David Knight Report
Knighter extends lead at top of ’08 US GNCC series

Red Bull KTM Off Road Race Team rider David Knight has extended his lead at the top of the ’08 US GNCC series following a second podium finish in less than one week. Following on from his dominant win at the opening round of the championship in Florida Knight placed a comfortable third at the General GNCC staged near Washington, GA, where he joined Charlie Mullins and team-mate Nate Kanney on the podium. The only rider to finish on the podium at both of the opening two rounds of the championship Knight now holds a 10-point lead at the head of the series.

In typical Knight fashion the General GNCC didn’t start in the best of ways as despite managing to fire his 450cc KTM into life as the starters flag dropped David rounded the first corner outside of the top 10. With the Georgia track largely dry despite heavy rain several days before the event, the fast track made it difficult for Knight to close in on the leaders as quickly as he had in Florida. Nevertheless David was up to fourth at the end of the first lap and just 30 seconds behind early race leader Nate Kanney.

Moving ahead of Russell Bobbitt during the second lap of the race David looked as if he would soon be battling with Kanney and Mullins for the lead. Just 36 seconds adrift at the end of lap two, Knight dropped a little time on the leading duo on lap three and on laps four and five ran one-minute behind. Riding alone, and comfortably ahead of the fourth placed rider Paul Whibley, David decided to settle for position and not risk trying to catch the leaders. An eventual three minutes behind at the finish Knight claimed a solid third place result, which added to his round one victory sees him sitting comfortably at the top of the overall GNCC points standings.

David now heads home to the Isle of Man, where he will prepare for the third round of the US GNCC series, the Steele Creek GNCC, which takes place in North Carolina on March 30.

David Knight: “Third might not look like a good result, but I’m more than happy with it. Last year I had all sorts of troubles at this race and didn’t score any points at all. I’ve had two podiums in two races this year and I’m leading the points standings, so I’m happy with things. To be honest I wasn’t looking forward to the race, and I’m pleased that it’s behind me now. I didn’t have any problems, my bike ran great, it was just a fast track and everyone was riding fast, especially Charlie and Nate, so it wasn’t worth trying anything crazy to catch them.

“I got my bike fired up quickly but still managed to get a crappy start. But I was making my way forward pretty well until I went one side of a mud hole and a few riders went the anther way and passed me. I settled down then and started passing riders one at a time. On the second lap I got up to third and in a few places I was catching Nate and Charlie but it wasn’t enough to get up with them. If I pushed harder I didn’t seem to be going any faster, I was just hitting all the holes and tree roots. It was one of those tracks that a lot of riders, even the lappers, were going fast. I realised that I wasn’t going to be able to catch the leaders so I settled for third.”

Results – US GNCC ’08 Rnd 2, Overall Results

1.     Charlie Mullins (Suzuki) 2.47:42
2.     Nate Kanney (KTM) 2.48:08
3.     David Knight (Red Bull KTM Off Road Race Team) 2.51:09
4.     Paul Whibley (Suzuki) 2.52:00
5.     Jimmy Jarrett (Suzuki) 2.54:40
6.     Joshua Strang (Suzuki) 2:54.42
7.     Barry Hawk (Yamaha) 2:55.13
8.     Thad Duvall (Yamaha) 2.57:28
9.     Jesse Robinson (Kawasaki) 2.58:00
10.  Glenn Kearney (Husqvarna) 3.00:06



Team KTM Report
Kanney and Knight Finish on the Podium at Round 2

Red Bull KTM riders Nathan Kanney and David Knight both finished on the podium at the second round of the GNCC Series.
 
With clear skies and a nice race course it was a perfect day of racing for the two Red Bull KTM team-mates, Knight and Kanney. Kanney started the day strong coming around the first turn in about 7th but Knight would have more work to do as he rounded the first turn near last.
 
Kanney quickly charged forward and gained the lead. Knight used the first few laps to pick off riders and break into the top five. On lap 3 Kanney lost his lead to the hard charging Charlie Mullins. Despite dropping to second, Kanney stayed close to Mullins and the two battled through the end of the event. Knight worked his way up into 3rd after the halfway mark and tried his best to catch the leaders. In the end, Knight decided it was best to play it safe and ensure a podium finish in order to secure his overall points lead. "I didn't want to push too hard to catch them at the end and risk a crash that would set me back," commented Knight. He continued, "I'm happy with my result today and I am happy that my team-mate is up here with me."
 
The finishing order was Mullins with the win followed by Kanney who stayed within 20 seconds of him through the end of the race and Knight a little over a minute back in third.
 
