It was a mixed day for the two Kiwi riders entered at round eight of 13 in the Grand National Cross-country Championships (GNCC) in the United States at the weekend.

Pahiatua’s Paul Whibley continued to push for the top spot in the XC1 Pro (open) class, but Titirangi’s Callan May had his day cut short by misfortune in the separate XC2 (250cc) category and the two BikesportNZ.com Yamaha riders remain in touch with their respective championship leaders.

The day began with sunny skies and warm temperatures, but a few rain showers in the hour leading up to 1pm start made for a slick and slippery surface at Millfield, Ohio, on Sunday

But two-time former GNCC champion Whibley was not deterred and took his Yamaha YZ450F to snatch the holeshot at the start of the day’s main race.

However, the 35-year-old Whibley – a former Manawatu forestry worker, affectionately dubbed “The Axeman” on the motorcycling scene – could not maintain his advantage and quickly dropped back to eighth place on the opening lap.

American defending champion Kailub Russell (KTM) capitalised on a mistake by Whibley and took control of the race, holding onto the lead right up until the chequered flag three hours later.

“I followed (XC2 class leader) Stu Baylor for a few miles after the start, until he went down on the slick clay track made slicker by the rain only an hour earlier,” said Whibley.

“I lost sight of the leaders not long before we entered the ‘Penton Section’ and managed to take a wrong turn. I walked this section the day before but the track had been changed. Problem was the tape that was put up was too high and I went under it without realising at first. I quickly noticed there were no fresh tracks in front of me and spun around but lost a lot of time. I later heard that I wasn’t the only one who made this mistake and took the old track.

“Nearing the end of the lap, I got briefly stuck in the mulch pit. It was one of those bizarre times when you just wonder what’s going on. I basically tried to avoid a downed rider and got cross-rutted. When I tried to get going again I broke through the top layer of the mulch into some slop underneath. A bit of pushing and some help and I was freed quickly.

“I found myself kinda in no-man’s land playing catch up. I felt like I was riding well but didn’t seem to be making an impression on the gap to the guys in front. Over the last couple laps I started to erode the distance to the guys in front of me. Pit board splits were dropping.

“On the last lap I caught and passed Chris Bach and Stu Baylor. And as we came into the pits about a half mile before the finish I caught sight of Jordan Ashburn.”

It ended up with Yamaha riders in second, third and fourth overall as Australian Josh Strang battled through to the runner-up position, while Whibley and team-mate Ashburn went bar-to-bar in the final few corners, Ashburn eventually edging out the hard-charging Whibley to earn the final podium spot.

“I pushed hard on the motocross track and took my shot as we came into the scoring chicane,” Whibley explained. “I got alongside Jordan but short of punting him off the track there was no room to make a pass on the slick clay.”

Whibley remains fifth overall in the XC1 Pro class championship standings.

For fellow Kiwi May, disaster early in his XC2 class race, when his bike’s fuel pump failed, meant he was forced out of the event and scored no points on Sunday. The only saving grace for the 22-year-old Aucklander is that he still holds on to sixth place overall in the XC2 class rankings.

Whibley is supported by Yamaha Motor New Zealand, AmPro Yamaha, Monster Energy, Shoei, Sidi, Smith, MSR G2, Asterisk, Moto SR, Vortex Ignitions, EC3D, Bush Riders MCC, Spectro, Acerbis, DID, JT sprockets, Leatt, Kenda, Sargent Motorcycles, Yamaha NZ, Bikesportnz.com, Unibiker and Tire balls.

May is supported by Yamaha Motor New Zealand, Kiwi Rider magazine, BikesportNZ.com, MotoSR, Golden Tyres, Fox, Graphic Creation, GYTR and Yamalube.

© Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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XC1 Event Results:

1. Kailub Russell (KTM)
2. Josh Strang (YAM)
3. Jordan Ashburn (YAM)
4. Paul Whibley (YAM)
5. Steward Baylor (KTM)
6. Chris Bach (HON)
7. Thad DuVall (HON)
8. Andrew Delong (HSQ)
9. Takeshi Koideka (HON)
10. Jason Thomas (KTM)

XC1 Series Standings:

XC1 Series Standings:

1.  Kailub Russell (208)

2.  Charlie Mullins (181)

3. Josh Strang (161)

4. Jordan Ashburn (138)

5. Paul Whibley (133)

6.  Chris Bach (103)

7. Andrew Delong (102)

8. Steward Baylor Jnr (101)

9. Thad DuVall (98)

10. Takeshi Koideka (95)

*Overall National Championship Standings:

1. Kailub Russell (203)
2. Charlie Mullins (180)
3. Josh Strang (153)
4. Jordan Ashburn (129)
5. Grant Baylor (116)
6. Paul Whibley (New Zealand) (115)
7. Ricky Russell (99)
8. Andrew Delong (98)
9. Steward Baylor (86)
10. Chris Bach (79)

*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2014 National Champion.

XC2 Event Results:

1. Grant Baylor (KTM)
2. Nick Davis (KTM)
3. Ricky Russell (YAM)
4. Trevor Bollinger (HON)
5. Layne Michael (HON)
6. Sam Evans (KTM)
7. Michael McGinnis (KTM)
8. Derrik Allen (KAW)
9. Chris Douglas (KTM)
10. Ryan Lojak (YAM)

XC2 Series Standings:

1. Grant Baylor (202)
2. Ricky Russell (199)
3. Trevor Bollinger (160)
4. Layne Michael (116)
5. Shane Hufford Jr (105)
6. Callan May (New Zealand) (93)
7. Jesse Groemm (90)
8. Sam Evans (88)
9. Chris Douglas (84)
10. Jedediah Haines (74)