Pirelli Riders Dominate the Opening Round of GNCC

Nick DeFeo, Josh Toth, and Rachael Archer lead the charge and make history at the opening round of GNCC in Union, South Carolina

ATLANTA, GA – February 19, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – The 2025 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series kicked off this weekend in Union, South Carolina, and Pirelli riders Nick DeFeo, Josh Toth, and Rachael Archer wasted no time making history. The Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki team delivered historic performances as the XC2 racers swept the overall podium for the first time in GNCC’s 50-year history–an unprecedented achievement made possible by the superior grip of the Pirelli SCORPION MX and XC tire range.DeFeo won the race on the SCORPION MX32 Mid soft 80/100-21 front and the new 120/90-18 SCORPION MX Soft.

XC2 rookie Nick DeFeo led the charge, winning the class and securing his spot on the podium with a historic overall win. His teammate Josh Toth followed closely behind, finishing second and adding another historic podium finish for the team. Rachael Archeralso dominated the WXC class, setting the tone for her title defense with a first-place finish by over nine minutes.

“I don’t even know what to think right now,” said DeFeo. “I just kept telling myself, ‘You can do this, keep pushing.’ I felt great and the bike worked amazing out there.”

“I’m stoked on the day,” said Toth. “I knew we were riding good and had passed a lot of the XC1 guys, but had no idea we were leading. It was gnarly out there and definitely not easy, but I’m happy with my ride.”

In his big bike debut, Caleb Wood won the 4-stroke A Lites class, finishing 16 minutes ahead of the competition. Logan Reninger also had an impressive performance, winning the Open B class by 22 minutes, further highlighting Pirelli’s performance in challenging terrain. Stew Baylor faced a difficult day due to bike issues but stayed positive, applauding the team’s dominant performance and focusing on the next round.

“This weekend was a huge accomplishment for the Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki team and Pirelli,” said Josh Whitmire, Director of Sales, Pirelli Tires. “To see Pirelli back at GNCC on top of the podium is an incredible achievement and a new beginning to showcase the winning performance of our SCORPION MX and XC range. Round 1 marked the first time the NEW SCORPION MX Soft 120/90-18 was used in competition, so it was a special win.”

Pirelli also saw strong performances from Team Palmer Motorsports’ Lyndon Snodgrass, who finished second in the XC1 class, while Enduro Engineering’s Shelby Turner secured second place overall in the WXC class.

The Pirelli SCORPION MX and XC tire range once again proved why it is the tire choice of GNCC champions. It provides unmatched traction, stability, and performance in varying terrain. Its advanced tread design and durability allow riders to maintain control and confidence in muddy conditions, ensuring optimal grip and performance throughout the race.

The GNCC season is just starting, and Pirelli is ready for more podiums and victories. GNCC continues with Round 2, the Wild Boar GNCC in Palatka, Florida, where the Pirelli-backed riders aim to keep the momentum going.

ABOUT PIRELLI

Pirelli was founded in Milan in 1872 and today stands as a global brand known for its cutting edge technology, high-end production excellence and passion for innovation that draws heavily on its Italian roots. With around 30,000 employees, Pirelli is a major player in the tire industry and the only global player focused solely on the consumer tire market, which includes tires for cars, motorcycles and bicycles. In particular, Pirelli is a global leader in the production of racing and high performance motorcycle tires both for on and off road applications. Pirelli has a long link with motorsport and the multitude of successes include a record of seventy-two world titles gained in the FIM Motocross World Championship thanks to the performance of its mx product range. In road-racing, since 2004 Pirelli has made the FIM Superbike World Championship for production-based motorcycles the ideal proving ground to develop not only the products used in competition, but also tires used daily by motorcyclists all over the world. Inspired by the philosophy now become a motto “We sell what we race, we race what we sell”, Pirelli has managed to bring to fruition all the experience acquired in this championship, applying some of the patents and materials developed for racing activity to the product portfolio dedicated to road use.

Source: Pirelli 

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