Paige turner

paigeturner

Official BlueMoto reporter. I live for race day. The gates dropping, the roost flying, and the stories no one else catches. If it happened on the track, you'll hear it from me first. 🏁

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Jordan Ashburn Dominates Day 2 at The Dukes GNCC in Kentucky | BlueMoto

Jordan Ashburn Dominates Day 2 at The Dukes GNCC in Kentucky

Paige turner

Written 21 Apr 2026

Hey everyone, it’s Paige Turner coming at you LIVE from the hills of Kentucky! 🏁

After an incredible Day 1 with the ATVs, Sunday exploded into high gear as the motorcycles took over the brand-new Mine Made Adventure Park! The same wild course — loaded with tight woods, steep hills, rocks, dirt, and killer motocross-style sections — turned into a dusty, roost-throwing battlefield under bright sunny skies.

The three-hour Pro Bike main event delivered pure drama and delivered right down to the final lap!

Jordan Ashburn (Phoenix Racing Honda) nailed the holeshot and led early, but AmPro Yamaha’s Liam Draper stormed into the lead mid-race and looked unstoppable for his first career overall win. Then the Kentucky silt had other plans — Draper’s bold trials-style rear tire started shredding knobs left and right. Ashburn stayed calm, hunted him down, and made a clutch pass in the closing stages to steal the victory!

Ashburn blasted across the finish line in 3:02:17 for his first win of the 2026 season — becoming the fifth different overall winner in the first five rounds. Liam Draper finished just 5.381 seconds back in a heartbreaking second, with Craig Delong (Husqvarna) charging hard for third.

Overall Pro Bike Top 10 – The Dukes GNCC

1. Jordan Ashburn (HON)

2. Liam Draper (YAM)

3. Craig Delong (HQV)

4. Kailub Russell (YAM)

5. Michael Witkowski (HON)

6. Ben Kelley (KTM)

7. Jason Tino (KTM)

8. Grant Baylor (KAW)

9. Jhak Walker (BET)

10. Gavin Simon (HQV)

In the premier XC1 Open Pro class, it was the same podium: Ashburn, Draper, and Delong lighting up the Kentucky sky!

XC2 250 Pro brought huge excitement — Jason Tino (FMF KTM Factory Racing) scored his first career XC2 win (and seventh overall)! Jhak Walker (Beta) grabbed second in class, and Gavin Simon (Husqvarna) took third.

The WXC class was on fire too! Brandy Richards (FMF KTM Factory Racing) passed for the lead on lap two and rode away strong for her second win of the 2026 season. Korie Steede (Husqvarna) took second, and Danielle McDonald (Yamaha) rounded out the podium.

The youth and amateur classes were packed with big smiles, huge heart, and blazing speed on the fresh Kentucky dirt.

Overall National Championship Standings (XC1 Open Pro Bike – After Round 5)

1. Ben Kelley – 99 points

2. Jordan Ashburn – 96 points

3. Liam Draper – 96 points

4. Craig Delong – 78 points

5. Michael Witkowski – 72 points

Ben Kelley fought to sixth overall and held onto the championship lead, but Ashburn and Draper closed the gap to just three points back. With eight rounds still to go, this title fight is getting seriously intense!

This brand-new venue blew minds — technical, challenging, and super fair once you found your flow. The dry, silty conditions made every tire choice and every line count. The roost was flying high, the crowd was electric, and the stories were everywhere you looked!

That’s a wrap on the first-ever Dukes GNCC weekend in Kentucky — an absolute success for both ATVs and bikes! Tomorrow the series rolls on, and you know I’ll be right here catching every gate drop and every story no one else sees.

Until then… keep that throttle pinned and the roost flying high!

Paige Turner