KELLEY TAKES
WILD BOAR
Words by Steph Vetterly Photos by Shan Moore
MARCH 7 , 2021
Heralded as one of the most popular , albeit toughest , races in the GNCC circuit , the series returned to Hog Waller ’ s Mud BOG & ATV for the 7th annual Moose Racing Wild Boar GNCC in Palatka , Florida . The course saw some rain prior to the event , turning parts of the 14-mile course into deep mud holes , large enough to hide a five-foot gator ( found by spectators the Thursday before the event ). The normal sandy terrain was slightly hard-packed , making for some rough riding for some 1,178 racers .
The day started with the # 3 plate of Magna1 Motorsports Husqvarna ’ s Jordan Ashburn taking the All Balls Hot Cams Holeshot award in the XC1 Pro class , battling closely with Coastal GasGas Factory Racing ’ s Ricky Russell . Shortly after the first turn , Russell was able to overtake
Ashburn for the lead . FMF KTM Factory Racing ’ s Ben Kelley started out strong , leaving the first turn in a top-three position alongside Ashburn and Russell , but ended up going down within the first five miles of the course , losing several positions in the process .
“ About mile four of the first lap it was mayhem ,” said Kelley . “ Lines everywhere , mud , ruts . Stuff was crazy . All of us were just weaving , taking different lines . Josh [ Toth ] went through a ditch , and I launched it and crashed into the back of him , so that set me back to seventh or so . I was a little frustrated , but I just kind of forgot about it , and I knew it was going to be a long , super tiring race . So I just kept a steady pace . I just slowly worked my way through the pack until I got into first .”
Coming back from injuries sustained in the opening round of the US
VOL . 6 ISSUE 4 - APRIL 2021 // PAGE 49