It was a dramatic but rewarding day for the Liqui Moly Beta Race Team at the John Penton GNCC in Ohio, with Josh Strang returning to the podium in third and teammate Jhak Walker showing impressive speed before late-race misfortune struck.
Walker was running strongly for most of the race, holding down a solid third place and looking set for a career-best result before suffering a freak issue on the final lap that cost him significant time in the notoriously brutal Penton section.
While Walker’s race unravelled late, Strang’s veteran experience came to the fore. Sitting fifth on the third lap, he began to build momentum and closed the gap to the leaders as the race wore on. On the final lap, the Australian used his trademark race craft to find a faster line through the same Penton section where Walker had trouble, making a decisive pass that moved him into podium position.
Reflecting on the ride, Strang said he felt strong throughout the day. “I pushed it a little hard today, but I felt good. I felt comfortable for the most part, and there was a gap there with, like, two laps to go, and I was able to catch up to the top three. And on the last lap in the Penton section, there was a big log that we were going over on the first few laps, and the last two laps, I saw the boys were going high and right, and I just went over the main line again and made a pass to get up into third and catch up with the leaders. Overall, I’m happy with my race.”
The result marked another strong showing for the veteran Australian, proving that Strang still has the pace and race smarts to fight for podiums in the GNCC’s premier XC1 Open Pro class.
