Following a two-month break over the summer, the 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, returns to action this weekend, Sept. 6 and 7, with the Can-Am Unadilla GNCC.
Factory FMF KTM's Kailub Russell heads into Round 10 with a commanding lead over the rest of the XC1 Pro class, while KTM Support rider Grant Baylor leads the way in XC2 Pro Lites.
Coming off a three-race winning streak, Russell's confidence is at an all-time high as the series begins to wind down to the final four rounds of racing. Russell, the 2013 National Champion, will continue his bid for a second straight title in the XC1 Pro class but first, he must do battle against the world's fastest off-road racers through some of the most grueling obstacles in the woods.
Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/N-Fab AmPro Yamaha's Josh Strang currently sits third in the championship standings, where he diligently works toward surpassing FMF/KTM's Charlie Mullins for the second place position.
Mullins, who has missed a substantial amount of the season due to injury, is no longer in the championship chase but the 2011 National Champion is expected to make an appearance before the season is over. Strang has a slew of third place finishes behind him and the 2010 National Champ is looking for his first win of the season in the final four rounds.
Coming off arguably the best ride of his professional career at Snowshoe, N-Fab AmPro Yamaha's Jordan Ashburn isn't far behind Strang with fourth place in the championship standings. Ashburn has finished inside the top ten at every round thus far, with four top-five finishes through the last four rounds.
