Johnny Girroir Wins Fourth Overall of GNCC Season at Snowshoe Mountain Resort - Racer X (2024)

The Snowshoe, West Virginia, round of the 2024 Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series continues to deliver great racing and quite a busy—and fun—weekend for everyone at the Snowshoe Mountain Resort. This race features a narrow start on a main road up in the heart of the resort before riders drop down and navigate the rocky West Virginia hills. And the difficult conditions provided fans with great action all weekend long.

During Sunday’s PM pro race, it was Steward Baylor and Jordan Ashburn out front early as the green flag waved. Eventually, championship leader Johnny Girroir and Grant Baylor (from the second row) would join the battle as well. At one point, Grant Baylor was leading the overall both with the time adjustment and by physically leading the race! Girroir and Grant Baylor would battle until Girroir made a pass for the physical lead—with the #314 still in the time adjustment overall lead—so Girroir had to put his head down and gain at least ten seconds on his competitor. Girroir dropped the hammer and ripped up to and through the finish line with hopes of making up the time difference for the overall win. And Girroir got it done!

Only a few minutes from the finish line, Grant Baylor lost some time in a turn when he got caught in hay bale after coming in hot down a 90-degree left hand turn after a hill. The report was that he lost his rear brake, causing the extra speed down the hill and into the bales (and he confirmed this after the race). Exhausted, the two competitors high-fived after they crossed the finish line. After the timing situation was finalized, it was official: Girroir made up the necessary time from the adjusted start in order to claim the overall win. Grant Baylor was second, and Stu Baylor rounded out the overall podium.

It was a big win for Girroir, who just last week re-upped his deal with KTM for next season, as the #969 machine now has a 43-point gap over Stu Baylor as the series heads into its regularly scheduled summer break. Girroir has over a whole race-worth of points worth of breathing room for if something were to happen when the series resumes the last weekend in August.

“That was gnarly,” Girroir said on the RacerTV broadcast moments later. “I’m tired.”

"It came down to within seconds and that was a good race!” he said in a KTM post-race release. “With two and a half laps to go, Grant [Baylor] came by me and I knew I had to get going, then he made a couple of mistakes and I was able to sneak back by – that was gnarly! It was fast and technical today, took a lot of physical energy with the higher speeds in the dry conditions. I hit the ground once, but other than that, it was a solid race for me."

“Oh, man, I’m just freaking frustrated now!” Grant Baylor said after the race. “Yeah, that was a heck of a race. I got out off the line first on my row and caught up to the front row guys and rode behind Craig [Delong] for about a lap there. Second lap, I was picking my way through the pack and got around Craig and Grant Davis there and then friggen went down and fell under my bike and was pinned down under my bike and all three caught back up and went back by me. And I had just caught the leaders there—I could see Steward [brother] and Johnny and yeah, made that mistake and got back behind those guys, had to pass them again. And then, soon as I got by those guys, I went down again. And then Jordan [Ashburn] went by me again. So, I had to pass Jordan again, all on that same lap. So, I passed Jordan three times and passed those other guys twice.

“Yeah, man, I was just feeling it. It was a good, just a bummer. About a lap and a quarter to go there, I lost my rear brakes and just had front brakes that last lap and just freakin’ hanging on for dear life,” he continued with a laugh. “I knew if I could just keep Johnny behind me on some of the slower, technical stuff where it was more one-lined, I’d be good, and then just dust him out here in the open stuff. But made a mistake, not having rear brakes, I missed the track and went off the hill a little ways and Johnny got by me. I was able to regroup and catch back up to him. I was right behind him going through the freakin’ pits there and then coming out of the pits, washed the front end and then lost the front end right before the FMF power point going back down the hill there. Picked the bike up, jumped back on it, started heading down the hill, no rear brakes, man, I was just sending it. I knew I had just wrecked so I knew I had to just finish within ten seconds of Johnny. Yeah, I was sending it down that Hill, straight off the FMF hill, luckily there was a power pole there or I would have kept going all the way to the bottom of the mountain! Man, I gave it my all and truly just sent it all the way to the finish and came up just barely short. I’m just absolutely gutted after that.”

Something to note as well is that Grant raced the entire race with a trials tire on! Interesting choice that seemed to pay off. Grant Baylor said he has also been struggling with a lingering knee injury since the first round and that he messed it up again the week before the Mason-Dixon GNCC round earlier this month. Although he was frustrated to not come out with the win, he has to take it as a positive day.

And speaking of knee injuries, Grant's brother Steward Baylor also said the following about an injury of his own:

"Everybody wanted to know what was going on there at Ohio, here's the news I'll drop it on ya: I tore my ACL, my LCL. Did quite a bit of damage to the knee, but I'm a f%$#ing man, so let's stick with it!"

