The man himself was there for the unveiling, too. I was in Indiana after being invited by KTM to race its new 300 XC and to participate at the in-person reveal of the 2023 350 XC-F Factory Edition, sometimes referred to as the Kailub Russell Edition. Dust and silt? As a SoCal desert boy, I felt hopeful. Clear skies and unseasonably dry weather dried out the Indiana cornfields, which created silty, dusty conditions in the surrounding wooded terrain. This year, however, conditions couldn’t have been more different.
This was my second GNCC experience, and I was admittedly a bit nervous, considering all I’ve heard are the war stories from last year’s mudder event. The Ironman National track isn’t even visible until you’re on it and waist-deep in the action. After navigating through the thousands of trailers and RVs, you must then play chicken with the motorcycles, bikes, quads, Groms, Surrons, golf carts, side-by-sides, and everything in between just to get to sign-ups. It looks like part music festival and part motorcycle race. On arrival, I was shocked to see the event’s sheer size. And the season finale at Ironman Raceway is above and beyond the top of that. The GNCC scene is unlike anything I’ve been a part of. Oil injection is gone, so premixing fuel is back. KTM’s new XC two-strokes feature a new fuel-injection system and an electronic powervalve. After a few choice words and my tail tucked between my legs, I had to come up with a new angle. I had this entire story written in my head as the winner as I completed the two-hour morning race, but I was reluctantly forced to make some revisions upon seeing my result.
Photography by Frances Montero and Mack FaintĮver been totally convinced you were leading a race, only to cross the finish line and be met by feelings of disappointment, frustration, and confusion-as well as the real winner of the race? This happened to me while racing last month’s Ironman GNCC. The 2023 KTM 300 XC in its element-which is pretty much all elements. We take on the Ironman GNCC aboard KTM’s all-new 300 XC.
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