FMF Makita Suzuki Celebrates Josh Strang's GNCC XC1 Championship

Brea, Calif. – October 29, 2010 –
The FMF Makita Suzuki team has had a fantastic 2010 GNCC season, and
with the newly crowned Champion Josh Strang at the helm of the team,
it's cause for celebration. The 22-year-old Australian worked very hard
this season to prove that his FMF Makita Suzuki fuel-injected RM-Z450
was the bike to beat, and he showed the entire class that he is as fast
and talented as he is determined and focused on winning. In 2008, Josh
finished third overall in the XC1 class, and he followed that up with
second place in 2009. Josh continued his upward trajectory to take the
championship in 2010, the first of his career.


The season started off the last weekend of February at River Ranch in
Lake Wales, Florida, where the series set the tone by having very fast
racing on an extremely challenging course. Josh was also intent on
setting the tone for the season aboard his FMF Makita Suzuki RM-Z450,
and after three hours of intense racing he crossed the finish line
first. Though Josh started at the back of the pack, he used the power
and handling of his Suzuki to take him to the front of the pack.


The second stop on the GNCC circuit was at the Maxxis General in
Washington, Georgia on March 7th. Josh and his FMF Makita Suzuki
RM-Z450 were dialed in already with one win, and they had the drive and
focus to make it two in a row. "I've worked hard for this and it feels
good," said Strang. "And to get two wins is great. I got a good start,
perhaps the best start I've ever got on the 450, and I rode well." Team
Manager Mike Webb was also very happy with Josh's performance on the
racecourse. "This is a great way to start the season," Webb said. "Josh
and the entire crew have put a lot of long hours to be ready and
winning the first two is proof of that. It’s a long season, though, and
we just need to keep our head down and stay focused.”


Focus is exactly what Josh did at Round 3 of the series at Steele Creek
in Morganton, North Carolina, on March 21st. Despite being pressured
the entire race by another race, Strang was determined to finish the
race first. Right off the start, he took the holeshot, and not even the
torrential downpour of rain could pull Josh's focus away from the
checkered flag. After a shortened race due to the racecourse
deteriorating from the wild weather, Josh was deemed the winner with an
11-second lead. “I led every lap and was comfortable with the
conditions,” said Strang. “I’m very happy with the way things turned
out.”


Josh continued his winning streak at Round 4 of the GNCC circuit at the
Big Buck race in Union, South Carolina, on April 11th. Furthering his
commanding points lead in the XC1 Pro class, Strang won his fourth race
in a row, this time aboard his powerful and impressive 2010 Suzuki
fuel-injected RM-Z450. The three-hour race was a bit of a dust storm,
but Josh used his racing skill and strategic thinking to get around
competitors to put him in a prime position to take the lead. He did
indeed take over the lead during the long and dusty race, and even put
20 seconds between himself and second place. "Four in a row is awesome!
I'm super happy with that," said Strang. "This was a tough one, and it
was a little stressful during the first lap, because of the dust. The
conditions were definitely difficult today, but I just raced my own
race. I just kept going and made some passes, and then when I got in
the lead I was able to push a little harder to make sure I stayed
there."


At the legendary Loretta Lynn's track, Round 5 of the GNCC series took
off at the end of April. Josh had won every race so far in the season,
but this race was to be a little different. Strang lead for nearly half
the race and battle with one racer the entire time. With heavy rains
making the track a true challenge, Josh raced to the finish and came in
second. With his consistent string of podium finishes, Josh was now 37
points ahead in the race to the championship. "That was a great battle
today," Team Manager Mike Webb said, "but we came up a bit short. The
goal is the championship, and Josh just keeps padding his lead and
that’s what we need."


The Yadkinville Valley Stomp was a change of pace for Strang. Round 6
of the schedule proved to be a tough one for the FMF Makita Suzuki
team, and Josh finished off the podium in ninth place. He grabbed his
second holeshot of the season, but a second-lap crash set him back. “I
landed a bit off the line and clipped a tree,” said Strang. “When I
grabbed the bars again, I grabbed a handful of throttle and it sent me
right into another tree.” Both bike and rider sustained some minor
bumps and bruises, but came away from the crash without suffering any
major damage.


After a pit stop to repair his bike, Strang set back out on the course
to earn as many points as possible toward the championship. "I'm really
proud of Josh today," Team Manager Mike Webb said. "You win
championships on your worst day, and he gave it everything today."


