Melbourne, FL – “Can David Knight hold on to his three minute lead to dominate the first round of the GNCC Series?” asked the announcer as the Red Bull KTM of David Knight neared the checkers. Knight answered that question by crossing the finish line a few moments later 3 minutes and 20 seconds ahead of his closest competitor.
Despite Knight’s huge lead at the finish, his race did not start the same. In fact, the defending XC-1 Champion was dead last around the first turn after having trouble on the start. The faulty start did not stall him for long as he was already into sixth by the end of the first lap. “I just followed some of the fast guys through sections picking riders off one by one until before I knew it I was closing in on the top three,” commented Knight about his forward momentum.
While Knight was moving through the pack, his Red Bull KTM teammate, Nathan Kanney, was enjoying the view from up front as he led early on during the second lap of the event. Kanney had a great start and was able to pass Suzuki’s Travis Pastrana for the lead shortly after the completion of lap one. Kanney held on to the lead until the third lap when he politely moved over for the harder charging David Knight. It was from that point forward that Knight was able to slowly stretch his lead over the near three hour long race.
Meanwhile, in the XC-2 class, Red Bull KTM rider Justin Williamson, suffered a poor start and was trying his best to work his way through the pack. “I had a hard time finding my groove today. I felt like I was riding out of control the whole race, but even that pace wasn’t quick enough to run up front. I struggled today and know what I have to work on,” reported the defending champ after the race. Williamson did salvage an 11th place overall in the XC-2 class after coming from a last place start.
The XC-1 race ended well when Knight finished first a little short of the three hour mark. The battle for 2nd through 7th was an action-packed race as the riders diced back and forth on the last lap for those front positions. In the end, Kanney, who was part of that six man battle ended up 6th. “I’ve been battling a bad case of food poisoning which has caused me to become extremely dehydrated. I felt great at the start of the race but I fatigued quickly on the last two laps when I needed it most,” stated Kanney. Nonetheless, his 6th place finish was an impressive result for the new Red Bull KTM rider who has been away from the GNCC circuit for more than a year.
During the podium ceremonies race winner, Knight, commented, “I’m really glad to start the season on a positive note. This course was incredibly difficult compared to last year. The track was rough and the weather was more hot and humid than in the past. I’m happy that I ran up front, but it was not easy and every rider that finished today should pat themselves on the back.”
Next event: Round 2 - GNCC Series in Washington, GA – March 8-9, 2008
Overall Results XC-1:
1. David Knight – KTM
2. Jim Jarrett
3. Garrett Edmisten
4. Barry Hawk
5. Paul Whibley
6. Nathan Kanney – KTM
7. Jason Raines
8. Jesse Robinson
9. Gordan Crockard
10. Charles Mullins
Overall Results XC-2:
1. Thaddeus Duvall
2. Josh Weisenfels
3. Dustin Gibson
4. Andrew Matusek
5. Takeshi Koikeda
6. Wallace Palmer
7. Kevin Hoge
8. Johnny Barber - KTM
9. Nick Gentry – KTM
10. Brian Lawson
11. Justin Williamson - KTM
