JOHNNY GIRROIR CROWNED 2024 GNCC XC-1 CHAMPION
FMF KTM Factory Racing and Johnny Girroir are celebrating the 2024 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series victory after clinching the overall championship with two rounds to spare at The Mountaineer round in West Virginia.
Girroir rode his KTM 350 XC-F to a calculated 12th-place finish – eighth position in the XC1 Open Pro Class – at Round 11 to seal the most important title of his professional career in U.S. offroad competition.
This season has been a remarkable one for Girroir, consistently finishing on the podium through the opening 10 rounds, including four victories along the way. That control of the championship saw him manage the race today and do what was required to claim the GNCC crown, adding it to his XC2 250 Pro Class title from 2021.
Johnny Girroir: “This is my childhood dream and I took every path on the way to being here, took the hardest roads, and none of this has come easy. Anyone out there chasing their dreams, you can do it, keep on pushing and put your head down – keep fighting! Thank you to FMF KTM Factory Racing, the entire crew, my family, and everybody behind us for being part of this championship.”
In what was his second race back from injury, FMF KTM Factory Racing teammate Ben Kelley – the 2021 GNCC Champion – navigated the dusty conditions to ninth position in the XC1 Open Pro Class, continuing to build race fitness through these closing stages of the season.
Ben Kelley: “It was a tough day for me with the dust. I had a bad start and couldn’t work my way up through the field with the blinding dust… just didn’t have the comfort to be aggressive and make passes. We gained more seat time being back at the races though and we will keep pushing through the final rounds. Congratulations to Johnny and the team on bringing home the title this weekend.”
FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers took home a pair of round victories at The Mountaineer GNCC, with KTM 250 XC-F equipped Grant Davis making it five-straight XC2 250 Pro Class wins to extend his points lead to 54 ahead of teammate Gus Riordan, who was fourth today. Brandy Richards earned back-to-back WXC race victories and sits second in the standings.
Grant Davis: “I got the holeshot and was pumped going into the woods, because I knew that would be key today. We were rolling pretty fast today, aside from a pretty hard crash there in the late stages, but other than that it was a good day!”
Brandy Richards: “It was a great race today. I was second off the start, made a few mistakes, but I was able to sprint to the end and brought it home on the last lap.”
XC1 Open Pro Class Results
1. Jordan Ashburn, GASGAS
2. Liam Draper, Yamaha
3. Trevor Bollinger, Husqvarna
8. Johnny Girroir, FMF KTM Factory Racing
9. Ben Kelley, FMF KTM Factory Racing
DNF. Craig DeLong, Husqvarna
XC2 250 Pro Class Results
1. Grant Davis, FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers
2. Cody Barnes, Honda
3. Jonathan Johnson, Beta
4. Angus Riordan, FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers
WXC Class Results
1. Brandy Richards, FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers
2. Rachael Archer, Kawasaki
3. Prestin Raines, Sherco
4. Korie Steede, Husqvarna