At the halfway point of the GNCC season, Strang still had the lead in
the series. Round 7 at Moose Mountain in Somerset, PA, in May was yet
another tough battle for Josh. He had a strong start to the race, where
he ran as far up as third place, but a second-lap fall due to the mud
on the course pushed him back in the standings. He battled his way back
up to seventh place. "I got a good start, and my RM-Z was running
really well," said Strang. "I crashed at the start of the second lap,
and had a few more after that. It just wasn’t a very good race for me."
Despite the set back, Josh still had a hold on the points lead for the
championship.


Round 8 of the series took place in Millfield, Ohio, on June 6th at the
John Penton GNCC. Once again, heavy rains made the track tough to
navigate and the race was even pushed back an hour to allow it to dry a
bit before the race. Josh didn't get the start he wanted, but by lap
two he was in the groove and moving up the ranks. He put himself back
on the podium at the end of the race thanks to the power and handling
of his RM-Z450, and his second-place finish gave him a 20-point lead in
the series.


The final race before the summer break, the Snowshoe GNCC race was yet
another battle to the finish for Josh and the FMF Makita Suzuki team.
The weather of Snowshoe, West Virginia, at the end of June was more
than the young racer was accustomed to, and it showed in Josh's results
as he finished sixth. "It was a tough race for me," said Strang. "My
bike handled great, but I just wasn’t used to the heat and humidity."
Josh still held onto the series points lead at the end of the day with
17 more points than the next closest racer, and he was hoping to better
his results after the summer break in racing.


After more than two months off to test bike setup and recuperate from
the tough start to the season, the GNCC series resumed with Round 10 at
Unadilla in New Berlin, NY, on September 12. Josh and his FMF Makita
Suzuki RM-Z450 were primed to get back to GNCC racing, and they battled
throughout the three-hour event. Strang finished the day in fourth
place and earned more valuable points toward the championship,
extending his lead by 24. "I actually picked up a few points and my
bike was awesome," Strang said after the race. "The testing we did the
last few weeks, we got the thing dialed in, so I'm pretty stoked about
that. It's a bummer not to get on the podium but I'm still in good
shape for the championship."

The
Titan GNCC was where Strang regained his rightful place on the podium:
the top. Round 11 in Lafayette, TN, on September 26 was Josh's return
to form. He and his RM-Z450 were fast, relentless, and focused on
winning, taking the checkered flag with just one second over the
second-place rider. The three-hour race was a grueling test of both man
and machine, and Josh ran into trouble partway through the race when a
collision with a lapped rider dropped him out of the lead. After
getting back up, Josh opened the throttle on his RM-Z450 to quickly
retake the lead and extend his grip on the 2010 championship to 28
points. "That was a battle today,” said team manager Mike Webb. "We
worked hard during the week and today Josh made it happen. We are just
going to keep pushing all the way to the end!"


With a strong finish, it was possible for Josh Strang and his FMF
Makita Suzuki fuel-injected RM-Z450 to take the 2010 GNCC XC1 title at
the 12th round of racing at Power Line Park in St. Clairsville, Ohio.
The duo was prepared to take on the competition and hungry for a podium
finish, but they definitely kept everyone in suspense at the start.
With a last-place take off from the starting line, Josh and his RM-Z450
had their work cut out for them. They spent the first two laps fighting
their way to fourth place, where they stayed until the checkered flag
dropped. Strang had to finish ahead of his next closest rival in the
points chase to secure the 2010 GNCC title, which is exactly what he
did. Josh's fourth-place finish secured him as the 2010 GNCC Champion,
the first title of his young career. "This was the toughest race of my
life," said Strang. "I didn't get the start I usually get, I couldn't
find my rhythm. I finally just put my head down and rode as hard as I
could. It was a heck of a race and it's incredible to win the title!"

 

The Ironman in Crawfordsville, Indiana, was host to Round 13 of the
GNCC series. With the championship wrapped up, Josh and the FMF Makita
Suzuki team were hoping to put one last podium effort together to cap
off the 2010 season. Josh led for a good portion of the dry and dusty
race, but eventually his bike succumbed to the extreme dust with a
clogged air filter. "I wish it hadn’t ended like that, but I was in the
lead and that felt good," said Strang. “It was a pretty good season
overall, and I’m happy that I got the championship!”


Josh Strang's 2010 GNCC XC1 Championship was a great way to celebrate
Suzuki's 50th year of racing in America. After a year full of great
racing, Strang is now relaxing before preparations begin for the 2011
GNCC series, where his bike will be sporting the No. 1 plate.
Congratulations to Josh and the entire FMF Makita Suzuki crew for their
championship effort!

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