Ricky Russell to Coastal Racing GNCC Team

WAYNESBURG, Pa. - Coastal Racing is excited to announce the addition of Ricky Russell, who will join the 2020 motorcycle lineup to compete in the premier XC1 Open Pro class in the AMA Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series, the AMA National Enduro Championship (NEPG) Series and select hard enduro events. After suffering a leg injury before the 2019 season began, Russell would make his return to racing in May at the X-Factor GNCC. Russell would battle throughout the rest of the season, earning three podium finishes including two back-to-back second place overall finishes in New York and Pennsylvania.

"First off I want to thank Yamaha and the whole Am-Pro team for the years of support that have helped me escalate my pro career to where it is today," said Ricky Russell. "I am forever grateful for the opportunities they gave me. However, that time has passed and I am very excited to be working with Coastal racing and Husqvarna for the 2020 season." Russell continued, "It is quite a big change, but the whole Coastal team including all of the riders are a great group of guys who all want to help each other succeed. Barry Hawk (Coastal Team Manager) and Timmy Weigand (Husqvarna off-road race manager) have already been so helpful in making this change effortless for me. I can't wait to see what we can accomplish together in the future!"

Russell also took part in the 96th Annual International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) in Portugal from November 11 - 16 as an XC Gear U.S. Club team member. Russell would help lead his team to the overall club team win, where they finished 18 minutes and 3.05 seconds ahead of second. Russell ended his six days of racing with a third overall in the club division.

"I am excited and looking forward to working with Ricky," said Coastal Racing Team Manager, Barry Hawk. "He is super talented and a smart rider. Ricky is willing to listen, and is open to trying things outside of the box. But, most importantly he has heart, which is something that cannot be taught." 

Also returning to the Coastal Racing team will be XC2 250 Pro competitors Craig Delong and Ben Parsons along with A class competitors Alex Patterson and Ian Flynn. Delong finished runner-up in the GNCC XC2 division, but will be aiming to battle for the National Championship during the 2020 season. Parsons finished out the 2019 season 11th in XC2, and will look to improve those standings next year. Patterson will be moving up to the A division after finishing second in the 4-Stroke B Lites class this past year, while Flynn will lineup to battle with the Open A riders next season. 

Additional riders including Cole Whitmer, Lane Whitmer and Shawn Remington will also be supported by the Coastal Racing Team in 2020. Cole Whitmer will remain in the 250 A class next year, where he is looking to improve his standings. Lane Whitmer plans to continue to race in the YXC1 Super Mini Sr. class in the youth division, while Shawn Remington will continue to battle for the Senior A (40+) class championship.