FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Johnny Girroir made it two from two at the 2024 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series round two, the Wild Boar in typcally brutal Palankta conditions.  

Typically tough conditions doesn’t cover it really. The Wild Boar course in Palakta, Florida is always brutal for riders and bikes but when a storm blew through the main PM race on Sunday it ramped up the carnage with crashes an retirements across the main classes.

But it was smiles all round the KTM Factory Racing Team truck on Sunday evening with Johnny Girroir taking his second XC1 Pro win of the season. He was backed up by the Landers KTM, second-tier orange team riders Grant Davis and Angus Riordan going 1-2 in the XC2 and Brandy Richards picking up her first GNCC victory in WXC.

PM Pro race RAW highlights: Wild Boar GNCC RAW video highlights – mud holes and rider BTS rider debriefs

Girroir mastered the conditions for the win but it was never a done deal and not as easy as the results sheets make it look after a healthy battle once again with Steward Baylor.

Steward wasn’t alone in having bike issues during the race – his brother Grant was also gunning for another podium before his KX450 gave up on lap five. Having to pit on the penultimate lap to change a rear wheel, after his rear tyre dropped off the rim, didnt help bigger brothers cause either.

In fact the biggest drama of the day happened on lap one when 2023 champion Craig Delong crashed. Heading to the pits for parts to repair his damaged Rockstar Husqvarna, Delong left his bike laid in the (at that point) dry, Florida grass which the hot exhaust promptly set alight, causing a fire.

Baylor in fact was pipped for the overall by a remarkable result from Grant Davis putting a 250 on the second overall spot – although Baylor was left cursing his pit crew for not telling him it was so close and they finished with just a two second gap. Third on the XC1 podium and fourth overall for his best result on the big bike was Lyndon Snodgrass

All of this was going on behind FMF KTM’s Girroir though who holds a 14-point advantage in class heading to The Genreal GNCC next weekend.

“I went down in the first corner, started at the back of the pack, and kind of just picked my way through those guys.” Explained Girroir. “I got in a battle with Stu [Baylor], we were going at it for a while there and he tucked the front-end a couple of times, so I found myself in the lead and said to myself, 'It's time to go'. This course was brutal, three-quarters of it was made up of sand-whoops and this last part was like survival with holes everywhere... And then the rain came, which made it even worse! It was gnarly.”

Wild Boar GNCC overall results (top 20):

Remarkable P2 overall for Grant Davis

FMF KTM Factory Racing Team Landers trio Grant Davis, Angus Riordan, and Brandy Richards also delivered at Wild Boar in the XC2 250 Pro and WXC.

A 1-2 result from Davis and Riordan saw them celebrate together atop the XC2 250 Pro Class podium, with Davis also putting his KTM 250 XC-F second overall for the weekend in a breakout performance. Riordan meanwhile leads the standings, now by four points ahead of Davis.

Grant Davis: “It was a tough one, especially when it started raining. It's insane, to get my first XC2 win and to be on the overall podium, I don't even know what to say right now – it feels like a dream! I have confidence heading into next week and hopefully we can keep up these results.”

Angus Riordan: “It was a tough, but fun weekend in the Florida wet sand. I had a bad start and then I was able to keep my head down and get back to P2. We will keep working and be ready to go again next weekend!”

Maiden win for Richards

In the AM race, new recruit to the GNCC series, full-time at least, Brandy Richards rose to take her first WXC win. It was a day of crashes for the leading WXC contenders with early champion and round one winner Rachael Archer hitting the deck on lap two to eventually finish fourth behind Korie Steede second and Rachel Gutish third.

Brandy Richards: “It was brutal out there! I was second off the start behind Korie [Steede], she tipped over and I got around into the lead, but then I did a front-flip into the mud soon afterwards.

“After that, I calmed down, tried to stay smooth, and caught back up, which was a super-fun battle. I saw an opening, got by, and pushed to the end to come home with the win. It feels great to get my first in GNCC, I have been training with Kailub Russell close by here, riding a lot of sand, and it's really nice to see that work pay off.”

AM Race Results (top 20):

Photo Credit: Mack Faint