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Historic Day for Kawasaki at Big Buck GNCC
UNION, S.C. (February 17, 2025) - The opening round of the 2025 Progressive Insurance Grand National Cross Country Series was much anticipated as the VP Racing Big Buck GNCC in Union, South Carolina brought a new season and new opportunity to grab the series by the horns (or antlers). The day started with a brief thunderstorm and rain, but the weather and mud couldn't stop the riders on Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green™ from starting the season on top of the podium.
The reigning GNCC 250 A Class Champion, Nick DeFeo is a rookie in the XC2 Pro class, but he didn't ride like one. The 19-year-old took control of the class early, pulling the holeshot on his KX™250X and leading the pack into the woods. Within two laps, DeFeo had caught the XC1 Pro leaders on adjusted time, but that wasn't good enough. He proceeded to physically pass them all and pull away, winning the overall by over three minutes. It's the first time in the 50-year history that an XC2 rider has crossed the finish line first. "I don't even know what to think right now. I just kept telling myself, 'You can do this, keep pushing'. I felt great and the bike worked amazing out there," said DeFeo.
As if one historic achievement wasn't enough, two were witnessed at Big Buck, with Kawasaki riders taking the top two overall spots on the weekend. DeFeo’s teammate, Josh Toth, who also races the XC2 Pro class, was physically second to cross the finish line, over a minute ahead of first place in the XC1 Pro class. Including third place, it was an XC2 sweep on the overall podium, a series first. "I'm stoked on the day. I knew we were riding well and had passed a lot of the XC1 guys, but I had no idea we were leading. It was gnarly out there and definitely not easy, but I'm happy with my ride," said Toth.
Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki had more wins in their hat at Big Buck. Rachael Archer won the WXC class in dominant fashion, crossing the finish over nine minutes ahead of second place. Caleb Wood won the 4-Stroke A Lites class by 16 minutes in his big bike debut and Logan Renninger won the Open B class by 22 minutes, capping off an impressive day for Kawasaki.
The team's XC1 Pro racer, Steward Baylor, didn't have the best of days with a mechanical issue, but remains upbeat. "The track was gnarly out there. My bike overheated, but fortunately, a lot of other guys did too, so the points deficit isn't as bad as it could be. Even though I didn't win, the team still won! Nick, Josh, Rachael, Caleb, and Logan dominated for our team. I'm stoked on the weekend overall and ready to dig myself out of this hole."
The Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki team will get back to racing in two weeks at the Wild Boar GNCC in Palatka, Florida.