AmPro Yamaha- GNCC Race Report

AmPro Yamaha Race Report
GNCC Series - ROUND 5
Riders:
Paul Whibley 3rd Place
Jordan Ashburn 5th Place

This weekend the boys made the short trip to Cave City, Kentucky for round 4 of the Grand National Cross Country Series. The weather conditions were almost perfect as the riders took to the line and prepared for what was sure to be an epic race.

When the Flag dropped, AmPro Yamaha’s Paul Whibley fired off the line, grabbing the holeshot and leading the XC1 pack into first set of woods. From there, Paul continued his lead for the majority of the first lap until WMR’s Rory Mead made a challenging pass in a tough rocky section and quickly started to gap the field. As Paul did his best to keep pace, a couple small mistakes on the 3rd lap would allow KTM’s Charlie Mullins to sneak by as well.

Just behind the lead pack was AmPro Yamaha rookie Jordan Ashburn, who was engaged in a three way battle for 4th place. With a less than perfect start, Jordan did his best to stay in the fight, battling it out with Shenandoah Honda’s Thad Duvall and Factory KTM’s Kailub Russell. The three riders fought neck and neck for almost the entire race until Thad suffered some mechanical issues and Kailub and Jordan were able to creep away.

Back in the lead pack, Paul continued to battle it out with 2011 GNCC Champion Charlie Mullins for the second place spot. By then, Rory Mead had secured a solid lead and the two rivals were stuck fighting for the runner up position. When it was all said and done Paul and Charlie finished 2nd and 3rd about 35 seconds down from WMS’s Rory Mead. Not too far off the lead pace, Jordan Ashburn crossed the line in 5th place just behind friend and competitor Kailub Russell.

“It was a challenging day,” says Whibley. “The course was gnarly and covered in rocks. Just when you felt comfortable, one would sneak out and remind you to stay alert. I’m definitely proud of Rory, he rode awesome today and he earned the win!”

“This was by far my best race of the year,” says Jordan Ashburn. “I had so much fun battling it out with Thad and Kailub and our pace was only seconds off of the lead guys. We pushed each other all day which keep it exciting. My YZ450F worked awesome and the team did a great job getting us in and out of the pits!”