In the XC-2 class Red Bull KTM rider Justin Williamson had a great start. He came around the first turn in second and was running a good pace on the first lap until he came upon a mud hole. The defending champ charged through the mud hole that ended up being more tacky and deep than he thought. He immediately got stuck and had to begin digging his way out as the pack charged by him. He eventually recovered and was back on course after losing over a minute's time in the mud. By this time some of the other classes had started to pass by him which resulted in him having even more riders to pick through in order to get up front. By the end of the race he was able to move into 14th position. "Unfortunately Justin has had some bad luck the first two rounds but it is early in the season and he still has time to turn it around," commented Red Bull KTM Off-Road Team Manager Antti Kallonen.

McGILL TAKES KTM'S FIRST EVER GNCC QUAD VICTORY
Photo: Jason Hooper

Adam McGill didn’t just win his first-ever round of Can-Am Grand National Cross Country racing, he dominated, winning by a massive six minutes at the Maxxis General GNCC in Washington, Georgia. We can't even remember the last time someone won an ATV race by six minutes, but Adam McGill was that dominant in Georgia.

“It feels great,” said McGill. “This is the machine I wanted to race the first time I saw it. I was a little worried on the last lap, because I’ve been there before and it hasn’t worked out. I would get to sections, and it was just unbelievable, just like a bomb went off. There were people everywhere! I’m so glad there were people out there helping, and everyone at KTM, the whole team, I can’t thank them enough.”

Better yet for KTM, McGill’s team-mate Taylor Kiser finished second to make it a KTM sweep. GT Thunder Yamaha’s Brandon Sommers, the 2007 Pro-Am Champion, scored his first XC1 pro podium with third overall.

Kiser’s XC1 runner-up finish came after a big battle. “I didn’t get a good start but I was able to work my way through,” said Kiser. “I feel good now. The sky’s the limit for this team.”

“There were a lot of lines out there and that definitely made it tough,” said Sommers. “Taylor and I hooked up and we really got into a good rhythm out there. On the last lap, I was ahead of him, but I got some water under my goggles, and I had to get rid of them. I was hoping he wouldn’t see it, but I guess he did because he started working to get around me and once he did there was nothing I could do.”

The championship chase took a dramatic turn when both title favourites - GNCC Champion Bill Ballance and runner-up Chris Borich - failed to finish due to mechanic troubles. Ballance ran into electrical problems in his first-ever DNF in four years on a Yamaha. Borich snapped a chain on his Rockstar/Yoshimura Suzuki. The third-placed rider in last year’s chase, Warnert Racing Can-Am’s Chris Bithell, was in the battle with Kiser and Sommers until getting stuck in the deep ruts in a bottleneck, and by the time he had dug out, he had dropped out of the top ten.

Fourth went to Team Excell Motorsports’ Bryan Cook, and fifth to new XC1 pro Ryan Lane. McGill now takes the series’ points lead while Kiser and Cook, each with a fourth and second, are tied for second.

The XC2 class offered up another big battle, with GT Thunder Yamaha’s David Crane notching the win as National Guard-backed Mark Nottman got stuck on the last lap. Veteran Curtis Crump finished third.

In the ATV morning race, Team Yamaha’s Traci Cecco took the Women’s class and the overall win over Stephani Parton. Third overall and the top spot in the Open 4x4 Class went to Bryan Buckannon.

The 2008 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series continues with the Steele Creek GNCC in Morganton, NC on March 29 and 30.



Team KTM Report
KTM's McGill and Kiser Take First and Second at Round 2.

The KTM ATV GNCC Team of Adam McGill and Taylor Kiser finished first and second overall at the second round of the ATV GNCC Series in Washington, GA. Not only did McGill win the race but he dominated the event finishing six minutes ahead of the next closest competitor. This marked the first GNCC race win for Adam McGill and his KTM XC Sport ATV.
 
Washington, GA - KTM Factory ATV GNCC riders Adam McGill and Taylor Kiser astounded GNCC fans when the team-mates finished first and second at the second round of the GNCC series.
 
McGill who had finished a strong 5th place overall at the first round in Melbourne, FL was prepared to improve upon that finish at the Georgia race. He was well on his way to his first win as soon as he and his KTM 525 XC Sport ATV pulled the holeshot at the start of the race. His team-mate Kiser grabbed a mid-pack start but quickly began to move forward.
 
McGill started in the lead and intended to finish that way as he continued to charge forward pulling farther ahead of the pack with each lap. During the two hour race in which McGill got out front and dominated his team-mate Kiser was busy battling competitors to catch up to his team-mate and move into that second place position. Near the end of the race he managed to work his way into second; earning his best ever overall finish in a GNCC race.
 
In a weekend of firsts, McGill was able to hold his lead and take home the win after pulling an impressive six minute lead on the field by the end of the race. This marked the first GNCC win for McGill and the first ever GNCC win for the KTM 525 XC Sport ATV. "I am so happy to finish on top! We have a great team this year. My bike is running great and it's unbelievably smooth. I'm glad to finally be up here; it's been a long time coming," commented McGill after the event.
 
With two rounds down, McGill now holds the overall points lead with Kiser three points behind him in second.