The 49th year of the AMA Grand National Cross Country Series concluded with the biggest single race in off-road history,
the Ironman GNCC.
WORDS: DAVEY COOMBS
PHOTOS: KEN HILL
The riders start gathering in what used to be a cornfield on the outskirts of Crawfordsville, Indiana, lining up side by side, each class behind its own long, straight line of chalk. Unless it’s the Sportmen’s B division, which is actually multiple rows because there are several hundred of them. There’s a class for pretty much everyone, too. Big bikes, little bikes, electric minis, ATVs—even electric bicycles. They don’t all race together though, but rather spread over the weekend, according to various skill and/or age groups. The eMTBs race on Friday evening, the ATVs and youth minicycles on Saturday, and the motorcycles on Sunday. It’s a lot of riders—2,834 of them, all together, a record for a single AMA competition—that will participate in the Ironman GNCC. The last batch of riders, Sunday afternoon’s three-hour motorcycle finale, will bring to a close the 49th season of the AMA Grand National Cross Country Series. After nearly five decades in existence, the GNCC Series has grown from its very humble beginnings in West Virginia into the biggest off-road motorcycling championship of all.
We are deeply rooted in Moto—We’ve been here all our lives. Back in 1998 when we turned an underground newspaper into a shiny color magazine, it immediately changed the game with its unprecedented depth of coverage, sense of humor, and access to the sport’s biggest names. Today, our readers know they can go to Racer X Online for all the news, race results, and event coverage they need, and then enjoy even more detail and perspective in the pages of Racer X Illustrated. The mag offers a chance to learn something new on every page and stay connected with the people and personalities that shape our sport—the competitors out on the racetrack, as well as the ones behind the scenes—through our exclusive deep-dive stories and columns.
Our trademark has always been insider knowledge from the experts who are at the races and around the sport. We have long prided ourselves on our unparalleled race reporting and detailed storytelling. We go deep with the riders and teams to provide comprehensive coverage you won’t find anywhere else—all with first-class photography and design. It’s a full education in motocross past, present, and future.
Davey Coombs
Editor-in-chief & Founder
Racer X Illustrated
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