FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Kailub Russell has strengthened his championship lead following a convincing victory at round 11 of the Amsoil Grand National Cross-Country (GNCC) series in Morgantown, USA.

Russell earned his eighth win of the season, increasing his points lead to 50 while providing himself with a comfortable buffer as the series heads into the penultimate round.

MCS Racing Suzuki’s Ricky Russell maintained the lead early on, however a costly mistake saw him slip down the order, allowing SRT KTM’s Cory Buttrick to control the race.

Thad Duvall (ATV*MC KR4 Arrive-N-Ride) followed Kailub Russell in third before both riders overcame Buttrick to sit 1-2. As the pair entered the closing stages of the race, Duvall would run into a setup issue which denied him the chance of maintaining Russell’s pace, forcing him to settle for second.

Ricky Russell recovered from his early mistake to complete the podium in third, 25 seconds behind Duvall. Rounding out the overall top five was SRT KTM’s Steward Baylor Jr and JCR Honda’s Trevor Bollinger, who was also awarded the XC2 Lites win.

Australia’s Josh Strang (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) endured a disastrous day, finishing back in 28th position. He currently holds second in the points standings, however his title chances are slim after losing valuable points.

Round 12 of the series is scheduled to take place this weekend in Ohio.