Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series announce riders including Steward Baylor set to compete in the Japanese JNCC season finale on November 10, at the Takafuji Ski Resort in Yamanochi Japan.

Steward Baylor and mike Witkowski will be among the exchange programme riders switching GNCC for JNCC at the final Japanese Cross Country round of the 2024 season.

Marking its 30th anniversary and standing as the event at the creation of the JNCC series – much like the Blackwater 100 marked GNCC’s beginnings – GNCC and the AMA will send riders to the X-JAM Takafuji Ski Resort in Nagano Prefecture to ride alongside the Japanese series’ boys and girls this November.

To help celebrate the AAGP event’s anniversary, Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki’s Steward Baylor and Phoenix Racing Honda’s Mike Witkowski, as well as 250 A class champion turned XC2 250 Pro racer Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Nick DeFeo will all race the Pro classes.

Also from the GNCC Racing staff, Race Operations Manager Jared Bolton and Trail Captain Colby Stiles will escort the GNCC riders to Japan. Both Bolton and Stiles will take part in the FUN-GP morning amateur race aboard a KTM 250EXC and a Husqvarna FC350 thanks to the JNCC Series and Japan’s top KTM Dealer, Basist Auto.

Baylor competed last year and goes again in the exchange which traditionally sees a couple of Japanese riders contest a GNCC round. Witkowski and DeFeo follow GNCC racers such as Paul Whibley, Robbie Jenks, Jason Raines, Charlie Mullins, Rodney Smith, Thad Duvall, Josh Strang, Kailub Russell, Jordan Ashburn and Craig Delong in being selected to represent GNCC Racing in Japan.

JNCC President Masami Hoshino invites GNCC riders to the season finale in exchange for Japanese riders competing the US series earlier this year. Keita Watanabe and Kazuhiro Yoshizaki travelled to West Virginia and raced at The Mountaineer GNCC in September where Watanabe finished sixth in the FMF XC3 class, after grabbing the FMF XC3 holeshot award, and Yoshizaki took the win in the Sportsman B (40+) class.

GNCC thank Yoshi Kawana for continuing to help the GNCC Racing Nation as their tour guide throughout the trip. 

Photo Credit: Ken Hill | GNCC Racing