MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Factory FMF/KTM’s Kailub Russell remains undefeated in the XC1 Pro bike class as the 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, heads to Union, South Carolina this Sunday for round four of the 13-race championship. Taking place at the iconic Big Buck Farm in Union, South Carolina, the 19th running of the VP Racing Fuels Big Buck GNCC is expected to draw in thousands of spectators to witness some of the most exciting obstacles that GNCC Racing has to offer.

With two-time GNCC National Champion Kailub Russell at the helm; the premier XC1 Pro class boasts a deep pool of talent this season, including 2010 GNCC National Champion Josh Strang. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider currently sits in second place in the championship standings following a string of second-place finishes. In addition to Russell’s three consecutive wins, Strang has been the most consistent finisher thus far, where he looks to improve the only way he can – by landing in the center of the podium. Both Russell and Strang are two-time winners of the Big Buck GNCC, so each rider has the opportunity to become the first to grab a third victory in South Carolina.

Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KR4/FAR Husqvarna’s Thad DuVall has had a stellar start to the new season, finishing 4-3-3 through the first three rounds. DuVall has two career overall victories under his belt and through an all-new program this season, the West Virginia native looks to expand that tally.

Reigning XC2 Pro Lites Champion Grant Baylor made the jump to the premier class this season, where he sits tied for fourth place in the early championship standings. With his all-new N-Fab AmPro Yamaha backing, Baylor has made steady improvement on his overall finishes where he just narrowly missed the podium at the last round. Baylor actually sits tied with his N-Fab AmPro Yamaha teammate Jordan Ashburn, who had a rocky start to the season with an eleventh place finish at round one. Since then, Ashburn has returned to his old ways with two top-five performances at the last two rounds. Both Yamaha-backed riders are expected to be a mainstay in the lead pack this season.

JCR Honda’s Chris Bach sits seventh in the championship standings following a big crash at the last round, where he ultimately didn’t earn any championship points. The Indiana native scored a podium finish at the season opener and fifth place at round two, where he looks to bounce back this weekend.

The XC2 Pro Lites Championship continues to heat up with intense racing and close points battles through the top five. DirtWise/Maxxis/KLIM’s Jason Thomas leads the way in the championship standings with two consecutive wins behind him, with an onslaught of young riders charging close behind.

RideMPS.com/AMSOIL Honda’s Layne Michael holds the second place position in the standings, just one point ahead of Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KR4/FAR’s Nick Davis in third. Davis captured the season-opening win and a second place finish at round two, but an unfortunate mechanical issue at the last round dropped him substantially back in the point standings. XC2 Pro Lites rookie Craig Delong sits in fourth place with a consistent string of finishes, while Moto-Tech/KTM’s Trevor Bollinger holds the fifth place position.

Sunday’s race schedule is as follows: Youth Bike racing begins at 8 a.m., followed by amateurs and Women at 10 a.m. and the top amateurs and pros begin at 1 p.m.

Adult (12+) gate admission is $20 for the full weekend and $10 for kids (6-11). Kids five and under are free. All admission includes pro pit access. Local racers are invited to compete at this event, as GNCC Racing offers classes for riders of all skill and experience levels. The amateur racer entry fee is $40 and riders can sign up at the track.

Tune into RacerTV.com on Sunday at 1 p.m. EST to catch LIVE coverage of the Pro Bike race. For more information on GNCC Live coverage, visit www.racertv.com.

The 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series returns to action this weekend, April 11 and 12 for the VP Racing Fuels Big Buck GNCC in Union, South Carolina. For more information on the series, please visit www.gnccracing.com.

Previous Round Results and Point Standings

FMF Steele Creek GNCC
Morganton, North Carolina
Round 3 of 13
Sunday, March 29

XC1 Event Results:
Kailub Russell (KTM)
Josh Strang (HSQ)
Thad DuVall (HSQ)
Grant Baylor (YAM)
Jordan Ashburn (YAM)
Steward Baylor (KTM)
Daniel Milner (YAM)
Russell Bobbitt (KTM)
Ryan Sipes (HSQ)
Tyler Medaglia (HSQ)

*Overall National Championship Standings:
Kailub Russell (90)
Josh Strang (75)
Thad DuVall (60)
Grant Baylor (44)
Jordan Ashburn (44)
Jason Thomas (38)
Chris Bach (37)
Nick Davis (28)
Tyler Medaglia (26)
Craig DeLong (25)
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2015 National Champion.

XC2 Event Results:
Jason Thomas (KTM)
Layne Michael (HON)
Trevor Bollinger (KTM)
Craig Delong (HSQ)
Scott Grills (YAM)
Austin Lee (YAM)
Cory Buttrick (BET)
Trevor Barrett  (HSQ)
Callan May (YAM)
Brad Bakken (YAM)

XC2 Series Standings:
Jason Thomas (81)
Layne Michael (56)
Nick Davis (55)
Craig Delong (52)
Trevor Bollinger (44)
Cory Buttrick (43)
Brad Bakken (34)
Callan May (27)
Scott Grills (26)
Phillipe Chaine (25)

About GNCC Racing
The AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country series presented by Maxxis is America’s premier off-road racing series. Founded in 1975, the 13-round championship is produced exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross-country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The grueling three-hour GNCC races lead as many as 2,000 riders through tracks ranging in length from eight to 12 miles. With varied terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed. The series draws talent from all over the U.S., Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. GNCC Racing is televised weekly on NBCSN and RacerTV.com. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.