Steward also said one of his foot pegs was ripped off. Extremely difficult conditions and then these guys have to deal with mechanical issues that make the race even harder!

Ben Kelley, who is sidelined with injuries before the season started, was in the Racer TV booth in the meanwhile and will be back on track once the season resumes after summer break.

Check out the full report from the series on the other highlights from the day.

The full press release from GNCC Racing is below:

SNOWSHOE, W.Va. – Round nine of the 2024 Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, Yamaha Racing Snowshoe GNCC, concluded on Sunday, June 23, 2024 with warm and sunny conditions throughout the day. The Snowshoe GNCC event continues to pay tribute to the Blackwater heritage as the race starts “in town” with riders lined up in groups of five on the main road. They start live-engine ever 10 seconds, and are time adjusted based off of what row they begin on.

As the green flag waved for row one, the top five in points took off from the main road towards the course. Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki’s Steward Baylor would have a good start to the day as he came through leading the way on the opening lap, however, both Coastal GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jordan Ashburn and FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Johnny Girroir were right on his back tire.

Girroir would battle past Ashburn and S. Baylor during the second lap of the race, but he would soon have a different Baylor brother behind him as Babbitts Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Grant Baylor made his way up to the front of the pack. G. Baylor would power past Girroir while out on the fourth lap of the race, and he would hold the lead position heading into the final lap of the race.

As the last lap was underway, Girroir would battle it out with G. Baylor and make the pass for the lead. Girroir would put his head down and push as he had to gain over 10 seconds on G. Baylor at the finish or G. Baylor would win the overall with his time adjustment from starting on the second row. Girroir would cross the line and come across with just over 11 seconds ahead of G. Baylor, earning his fifth win of the season. G. Baylor would finish second overall and S. Baylor would round out the podium by finishing third overall on the day.

After batting back-and-forth for the duration of the race Ashburn would cross the line fourth overall on the day. Ashburn continues to sit fourth overall in the points standings as the GNCC Series heads into its summer break. Active Air/Max Motorsports/FXR/Husqvarna’s Evan Smith made his way up into the top five in the XC1 Open Pro as the white flag flew, indicating one more lap. Smith would continue to push and hold onto that top five position within the class and sixth overall on the day.

FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Dante Oliveira would come through sixth in XC1 and eighth overall on the day after continuing to adapt to technical conditions presented to racers at Snowshoe. JS Sherco Racing’s Josh Strang would work his way up to seventh in the class after coming through 11th on the opening lap. Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Craig Delong started on the front row and would battle up in fourth for the first half of the race before finishing eighth in XC1. Coming through ninth in XC1 was Babbitts Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki Team Green’s Lyndon Snodgrass, while AmPro Yamaha’s Ricky Russell rounded out the top 10 finishers in XC1.

As XC2 250 Pro competitor, FMF KTM Factory Racing Landers Grant Davis started on the first row, it would be hard to catch him for the remainder of the race as he continued to set a fast pace. Davis would steadily hold over a two minute lead on the rest of his competition for the duration of the race, and he would come through to earn his fifth XC2 class win of the season. Team Enduro Engineering’s Josh Toth and Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki’s Thad Duvall would both have consistent days on the mountain as they held the second and third place positions in XC2 for the length of the race.

In the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class it would be Kibuk Cycle/Steel City Medical Center/Josh Lojak’s House of Speed’s Sawyer Carratura battling throughout the course to earn his first class win of the season atop Snowshoe Mountain. After coming through third on the opening lap, Liqui Moly Factory Beta Racing’s Jhak Walker would put his head down and push as he tried to catch the front of the pack. Walker was able to make his way into second with two laps remaining, and he would hold that position until the checkered flag waved. Devore/KTM/FXR/SRS Suspension’s Dakoda Devore rounded out the top three FMF XC3 class finishers on the day.

Earning the Top Amateur Honors at the Yamaha Racing Snowshoe GNCC was 250 A winner, Nicholas Defeo as he came through in the 13th overall finishing position. Jason Tino was second on the Top Amateur podium as he finished second in 250 A, and he came through with a 17th overall finish. Will Sievenpiper was third on the Top Amateur podium as he came through to finish third in 250 A, along with his 19th overall finishing position.

As the morning race got underway, and the WXC class made their way through the course it would be Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki’s Rachael Archer emerged first as they came into the timing and scoring zone on lap one. Archer would continue to hold the lead and place a gap over the rest of the field. As the checkered flag flew Archer would cross the line with over a minute lead.

Finishing runner-up at Snowshoe was Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Korie Steede as she tried to battle back after some mistakes and crashes ultimately kept her away from catching Archer. Enduro Engineering/GASGAS/FXR Moto’s Shelby Turner would sit in third for the duration of the race and round out the top three WXC finishers at Snowshoe.

