Kailub Russell, the eight-time Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) XC1 Overall Champion, is preparing a resurgence for the 2025 season. Russell retired from off-road racing after catching his eight-straight crown in 2020, and after that tried to race Pro Motocross in 2021. Ever since, he has actually transitioned into a full-time fitness instructor for KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas off-road factory riders, basing their work at his centers in Florida and North Carolina. Those racers have actually experienced a lot of success given that, with Ben Kelley, Craig Delong and Johnny Girrior scoring GNCC Overall Championships.
We have actually now heard that Russell, 34, desires to make a return in GNCC racing full-time for 2025. That return will not occur aboard KTM motorbikes, as reports throughout the summer season have actually connected him to a brand-new offer with Yamaha.
With December 1 most likely being completion of his present agreement term, KTM has actually now provided a news release thanking Russell for his years of service to the brand name. Russell raced KTMs through almost his whole profession, dating all the method back to GNCC Youth Titles on minicycles, and 2 XC2 (250 class) GNCC Championships also.
Russell is likewise the very first rider in history to win both the GNCC and AMA National Enduro Championships in the exact same season.
Kailub Russell after ending up being the winningest rider in GNCC history. KTM Images
Russell winning his last GNCC title in 2020. KTM Images
We now wait on word from Russell and Yamaha on a coming offer to go back to racing in 2025. The hard-core bench racing in off-road circles will start. Can Russell go back to GNCC after 3 seasons away and still win?
KTM's news release is listed below.
MURRIETA, Calif.– KTM North America, Inc. extends its thanks to Kailub Russell following an extremely effective collaboration over more than a years including his whole expert racing profession, which most just recently has actually consisted of training the group's offroad riders at his Ranch Russell centers in North Carolina and Florida.
As part of the FMF KTM Factory Racing Team through his famous racing profession, Russell accumulated a record eight-consecutive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series Overall Championships in between 2013 and 2020 previous to hanging up his helmet from full-time offroad competitors at that point of his profession.
Russell accomplished 67 GNCC Overall success, which likewise stands as a record in the prominent U.S. series, and he has 2 GNCC XC2 250 Pro Class Championships that he won in 2009 and 2010. In addition, the now 34-year-old declared an AMA National Enduro Championship in 2015 and is a three-time Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series Champion from 2015, 2019 and 2020.
On a global scale, Russell has actually two times formed part of Team USA's winning World Trophy Team effort at the FIM 6DAYS (International Six-Days Enduro), consisting of the 2016 and 2019 editions. All of his champions came onboard KTM equipment,
