By Debbie Allen

Big Buck riders lucked out for the fourth round of the Grand National Cross Country Amateurs’ Series. The late night showers subdued all threats of dust and by early morning, everyone was raring to go in Union, South Carolina. To make matters even sweeter, the rain held back to allow the PM racers to take full advantage of a not so dreary race, giving the top amateurs a chance to gain some ground on an already tight competition.

Jeremy Bowman in 250 A.

Scott McClure got the Big Buck top amateur honors. Racing his KX250F in 4 Stroke Lites A class, he finished first, making seven laps while Kailub Russell and Jeremy Bowman [24] chalked up another win in their classes and completed the amateur podium. It’s understood that Russell has mastered the KTM, while Bowman maneuvers quite well on an Andrew’s Cycles / MX Tech / FMF / Moose / Scott backed Kawasaki. They were full throttle, wide open for the entire race. Once they got the lead, all three never looked back because they simply checked out.

Bowman said, “It could have been better because I fell a few times, but I just kept charging the whole time. Next week in Tennessee is for sure going to be a better week. I have plans to see big things happen.”

After a few falls, Bowman moved into the 250 A winner’s circle on his third lap and simply kept moving. He picked the best lines and stayed out front for the remaining four laps. On the last lap, Cory Buttrick, maneuvered into Bowman’s pace for a second place finish in the 250 A class. Like Russell [37], their row was pretty far back, so they had to move through quite a few A riders to make the top three positions in the amateur status.

Things continued to look pretty good for the top amateurs. Motorex / Powersports GrafX/ KTM Part Equipment / KTM Hard Parts / Enduro Engineering supported Russell got the holeshot and had a trouble free ride. His class was the sixth row to leave the starting line, but that did not stop him from getting second place in the amateur’s finish, making this his fourth win for the season.

“Even though it rained all last night,” said Russell, “the track was awesome. It was perfect. I really liked it because my Maxxis Si’s gripped into a track that tacked up real nice!”

Ben Bouwens took the Morning Race Overall over Geico/TDI Yamaha rider Duane Conner. Third overall went to Super Senior A winner Terry Hughes.

Racing strong in the women’s class was Amanda Mastin. She too is four for four on wins thus far this season. While her best overall finish was thirteenth place at Steele Creek, she still made some impressive moves racing her Geico/TDI backed Yamaha into thirtieth place overall.

“The first lap was really good,” said Mastin. “There was still water on the ground, but then it started to get worse as the race went on. It got to be a little rough, but I think everyone was out there having fun.”

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