The 2023 GNCC Racing season went down in history as one of the most exciting and hotly contested seasons in the nearly 50-year history of GNCC Racing. The first seven rounds of the 2023 season produced seven different winners, and an eighth different winner emerged in the season finale, ending 2023. That made for the most winners in a single season in the history of the series.
This weekend, South Carolina’s Big Buck Farm plays host to the 2024 GNCC season opener and with a nearly full field of top XC1 and XC2 talent slated to kick off a new year, there are numerous factors at play and it’s virtually impossible to pick a clear favorite in either of the top tier pro classes. Instead of making speculations, the easiest thing to do is to take a look at 2023’s final championship standings and how these racers look as a new season begins.
1 | Craig Delong
Delong claimed the XC2 (250) class championship back in 2020, and after coming up short of a second consecutive title in 2021, made his XC1 debut in 2022. He ended the year with four podium finishes and second place overall in the final standings. When the 2023 season began, the XC1 field was back to healthy numbers after injuries had severely diminished the class in 2022. With this, Craig Delong sort of flew under the radar coming into the 2023 season.
However, Delong has forever been one of, if not the most consistent racer in the entire GNCC series. This goes all the way back to Delong’s rise through the ranks, coming through the B and A classes, then into XC2. The transition into GNCC’s XC1 and XC2 ranks is never an easy one, but Craig first began as a consistent top five finisher in the XC2 class, then a consistent podium finisher, and later consistent threat for race wins. The same could be said of his XC1 development, and this paid off tremendously.
Delong began the 2023 season somewhat lowkey with a fifth place at round one, followed by a third-place finish at round two. A muddy round three would produce Delong’s first-ever GNCC overall win, then the confidence of this win would help him ride to two more wins in 2023 and a total of six podium finishes to claim the 2023 GNCC National Championship. Chances are, not many people had Delong picked out as a clear championship favorite coming into 2023 but he emerged victorious and comes into 2024 with the number one plate and a big target on his back.
However, this is a new Craig Delong. One that has the confidence of multiple race wins and a National Championship under his belt. While many say it’s always harder to defend a title, Delong has a serious shot to do exactly that. If round one does not produce the exact results one may think the defending champion should have, never count this guy out. His consistency is what has led him to every single championship in his career.
2 | Steward Baylor
A true lifelong GNCC racer, Steward Baylor has accomplished many things that most racers can only dream of, including tons of race wins and AMA National Enduro Championships. He also has a legion of loyal fans. However, the one accomplishment that still eludes Baylor and he severely wants to achieve, is a GNCC National Championship. This guy has been so incredibly close a number of times, but there have always been just freak issues that have hindered Baylor from sealing the deal.
While this can be a heartbreaker, it also serves as the kind of motivation that some could only hope to find, as it can help to push someone further than they believed they could push themselves. This is the exact kind of scenario that we’re looking at for Steward Baylor coming into the 2024 season. After coming up just short once again in 2023, the 2024 version of Steward Baylor has the potential to be one of the strongest versions of Baylor that we’ve ever seen.
In addition to this, Stu also has somewhat of a new program for 2024. It’s a bit similar to his 2023 effort, but with a whole new manufacturer and some new backing. In 2023, Baylor was back on the KTM motorcycles that he spent an overwhelming majority of his life riding. This will change once again in 2024 as Baylor is once again partnered with Rocky Mountain ATV/MC, but this time will be aboard a Kawasaki for the first time in his career.
Stu is no stranger to Japanese brands as he previously rode with Yamaha from late 2020 through 2022 and found a good deal of success aboard the blue machine. Stu is also playing the role of Team Manager for this Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Red Bear Racing squad and while some may think this can be a bit tough for some, for Stu this is just another day at work as he really excels as both a racer and a manager.
Coming into round one, Stu is one of the favorites for the race win. He claimed last year’s Big Buck win and has done pretty well at the property throughout his career as the South Carolina native strives in his home soil.
3 | Ben Kelley
One racer who will be missing for the first part of the 2024 GNCC Racing season will be 2021 GNCC Champion, Ben Kelley. Unfortunately, Ben has had a rough go as a leg injury in 2022 denied him a second title and continued to nag him through a lot of the 2023 season. Ben later suffered a torn labrum in his hip which will keep him sidelined for somewhere around six months. West Coast racer Dante Oliviera is slated to fill in for Ben at five of the first nine events in the 2024 GNCC Racing season.
4 | Jordan Ashburn
While the 2022 GNCC Champ’s title defense may have fallen short, Ashburn’s 2023 season was nothing to scoff at. He claimed three podium finishes and a race win and showed that the 2022 title was not just luck and the Tennessee veteran racer still has plenty of fight left in him.
Historically, Ashburn strives in some of the tougher and more technical races as the season progresses into some of the rocks up north, but the fifth round of the 2024 season will take place at an all-new venue just miles from Ashburn’s hometown of Livingston, Tennessee. Even if Ashburn stays relatively quiet in the opening rounds, expect a bigger splash as the season progresses.
For 2024, Ashburn is another rider with a bit of a change from last season. The Magna1 Husqvarna squad that Ashburn was previously part of has transitioned into the Landers KTM team, which will serve as KTM’s steppingstone for up-and-coming racers making the transition into the XC2 classes. Ashburn shifted over to the Coastal Racing Factory GasGas squad and with the leadership of former GNCC champ Barry Hawk as Team Manager, Ashburn could produce more stellar results in 2024.
5 | Ricky Russell
Washington native Ricky Russell made the trek east to contest the GNCC series back in 2013 and after some early learning curves, Russell has come into his own as one of the true contenders of the GNCC series. Russell landed on the podium five times in 2023, including a race win at Tiger Run, which was also held at the Big Buck Farm for a second event in 2023, which makes Russell the most recent winner at the opening round venue.
