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Back-to-Back Wins for Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green Rider Nick DeFeo
One week after opening the 2026 season with podiums in each pro class of the American National Enduro Championship, Rocky Mountain Red Bear Kawasaki Team Green™ riders once again earned top honors at the opening round of the Grand National Cross Country series in Union, South Carolina.
As a storm moved through overnight Saturday, riders were greeted Sunday morning with a soaked and challenging course. Persistent rain throughout the day created extremely difficult track conditions, with riders and bikes blanketed in mud, reducing visibility and placing added demands on both the machines and the teams.
Nick DeFeo, aboard his KX™250X, stole the headlines again after making GNCC history at the opening round last year in similar conditions. DeFeo eased into the first two laps of the race by following closely in second place. On Lap 3, he made his move to the front of the class and wasted no time charging through the rain and mud to ultimately spend the majority of the remaining laps in the overall lead. The deteriorating track would catch DeFeo on the final lap, taking him out of contention for the back-to-back outright win. Still, he held enough of a gap to win the XC2 Class by nearly a minute.
Starting in the front row, Steward Baylor had a less-than-ideal start, scanning in at 12th place after the first lap. Baylor found his momentum and started working his way through the field. He clicked off positions one by one and altered his pit strategy to come in early. This decision helped him power past his competitors as they stopped the following lap, moving him all the way to third place. Unable to make up the one-minute time difference to move him onto the overall podium, Baylor would settle for a solid third-place finish in the XC1 Class and fourth overall on the day.
Teammate Josh Toth took home ninth place in the XC1 Class. Toth faced adversity throughout the day, dealing with crashes through the difficult conditions and continuing to recover from a broken femur sustained last season. Despite his limited time on the bike prior to the season, he powered through the day to salvage a Top 10 finish.
The team will head south to Palatka, Florida next for the Wild Boar GNCC on March 1.
