FMF Makita Suzuki’s Josh Strang Podiums

SOMERSET, PA (September 26, 2011) – FMF Makita Suzuki’s Josh Strang put in a truly impressive performance at the Mountain Ridge GNCC, round 9 of the 2011 Grand National Cross Country Series, on Sunday. The three-hour event saw Strang finish up in a solid third place after making a dramatic last-lap pass on his FMF Makita Suzuki RM-Z450. This result marks Strang’s seventh podium finish of the year.

Sunday’s race started out positively for the FMF Makita Suzuki rider, and he was trading the lead on his Suzuki RM-Z450 early on. Unfortunately, midway through the race, a rock jammed his rear brake caliper and Strang was forced to stop for repairs. Despite the lost time, he put his head down and charged hard to take the final spot on the podium at the checkers.

“It just wasn’t my day today,” said Strang. “I’m happy to have gotten third, because I think I was fifth at the start of the last lap. It helped out a lot in the title chase to get on the podium and salvage a few points. My FMF Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 was running great, but on the second to last lap, I hit a rock and my brakes stopped working and I had to stop in the pits to get it fixed. I rode pretty hard that last lap to work my way back up.”

With four races remaining this year, the defending series champion is currently second in the overall points chase. Strang wants to finish the 2011 season strong, however, and bring home another championship for the FMF Makita Suzuki squad.

“I’ll have to get it together these last four races,” said Strang. “I felt good today and I was riding well, I just had a little bit of bad luck. I’m happy with third, but I’m disappointed with what I could have done.”

Despite his disappointment, Strang knows that there’s still plenty of racing left. He and his FMF Makita Suzuki crew are already focusing on the next round in Ohio in two weeks.

“I’ll just have to work hard these next two weeks and take care of business at the next race,” said Strang. “I’m looking forward to putting the FMF Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 back on top of the podium.”

The 2011 FMF Makita Suzuki team’s next event is Sunday, Oct. 9, in St. Clairsville, OH, for the Powerline Park GNCC, round 10 of the AMA Grand National Cross Country Series. Follow team updates on SuzukiScoopFans on facebook and SuzukiScoop on twitter.

Somerset GNCC XC1 Class Results:

1.  Charles Mullins

2. Paul Whibley

3.  Josh Strang

4.  Nathan Kanney

5.  Kailub Russell

6.  Mike Lafferty

7.  Rory Mead

8.  Jedediah Haines

9.  Jesse Robinson

10. Eric Bailey

 

2011 GNCC XC-1 Class Standings:

1.  Charles Mullins – 220

2.  Josh Strang – 203

3.  Paul Whibley – 195

4.  Kailub Russell– 150

5.  Nathan Kanney– 147

6.  Cory Buttrick – 110

7.  Christopher Bach – 96

8.  Mike Lafferty – 91

9.  Jimmy Jarrett – 83

10. Thaddeus Duvall – 75