Kanney Wins Snowshoe GNCC
Snowshoe, WV – Known as one of the toughest races on the GNCC circuit, the 9th round of the GNCC Series was held in Snowshoe, WV and won by one of the toughest racers on the circuit FMF/KTM rider Nate Kanney.
Kanney, has been in contention for a win the past few rounds but some mistakes coupled with bad luck and minor mechanical problems have kept him from taking the win until this past Sunday when he put in one of the most memorable rides of his career to take the overall and the $10,000 Pro purse.
A New York native, Kanney has always been good at riding rocks and that is just what this course was comprised of. Off the start riders started in groups of five based on the overall point standings. FMF/KTM rider Cory Buttrick and Kailub Russell both started from the first row while Kanney started from the second and XC2 FMF/KTM rider Steward Baylor started from the third.
Kailub Russell got the early holeshot and led for the first two miles before getting hung up on a hill and allowing the other four riders on his line to get past him. Kanney started strong from the second row along with RPM/KTM XC1 rider Chris Bach and KTM privateer rider Jesse Robinson of the XC2 class.
Kanney led his group on the first lap and within the first few minutes caught up to the first row. Kanney’s first pass was on his teammate Cory Buttrick after Buttrick hit a tree trying to take an outside line to pass Charlie Mullins.
Moments later Kailub Russell slid out allowing Kanney to make his next pass and soon after on a rocky uphill Kanney took a better line to blow by Mullins and Paul Whibley. That left Josh Strang as the only rider in front of Kanney. "I began to pressure Strang to try and get him to make a mistake and eventually he slid out in an off-camber mud section and I was able to make the pass," remarked Kanney.
Once in the lead Kanney planned a strategy to push in the technical sections but be cautious along the fast straights since he didn’t always know what would lay ahead. His cautiousness allowed Bach to catch him. "Bach had come out to my house to ride prior to this event so we could practice riding through rocks together. I was glad when I saw it was him that caught me because I knew his hard work had paid off too. Together we started riding together and finding the good lines through sections. It didn’t feel as much like a race when I was riding with him. I actually lost the lead at one point when I fell in a mud section but minutes later when I caught back up Bach waved me by. I think he was riding well following my lines," stated Kanney.
At the gas stop Robinson was able to get by Kanney and take the overall lead. Robinson put about 10 seconds on Kanney and led for about thirty minutes until Kanney was able to close up the gap. "Robinson was better than me on one half of the course and I was better than him on the other so we were constantly back and forth with who was leading. I was leading on the last lap as we came to this section where I knew Robinson had been better than me earlier in the race. I took a bad line allowing him to get around me and he started pulling. The section had a downhill jump across a ditch that led to a fire road and then about four more miles of fast-paced track until you crossed the finish. Robinson slid sideways crashing after the ditch and I was able to get back out front. He definitely gave me a gift today," described Kanney. At the end of the race Kanney was the rider who rode with the least mistakes and proved he had the speed and mental strength to lead the challenging race and come out of it with the win.
Kanney’s teammate Buttrick struggled in the beginning with a few mistakes but was able to turn his race around after the halfway point and finish 3rd in his class behind Bach who was able to hang on for 2nd place. KTM fans were happy with the end result as Kanney, Bach and Buttrick made for an all KTM XC1 class podium.
Robinson hung on to take his second consecutive win in the XC2 class and closed up the points on leader Kailub Russell, who eventually finished 5th for the day. Russell still leads the series by 8 points over Robinson. The youngest member of the FMF/KTM Factory Team, Steward Baylor, raced within the top ten all day and eventually finished 9th overall.
The already announced 2010 Women’s GNCC Champion, Maria Forsberg, proved how she already won the championship within the first eight rounds after taking another commanding win in the Women’s class. Forsberg took her 8th win of the season with a 10 minute lead over her competition.
Next Event: Round 10 – New Berlin, NY
Overall Results (All Classes Combined):
1. Nate Kanney – KTM
2. Jesse Robinson – KTM
3. Chris Bach – KTM
4. Jason Thomas
5. Cory Buttrick – KTM
6. Charlie Mullins
7. Barry Hawk
8. Josh Strang
9. Glenn Kearney
10. Scott Watkins
Overall Results XC1:
1. Nate Kanney – KTM
2. Chris Bach – KTM
3. Cory Buttrick – KTM
4. Charlie Mullins
5. Barry Hawk
6. Josh Strang
7. Glenn Kearney
8. Kenneth Gilbert
9. Paul Whibley
10. Jedediah Haines
Overall Results XC2:
1. Jesse Robinson – KTM
2. Jason Thomas
3. Scott Watkins
4. Justin Williamson
5. Kailub Russell – KTM
6. Brian Lawson
7. David Synder
8. Mark Fortner
9. Steward Baylor – KTM
10. Nick Davis – KTM
Overall Results Women’s:
1. Maria Forsberg – KTM
2. Leeann Bange
3. Mandi Mastin
4. Ashley Crouch
5. Shelby Rolen – KTM
6. Nina Cobb
7. Kelly Hall – KTM
8. Tayler Wright
9. Jessie Fox – KTM
10. Samantha Steiner – KTM
Overall XC1 Point Standings:
1. Josh Strang – 211
2. Charlie Mullins – 194
3. Cory Buttrick – 175
4. Paul Whibley – 164
5. Chris Bach – 150
6. Nate Kanney – 142
7. Glenn Kearney – 135
8. Barry Hawk – 109
9. Kenneth Gilbert – 104
10. Eric Bailey – 87
Overall XC2 Point Standings:
1. Kailub Russell – 223
2. Jason Thomas – 215
3. Jesse Robinson – 210
4. Scott Watkins – 168
5. Steward Baylor – 144
6. David Snyder – 114
7. Mark Fortner – 103
8. Brian Lawson – 101
9. Dustin Gibson – 93
10. Nicholas Hunter – 80
Overall Women’s Point Standings:
1. Maria Forsberg – 178 (Champion)
2. Mandi Mastin – 169
3. Ashley Crouch – 152
4. Leeann Bange – 138
5. Shelby Rolen – 133