In the morning youth bike race it was Brody Amos coming through to earn the overall and YXC1 Super Mini Sr. (14-15) class win atop Snowshoe Mountain. Caleb Wood battled throughout and would end up second overall on the day, while Doc Smith rounded out the top three overall and in the YXC1 class.

Travis Lentz continued his domination in the YXC2 Super Mini Jr. (12-13) class as he earned his ninth-straight win of the season. Hunter Carey took home the 85 Big Wheel (11-15) class win, while Ace Tokar earned the 85 (12-13) class win. In the 85 (11) class it was Wyatt Johnson coming through to take the win with Maverick Boyer would earn the 85 (7-10) class win. Hunter Jones would take home the 65 (10-11) class win, Tripp Lewis earned the 65 (9) class win and Daxton Mullins earned himself the 65 (7-8) class win at round nine. In the Girls Super Mini (12-16) class it was Jayden Shea earning the win, while Sahara Robinson earned her eighth win in the Girls 85 (7-13) class and Paisley Harris would take the Girls 65 (7-11) class win. In the Trail Rider class, it was Camden Phillips earning the class win.

For more information on the GNCC series, visit the official website atwww.gnccracing.comor call (304) 284-0084. Join the conversation on the seriesFacebookpage, follow us onTwitterandInstagram, and be sure to always hashtag #GNCC.

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Yamaha Racing Snowshoe GNCC Results and Points Standings

Snowshoe, West Virginia
Round 9 of 13
Sunday, June 23, 2024

GNCC

	Rider	Time	Interval	BestLap	Hometown	Bike
1	Jonathan Girroir	02:42:38.016			Southwick, MA	KTM
2	Grant Baylor	02:42:44.957			Belton, SC	Kawasaki
3	Steward Baylor	02:45:24.026			Belton, SC	Kawasaki
4	Jordan Ashburn	02:46:06.739			Cookeville, TN	GasGas
5	Grant Davis	02:46:27.478			Meshoppen, PA	KTM

Full Results

GNCC

	Rider	Time	Interval	BestLap	Hometown	Bike
1	Grant Davis	02:46:27.478			Meshoppen, PA	KTM
2	Josh Toth	02:49:25.699			Winstead, CT	Honda
3	Thad Duvall	02:50:52.588			Williamstown, WV	Kawasaki
4	Cody J Barnes	02:54:22.399			Sterling, IL	Honda
5	Angus Riordan	02:59:31.779			Australia	KTM

Full Results

GNCC

	Rider	Time	Interval	BestLap	Hometown	Bike
1	Sawyer Carratura	03:05:14.982			Allison Park, PA	Yamaha
2	Jhak Walker	03:07:20.770			Morrisonville, IL	Beta
3	Dakoda Devore	03:09:03.580			Uhrichsville, OH	KTM
4	Owen Barnes	03:17:58.779			Honesdale, PA	Husqvarna
5	Dustin S Simpson	02:42:14.459			Oakboro, NC	Yamaha

Full Results

GNCC

	Rider	Time	Interval	BestLap	Hometown	Bike
1	Jonathan Girroir	02:42:38.016			Southwick, MA	KTM
2	Grant Baylor	02:42:44.957			Belton, SC	Kawasaki
3	Steward Baylor	02:45:24.026			Belton, SC	Kawasaki
4	Jordan Ashburn	02:46:06.739			Cookeville, TN	GasGas
5	Grant Davis	02:46:27.478			Meshoppen, PA	KTM

Full Results

GNCC

Position	Rider	Hometown	Points
1	Jonathan Girroir	Southwick, MA	237
2	Steward Baylor	Belton, SC	194
3	Grant Davis	Meshoppen, PA	146
4	Jordan Ashburn	Cookeville, TN	144
5	Craig Delong	Morgantown, PA	128

Full Standings

GNCC

Position	Rider	Hometown	Points
1	Grant Davis	Meshoppen, PA	246
2	Angus Riordan	Australia	209
3	Liam Draper	Auckland, New Zealand	151
4	Cody J Barnes	Sterling, IL	139
5	Thad Duvall	Williamstown, WV	131

Full Standings

GNCC

Position	Rider	Hometown	Points
1	Jhak Walker	Morrisonville, IL	232
2	Dakoda Devore	Uhrichsville, OH	225
3	Sawyer Carratura	Allison Park, PA	163
4	Zachary N Davidson	Iron Station, NC	156
5	Dustin S Simpson	Oakboro, NC	123

Full Standings

GNCC

Position	Rider	Hometown	Points
1	Rachael Archer	New Zealand	225
2	Korie Steede	Beloit, OH	207
3	Brandy Richards	Lake Havasu City, AZ	197
4	Shelby A Turner	Barons, AB	189
5	Rachel Gutish	Terre Haute, IN	105

Full Standings