be able to do it. I was tired at the finish but I don’t feel the race took too much out of me. I’m certainly glad I trained my ass off this winter.”

Results – US GNCC ’08 Rnd 1, Overall Results
1.     David Knight (Red Bull KTM Off-Road Race Team) 2.48:41
2.     Jimmy Jarrett (Suzuki) 2.52:01
3.     Garrett Edmisten (Kawasaki) 2.52:04
4.     Barry Hawk (Yamaha) 2.52:06
5.     Paul Whibley (Suzuki) 2.53:16
6.     Nate Kanney (KTM) 2.53:26
7.     Jason Raines (Yamaha) 2.53:31
8.     Jesse Robinson (Kawasaki) 2.54:16
9.     Gordon Crockard (Husqvarna) 2.57:03
10.  Thad DuVall (Yamaha) 2.57:11

Red Bull KTM Report
Red Bull KTM's David Knight Wins GNCC Opener.

"Can David Knight hold on to his three minute lead to dominate the first round of the GNCC Series?" asked the announcer as the Red Bull KTM of David Knight neared the checkers. Knight answered that question by crossing the finish line a few moments later 3 minutes and 20 seconds ahead of his closest competitor.
 
Despite Knight's huge lead at the finish, his race did not start the same. In fact, the defending XC-1 Champion was dead last around the first turn after having trouble on the start. The faulty start did not stall him for long as he was already into sixth by the end of the first lap. "I just followed some of the fast guys through sections picking riders off one by one until before I knew it I was closing in on the top three," commented Knight about his forward momentum.
 
While Knight was moving through the pack, his Red Bull KTM team-mate, Nathan Kanney, was enjoying the view from up front as he led early on during the second lap of the event. Kanney had a great start and was able to pass Suzuki's Travis Pastrana for the lead shortly after the completion of lap one. Kanney held on to the lead until the third lap when he politely moved over for the harder charging David Knight. It was from that point forward that Knight was able to slowly stretch his lead over the near three hour long race.
 
Meanwhile, in the XC-2 class, Red Bull KTM rider Justin Williamson, suffered a poor start and was trying his best to work his way through the pack. "I had a hard time finding my groove today. I felt like I was riding out of control the whole race, but even that pace wasn't quick enough to run up front. I struggled today and know what I have to work on," reported the defending champ after the race. Williamson did salvage an 11th place overall in the XC-2 class after coming from a last place start.
 
The XC-1 race ended well when Knight finished first a little short of the three hour mark. The battle for 2nd through 7th was an action-packed race as the riders diced back and forth on the last lap for those front positions. In the end, Kanney, who was part of that six man battle ended up 6th. "I've been battling a bad case of food poisoning which has caused me to become extremely dehydrated. I felt great at the start of the race but I fatigued quickly on the last two laps when I needed it most," stated Kanney. Nonetheless, his 6th place finish was an impressive result for the new Red Bull KTM rider who has been away from the GNCC circuit for more than a year.
 
During the podium ceremonies race winner, Knight, commented, "I'm really glad to start the season on a positive note. This course was incredibly difficult compared to last year. The track was rough and the weather was more hot and humid than in the past. I'm happy that I ran up front, but it was not easy and every rider that finished today should pat themselves on the back."
 

KTM Racing - ATV Class
A great weekend for the new KTM ATV GNCC Team
Photo: D,Scearce

Taylor Kiser started up front and led the race for two laps while Adam McGill started mid-pack but charged forward at a fast pace. At the end of the day the KTM riders both finished, Kiser 4th and McGill 5th.
The debut of the KTM ATV GNCC Team went just as planned with Taylor Kiser and Adam McGill finishing 4th and 5th respectively on the challenging course at Round 1 of the ATV GNCC Series.
 
Kiser, hailing from Alva, FL, is a natural in the black sand, deep ruts and large rooted terrain that made up the course for the first round in Melbourne. The temperature was in the high 70s and the sun was shining brightly on the riders as they lined the start straight for the launch of the race. Kiser got a great jump when the green flag dropped coming around the first turn in 3rd. McGill got pushed back and managed to come around mid-pack.
 
As the riders neared the dreaded swamp section about 15 minutes into the first lap Kiser was right on the rear end of the 1st place rider. They both opted to go around the swamp and came to a long sweeping turn where Kiser was able to pass for the lead. Meanwhile, McGill had charged his way up to 11th and was steadily moving forward. "I longed for straight-aways today because it was the best place to pass. Once I gave it gas down a long straight nobody could catch me on my KTM," claimed McGill after the race.
 
Kiser held the lead into the second lap until after the swamp section where he got block passed and forced into second. He fought back and recaptured the lead in the next turn. He led for the remainder of the second lap feeling pressure from behind the entire time. On the third lap, Kiser eventually surrendered the lead but was excited that he had his KTM up front for the better part of the first half of the race. Kiser made his pit stop on the third lap; McGill pitted the lap before him.
 
McGill (pictured right), who was clearly on the move had caught up as high as fourth position by the end of the third lap. "The power my KTM has is phenomenal allowing me to catch and pass riders quickly," reported McGill. He held fourth until the second to last lap when defending ATV GNCC Champ Bill Balance got by. Kiser would also challenge Ballance for third position on the last lap. "I tried to hold him off, but I was feeling tired. There were no good parts of the track but I was hoping for a long straight so I could power ahead of him, at the end he managed to get by," commented Kiser. When the checkered flag flew Kiser hung on for an impressive 4th place finish while team-mate McGill was a few seconds back in 5th, thus giving KTM two top five finishes at the first round.
 
"This is a great way to start the season," stated KTM ATV GNCC Team Manager Tim Farr. "It was nice to lead a few laps and then have both riders finish in the top five. We will continue to improve as a team and look forward to being on the podium soon."
 
Next Event: ATV GNCC Round 2 - March 8, 2008 - The General
 
Results
1 2 Chris Borich Suzuki United States
2 477 Bryan Cook Honda United States
3 526 Bill Ballance Yamaha United States
4 7 Taylor Kiser KTM United States
5 5 Adam McGill KTM United States

Standings
1 2 Chris Borich Suzuki United States 30
2 477 Bryan Cook Honda United States 25
3 526 Bill Ballance Yamaha United States 21
4 7 Taylor Kiser KTM United States 18
5 5 Adam McGill KTM United States 16