After sitting out last year’s series to recover from injuries, FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley entered this weekend’s Camp Coker Bullet GNCC, the fourth round of the series, with a mix of anticipation and determination. Having finished with a fourth, a third, and a seventh in the previous rounds, Kelley was eager to prove himself once again.
At the picturesque Moree’s Sportsman’s Preserve course, Kelley seemed to be back in top form. He came from behind, passing AmPro Yamaha teammates Kailub Russell and Liam Draper to secure a thrilling victory. Kelley made a decisive move with two laps to go, overtaking Draper and holding off the New Zealander until the finish line.
Draper took the early lead after passing Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Craig DeLong, who had a challenging season until the previous round at Talladega, where he finished third overall and second for the XC1 class. Draper led the pack into the woods section, followed closely by Russell, Thad Duvall, DeLong and Mike Witkowski.
Kelley rode a smooth race, working his way into third by passing Duvall, DeLong and Witkowski. Meanwhile, the KTM rider positioned himself behind Draper and Russell. However, on adjusted time, FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers’ Grant Davis had moved into the lead.
Draper was on the move and by the 11th mile of lap one had established a 15-second lead over Russell with Kelley closing in. On lap two, Russell started to fade, and Kelley and Witkowski moved into second and third.
Halfway into the race, Kelley was on Draper’s rear wheel, pushing the Kiwi in every section of the track. Kelley dogged the Yamaha rider until the penultimate lap when he made a pass for the lead. At the finish, Kelley took the win, with Draper in second and Davis finishing third overall and first in the XC2 250 Pro division.
“I was feeling good, and the bike was amazing,” said Draper. “I pulled a lead and got it out to about 25 seconds on lap two, and then I got a pit board saying Ben was coming. I’m like, ‘Man, this is going to be a tough race if BK’s coming,’ because I know the guy’s in good shape, and he’s going to be tough. He was crushing me in the open parts, and then I was getting him back in the woods. There was a dogfight all the way to the end.”
Kelley came away with a six-point lead in the series standings over FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers’ Grant Davis, who led the race until the final lap.
“This was the hardest I’ve had to race in years,” said Kelley. “It was a nonstop fight not only physically against Liam but against the clock with Grant Davis as well. I was aggressive and got by a few guys to get to third behind Kailub. Finally, I ran down Liam and made the pass with two laps to go. I pulled a little bit of a gap, but then he was on me, just on my rear wheel, maybe two seconds the rest of the race. I was so tired out there but just kept pushing and pushing.”
Davis suffered a few crashes on the last lap, he would come through to grab third overall on the day and his third-straight XC2 250 Pro class win of the season.
“I got into the lead in my class about four turns into the race, and then I just tried to pin it to get to the backmarkers of the XC1 class,” said Davis. “I started picking them off slowly and got into third physically on track. I could see Liam and Ben ahead of me in some sections and knew it was like 30-40 seconds ahead on adjusted time. On the last lap, I clipped a tree and broke my zip-tie off my front brake handguard, causing me to crash three times. Other than that, I’m happy with how I rode.”
Having won the inaugural Talladega GNCC in Alabama three weeks ago, Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki’s Steward Baylor Jr. managed a third-place finish in the XC1 class and fourth overall.
“It was a brawl,” said Baylor. “My bike flamed out on the start, leaving me midpack. I was 40 seconds behind on lap one and just trying to get to the front. I’ve been sick all week and did what I could but physically couldn’t ride anymore.”
FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers’ Angus Riordan and Phoenix Honda Racing’s Cody Barnes battled the entire race for second in the XC2 250 Pro class, with Riordan coming out on top by just a few yards over Barnes to finish second in class and fifth overall.
Barnes was third in XC2 and sixth overall. Seventh overall (and fourth XC1) went to Phoenix Honda Racing’s Mike Witkowski, who ran in the top three early in the race. After running in second for the first half of the race, AmPro Yamaha’s Kailub Russell finished eighth overall and fifth in XC1.
Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki’s Josh Toth also ran up top for a spell but eventually settled into ninth overall and fourth in XC2 ahead of Flat Rock Factory GasGas rider Jason Tino, who was fifth in XC2.
Round two’s winner and 2024 champion Jonny Girroir fell on lap three and hit his head. The FMF KTM Factory rider called it quits during his pit stop.
Yamaha-mounted James Jenkins grabbed his third win in four rounds in the FMF XC3 125 class to lead the series standings by 31 points (108-77). Huck Jenkins (Yamaha) was second on the day, with Beta rider Bayle Messer in third.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Korie Steede came from third to win the WXC class, passing Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki’s Rachael Archer on the final lap to do so.
“I really was struggling today with the lappers and kept telling myself to reset and regroup,” Steede said. “Those last two laps I finally started to find my flow and managed to start taking some time off. I had a pit board going into the last lap that Archer was 15 or 20 seconds ahead of me. I rode my ass off and made a pass with a mile to go to get the win. It feels good to get my first win off my shoulders, and I just need to get ready for the next one and hopefully keep the ball rolling.”
Red Bear Rocky Mountain Kawasaki’s Rachael Archer finished second in front of AmPro Yamaha’s Danielle McDonald. CN
2025 GNCC Round 4 Results
Overall Event Results:
- Benjamin Kelley (KTM)
- Liam Draper (Yam)
- Grant Davis (KTM)
- Steward Baylor (Kaw)
- Angus Riordan (KTM)
- Cody Barnes (Hon)
- Michael Witkowski (Hon)
- Kailub Russell (Yam)
- Joshua Toth (Kaw)
- Jason Tino (GG)
XC1 Open Pro Event Results:
- Benjamin Kelley (KTM)
- Liam Draper (Yam)
- Steward Baylor (Kaw)
- Michael Witkowski (Hon)
- Kailub Russell (Yam)
- Josh Strang (Bet)
- Evan Smith (Yam)
- Craig Delong (Hus)
- Ricky Russell (Tri)
- Lyndon Snodgrass (Hus)
XC2 250 Pro Event Results:
- Grant Davis (KTM)
- Angus Riordan (KTM)
- Cody Barnes (Hon)
- Josh Toth (Kaw)
- Jason Tino (GG)
- Brody Johnson (Hon)
- Nicholas DeFeo (Kaw)
- Dakoda Devore (Hus)
- Michael Delosa (Yam)
- Zachary Davidson (Hus)