Ricky’s 2023 season also saw a few struggles that kept him out of championship contention, but he was arguably one of the fastest guys on the track each race and this will put a lot of eyes on him as the 2024 season gets underway. With three new champions in the previous three years of GNCC competition, anything can happen, and the Am-Pro Yamaha rider will be looking to take that crown for himself.
6 | Grant Baylor
This guy is somewhat of an enigma. There is likely no other professional athlete at a premiere level of their sport who is more secluded and quieter than Grant. It’s a stark contrast to his brother Stu, who is as outgoing as outgoing gets. Most of these racers, you can scroll through their social media and see some of what’s been going on with them over the off-season, but not Grant. In fact, it’s been a year since Grant has posted on his Instagram. The guy has won the last two AMA National Enduro Championships and hasn’t even mentioned them!
What’s the point of mentioning this? Well, Grant simply does his talking out on the racetrack and many times he does it late in the race. Grant claimed a race win in 2023 and several other top five finishes, and many of those times he was outside the top ten early in the race and far enough behind that you didn’t think he’d be in contention. Then, he strikes! Grant is another previous Big Buck winner, and you never know exactly what to expect out of this guy. Keep an eye on him, he very well could be up front when the checkered flag flies.
7 | Josh Strang
This guy seems to age like a fine wine as he is still out there getting it done. Josh made the trek over from Australia to begin fulltime competition in the GNCC series in 2007 and has been a mainstay ever since, logging numerous wins and the 2010 GNCC National Championship along the way. Considered to be the savvy veteran of the class at this point, Josh showed he can still put it to the younger guys as he ended the 2023 season with the race win in the finale at Ironman.
Coming into 2024 Josh has some pretty significant changes. After spending the last few seasons on a Kawasaki, Josh is making the change to a Sherco and putting together his own program with some support from Sherco USA. Josh is no stranger to this type of program, as he fielded his own Kawasaki and Yamaha deals back in 2013 and 2014, and really strives under this kind of pressure. While the Sherco brand doesn’t have a ton of GNCC experience, there’s arguably no better rider to figure it out than Strang, and nobody should be surprised if he puts a Sherco on the podium.
8 | Johnny Girroir
Another first-time race winner in 2023 comes in the form of New England rippa, Johnny Girroir. After claiming the 2021 XC2 title, Johnny made his full-time XC1 debut in 2023 as part of the FMF KTM Factory Racing team and is back on the orange machines in 2024 looking to find even more success.
Girroir has had several ups and downs throughout his professional career and suffered through a few freak issues that hindered a few of his results in 2023. However, word is that Girroir has been putting in work throughout the off-season and looks stronger than ever coming in 2024. Now that Girroir has a win to his credit, another win should come easier and if he’s able to make two wins in a row the rest of the XC1 field should watch out because if this guy can build that confidence, he could be a huge threat in 2024. The talent and speed is there, and with main teammate Ben Kelley out with injury, there’s a focus on Girroir to get this championship for the factory FMF KTM squad.
9 | Angus Riordan
This is where things get a smidge confusing. XC2 class racer Riordan put together a stellar 2023 season to end the year in ninth place overall, with seven XC2 class podiums and a pair of XC2 class wins. However, he would actually end the year second place in the XC2 class. More on that later.
After coming up just shy of the XC2 title in 2023, Riordan will be looking to topple defending champ Liam Draper in 2024. Riordan made his way over from Australia full-time in 2022 and quickly figured out the GNCC game, landing on the XC2 podium in just his sixth ever GNCC event. He backed that up with more podium finishes, and finally a runner up position in the XC2 class in 2023.
10 | Liam Draper
The 2023 XC2 class champion actually finished the season behind the second-place finisher in the overall. Long story short, Riordan had a few better overall finishes, using some XC1 guys as buffers, while Draper had a few better finishes in the XC2 class. Regardless, Draper will be back in the XC2 class in 2024 as he looks to defend his 2023 XC2 championship.
This is another rider that seems to get better the older he gets. The New Zealander joined the series in 2018 and his results have continued to improve more and more. Going from challenging for top five finishes, to challenging for podiums and now challenging for XC2 race wins, Draper may have his hands full with some tough competition, but the guy is the defending champ for a reason.
OTHERS
There are few other racers who were outside the 2023 top ten but are definitely notable here. First up, Ryder Lafferty. After winning the first two XC2 races in 2023, Lafferty looked to be a serious threat for the XC2 title. Unfortunately, a few issues kept him out of the championship hunt. He later made the move up to the XC1 class at the penultimate round at the Buckwheat 100 where he ran a chunk of the race in second place before a crash on the last lap dropped him back to seventh. Lafferty won last weekend’s AMA National Enduro in South Carolina, and this could be a sign of good things to come as Lafferty will make his full-time XC1 debut in 2024.
Thad Duvall is another long-time professional GNCC competitor who can be considered a veteran at this point. The 2008 XC2 champ has suffered through a number of ups and downs in his professional career but has a fair number of race wins to his credit and is regarded as a true great in GNCC Racing. Thad was almost going to call it a career after 2023 but has been able to put a fun spark back into his racing life as part of Steward Baylor’s program. For 2024, Thad looks to drop back to the XC2 class with the hopes to helping making a splash there, and helping to train and groom some of the up and coming talent on the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Red Bear Racing Kawasaki squad.
The 2024 GNCC Racing season has potential to be yet another incredibly exciting season full of historical results. It’s just about impossible to look at these names, and a number of other challengers in both the XC1 and XC2 ranks, and pick a clear favorite. Oh, and if you’re an XC1 or XC2 racer who didn’t make this list this time around, remember, last time we forgot Steward Baylor here, and he won the opening round.
