McGill Wins Again at Steele Creek GNCC

Adam McGill extended his points lead in the XC1 Pro ATV class on Saturday after capturing his second consecutive win of the 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis in Morganton, NC. In an intense battle to the very end, McGill edged out Chris Borich and Jay Shadron to keep his momentum alive after three rounds of racing.

The 16th running of the FMF Steele Creek GNCC produced some of the best racing action of the season as the top 10 riders battled closely all afternoon. It was Landon Wolfe who captured the $250 AMSOIL XC1 Pro Holeshot Award as he led a string of veteran racers into the woods on the opening lap.

JMR/ATVRiders.com-backed Jarrod McClure quickly took over the early lead on the opening lap with Brent Sturdivant, Shadron, Borich and Chris Bithell close behind. The front-runners remained wheel-to-wheel for a majority of the two-hour race, exchanging positions along the way.

Coastal/Waynesburg Yamaha’s Jay Shadron made his move into the lead position on lap two, where he set the pace for the second half of the race. Borich settled in behind Shadron, but riders like Adam McGill, Walker Fowler and McClure applied great pressure to the leaders. On the final lap, CST/PirateMX.com/LSR/DeRisi/Tireblocks/SG-backed Adam McGill turned up the intensity and made his way past Borich and Shadron to take over the lead position.

Jay Shadron (left) and Chris Borich (right) do battle in North Carolina.

Borich made a mistake on the final lap, sending himself back to the fourth place position but the Maxxis/SSi/FLY/Yamaha rider made his way back to second just before the finish. Despite leading much of the two-hour race, Shadron dropped back a couple of positions near the end, where he finished a career-best third overall at round three.

After a mechanical issue ruined his last race, Borich rebounded with a second place finish at the FMF Steele Creek GNCC.

McClure ran inside the top five all afternoon, finishing less than one second behind Shadron for fourth overall. Maxxis/B. Neal Motorsports’ Brycen Neal gained a few positions on the final lap to secure fifth place in the XC1 Class and sixth overall behind XC2 Pro Am winner Cole Richardson.

N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha/Maxxis/Lonestar/MXP’s Walker Fowler began the race just outside the top five, maintaining a consistent position all afternoon. With a seventh place finish at round three, Fowler maintains second overall in the championship standings with a twenty-point deficit to McGill’s lead.

Borich (left) and Shadron (right) flank McGill on the XC1 podium.

BNR Motorsports/GBC Racing’s Kevin Yoho finished eighth overall, followed by Josh Merritt in ninth, and recent XC2 Pro Am graduate Marshal Goings made his XC1 debut aboard a SICC Racing machine to finish tenth overall for the day.

In XC2 Pro Am action, it was N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha/Maxxis/Lonestar/MXP’s Cole Richardson who shot out to secure the $100 All Balls Racing XC2 Holeshot Award and a big lead early on. Richardson maintained his lead throughout the two-hour race, where he worked his way into the top five overall. Richardson continues his perfect season as he holds three wins through the first three rounds.

Cole Richardson is a perfect three-for-three in the XC2 class in 2015.

Indiana’s Kevin Cunningham posted an impressive second place finish in his first GNCC appearance of the season. Cunningham edged out RYCO Racing’s Cody Collier, who rounded out the XC2 podium with a third place finish.

The 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series resumes April 11 and 12 with the VP Racing Fuels Big Buck GNCC in Union, SC.

Steele Creek GNCC XC1 Results

XC1 National Championship Standings