Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Korie Steede raced to a well-earned third-place WXC Class finish at the opening round of the 2025 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) season in Union, South Carolina.
Entering her second year with the team, Steede impressed at this year’s season-opening round, braving the result of an overnight downpour to power her Husqvarna FC 250 to a convincing third-place finish in the rain-soaked conditions.
“I got off to a really bad start,” reflected Steede. “Made my way into second or third, Brandy [Richards] and I were battling really hard out there. I got stuck a bunch of times after not choosing the ideal tire, especially at the end there. I’m relieved to finish on the podium as I had no idea where I was, so starting off like this is an excellent way to begin the season.”
Former GNCC Champion Craig DeLong experienced a difficult day out at the Big Buck, with a DNF concluding what was a challenging first round on his Husqvarna FX 350. Already shifting his sights to the next round, DeLong will be after redemption in Florida.
“I had a bad start, way in the back, and was pretty much last on the first lap,” DeLong recalled. “I had an issue from there, I ran into a tree, which broke the zip tie on my handguard, so I had to keep adjusting that. Fixed the issue, and then my handguard bolt was too tight and engaging the clutch, so I stopped and loosened that. Made up some positions from there, but ultimately it wasn’t to be. We’ll be looking for more at the next one.”
Husqvarna-equipped Lyndon Snodgrass posted a hard-fought second-place finish in the XC1 Open Pro Class at Big Buck, marking a consistent performance to open his campaign in Round 1.
XC1 Pro Class Results
1. Ben Kelley, KTM
2. Lyndon Snodgrass, Husqvarna
3. Michael Witkowski, Honda
7. Johnny Girroir, KTM
8. Jordan Ashburn, GASGAS
7. Johnny Girroir, KTM
8. Jordan Ashburn, GASGAS
13. Craig DeLong, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
WXC Class Results
1. Rachael Archer, Kawasaki
2. Shelby Turner, GASGAS
3. Korie Steede, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
4. Brandy Richards, KTM
4. Brandy Richards, KTM
Posted on Monday, February 17th, 2025 by Michael Le Pard
