What do you get when you combine Malcolm Smith Racing with GNCC powerhouses Coastal Racing and N-Fab AmPro Yamaha? Championships! Run by long-time MSR athlete and 8-time GNCC champ Barry Hawk, the Coastal Racing team returns to ATV racing and adds to its motorcycle effort for 2016. The N-Fab/AmPro/Yamaha squad is headed by 7-time AMA National Enduro champ/13-time ISDE gold medalist Randy Hawkins, and returns with 2015 GNCC XC1 runner-up Grant Baylor.
“Malcolm Smith Racing is totally committed to GNCC this season,” says MSR Brand Manager Brent Harden. “Not only are Barry Hawk and Randy Hawkins members of the MSR family, they are building the next generation of champions. They embody the values and passion for motorcycle competition that Malcolm Smith founded this company on.”
Headlining Coastal Racing’s new two-wheeled effort is the first and only American to win the ISDE overall, Ryan Sipes. The gold medalist is going for the GNCC XC1 Pro Championship on a Husqvarna FC350. In addition to his recent ISDE achievements, Sipes finished 6th overall in the 2015 GNCC series, including five podium finishes. Fellow ISDE competitor Layne Michael joins Sipes on a Husqvarna FC250 in the XC2 Pro Lites Class. In 2015, Michael had three XC2 podiums before a wrist injury forced him out.
The Coastal Racing team also includes Pennsylvania’s Craig DeLong in the XC2 Pro Lites Class on a Husqvarna TC250. DeLong earned the GNCC’s Top Amateur Award in 2014, along with a 250 A Championship, and finished 4th overall in his XC2 debut season. On the ATV side, 2013 XC2 champ Brycen Neal is going for the XC1 Pro Championship aboard a Yamaha-supported YFZ450R.
N-Fab/AmPro/Yamaha riders include 2x GNCC X2 champ Grant Baylor racing a YZ450FX in both GNCC XC1 and AMA National Enduros; Daniel Milner (defending Australian Four-Day Enduro Champion) will also race a YZ450FX in both GNCC XC1 and Kenda Full Gas Sprint Enduro competition; Nick Davis on a YZ250FX in both GNCC XC2 and AMA National Enduro for 2016.
“Malcolm founded MSR based on gold medal performance,” says Harden. “However the Coastal Racing and N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha teams really take it up another level. We are proud to honor Malcolm’s legacy by supporting the next generation of off-road racing champions.”
Look for MSR riders at the top of the podium when the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series kicks off with the Wild Boar GNCC in Palatka, FL, on March 5-6.
