SNOWSHOE, WV – FMF Makita Suzuki’s Josh Strang edged out the competition and piloted his FMF Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 to take the checkers at the sixth round of the 2011 Grand National Cross Country Series at the Snowshoe Mountain resort in Snowshoe, WV on Sunday. Strang rode strong throughout the entire three-hour race to pull off the race win and extend his championship points lead.

After a grueling, race-long battle, Strang moved his FMF/Makita Suzuki around the leader on the final lap of the three-hour race and avoided any mishaps over the final few miles to take the victory, his second of the year. The Snowshoe GNCC is billed as America’s Toughest Race, and Strang was pleased to come out on top at this year’s event.

“It was pretty tough out there and I was just hoping to finish up front, so I was happy to follow the leader for a while,” said Strang. “If I could have followed him over the line, I would have been happy, so to get in front of him there at the end and get the win was fantastic.”

“I had a few small crashes, but I never got stuck, which was the key, and I was able to hold on and get the win,” added Strang. “This was definitely a difficult race and my FMF/Makita Suzuki RM-Z450 ran great. It pulled me through all the mud holes and up the steep hills and made my job a lot easier.”

With the win, Strang extended his series points lead over Charlie Mullins to 11 as the series heads to Ohio in two weeks.

“It was good to get a bit of a lead on Charlie as we head to the John Penton, which is always tough, so I am looking forward to that,” said Strang.

The 2011 FMF Makita Suzuki team’s next event is Sunday, July 10th, in Millfield, OH, for the John Penton GNCC, round seven of the AMA Grand National Cross Country Series. For more information, visit www.suzukicycles.com. Follow team updates on SuzukiScoopFans on facebook and SuzukiScoop on twitter.

Snowshoe GNCC XC1 Class Results:

1. Josh Strang

2. Nathan Kanney

3.  Charles Mullins

4.  Rory Mead

5.  Paul Whibley

6.  Kailub Russell

7.  Nick Fahringer

8.  Corey Buttrick

9.  Thaddeus Duval

10. Kenneth Gilbert

2011 GNCC XC-1 Class Standings:

1.  Josh Strang – 153

2.  Charles Mullins – 142

3.  Paul Whibley – 119

4.  Nathan Kanney – 97

5.  Corey Buttrick – 94

6.  Kailub Russell – 84

7.  Christopher Bach – 72

8.  Mike Lafferty – 64

9.  Jimmy Jarrett – 53

10. Garrett Edmisten – 46