Securing his third podium in a row, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Trevor Bollinger claimed an impressive runner-up finish at the sixth round of the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Teammate Craig DeLong rounded out the top-five with another solid ride in his XC1 Open Pro rookie season.
Bollinger kept the energy flowing at The Hoosier GNCC, taking the number two spot on his FX 350. Coming from sixth at the beginning of the race, he worked his way to fourth by the third lap. On the next lap, he briefly dropped to sixth but regained the fourth place spot within another lap. Nearing the end of the three-hour race, Bollinger turned up the intensity and climbed to third. He was then able to get around the second place rider on the final lap to lock in the spot.
“I’m glad to be back up here on the box,” Bollinger said. “I feel good and my bike is getting better every week. I was healthy all last year and I was able to carry it over into this year and just build. I think I’m finally back to where I was. I was in that last lap and I fell but I just kept plugging away and luckily, I was able to make it happen. It was a good day.”
After struggling with arm-pump early in the race, teammate Craig DeLong worked his way from seventh to fifth midway through the race. With three laps to go, he began to gain momentum and positioned himself in fourth. On the last lap, DeLong was challenged by Husqvarna Motorcycles-mounted rider, Jordan Ashburn, and despite trying to increase his speed to hold off Ashburn, DeLong fell to fifth, claiming his fifth-consecutive finish in the top-five spot.
“I kind of had a slow start and struggled with some arm pump in the beginning,” DeLong said. “I think I was back to seventh. I got rid of the arm pump and started riding good. I caught the little group in front of me and stayed there for three-quarters of the race. I had fourth there on the last lap and Jordan ran me down. I tried to hold them off there at the end, but he got me with a couple miles to go.”
After getting off to a top-five start in the WXC class, Husqvarna Motorcycles-mounted rider Tyla Jones climbed into second within a couple laps. She battled for podium contention throughout the two-hours to ultimately secure fourth on the day.
Next Round: Millfield, Ohio – May 22, 2022
The Hoosier GNCC Results
XC1 Open Pro Class
1. Ben Kelley (KTM)
2. Trevor Bollinger – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team
3. Josh Toth (KTM)
4. Jordan Ashburn (HQV)
5. Craig DeLong – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team
5. Craig DeLong – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team
Overall Championship Standings
1. Ben Kelley, 180 points
2. Jordan Ashburn, 115 points
3. Trevor Bollinger – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team, 114 points
4. Craig DeLong – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team, 102 points
