Buttrick Earns 2nd at St. Clairsville GNCC

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St. Clairsville, OH – Shock Doctor/KTM XC2 Pro Lites rider Cory Buttrick earned 2nd overall in a great come from behind charge through the pack at the twelfth round of the GNCC Series at Power Line Park.

Buttrick got a great start rounding the first turn in 3rd position behind his teammate and newly crowned class champion Kailub Russell. While leading, Russell, fell deep into a mud hole on the first lap and got stuck. Jason Thomas and Buttrick quickly passed by. Russell struggled to remove his bike and was a couple minutes down before he was back in racing action. Russell began to reel in the pack, suffered another crash, and eventually pulled off and didn’t finish the race. Meanwhile, Buttrick was running in 2nd place in a battle with Thomas for the lead. Unfortunately, Buttrick slid out in the mud as well and had to start from dead last. Buttrick put in a remarkable ride to climb all the way to 2nd place just 18 seconds behind the leader when the checkered flag flew.

In the XC1 class Shock Doctor/KTM riders Nate Kanney and Kurt Caselli had decent starts around the top five. Shock Doctor/KTM WORCS rider Mike Brown and Red Bull/KTM rider Taddy Blazusiak also raced the XC1 class on Sunday after traveling to the event after their EnduroCross event on Saturday. Brown and Blazusiak both started within the top ten. After the first lap the KTM riders had formed a pack around the top five positions. Brown was running in 4th position when Kanney passed him right before the gas stop. Unfortunately, Kanney hit a tree a few hundred yards after the gas stop, injuring his hand and causing him to forfeit the race. Brown moved back into 4th position and held the position through the end of the race. Caselli was having a nice top ten ride when he suffered a crash also injuring his hand on the fifth lap. Caselli had to pull out of the race. The final KTM rider, Blazusiak, had fast lap times but was hindered by having a small gas tank on his bike. Blazusiak needed to fuel twice as many times as the other riders and lost two positions at the end of the race when he stopped for his final fuel. He eventually finished and impressive 6th overall.

Final Round: Crawfordsville, IN – October 24-25, 2009

Overall Results XC1 Class:

1. Josh Strang
2. Charles Mullins
3. Paul Whibley
4. Mike Brown – KTM
5. Jim Jarrett

Overall Results XC2 Pro Lites Class:

1. Jason Thomas
2. Cory Buttrick – KTM
3. Scott Watkins
4. Josh Weisenfels
5. David Synder

Overall Point Standings XC1 Class:

1. Paul Whibley – 295
2. Josh Strang – 272
3. Charles Mullins – 261
4. Jim Jarrett – 204
5. Nate Kanney – 185

Overall Point Standings XC2 Pro Lites Class:

1. Kailub Russell – 307 * Champion
2. Cory Buttrick – 268
3. Jason Thomas – 258
4. Scott Watkins – 235
5. Jake Korn – 177