Phoenix Racing Honda left the November 8 Buckwheat 100 in Newburg, West Virginia, with two championships. Jordan Ashburn secured the GNCC overall title and Angus Riordan took XC2 250 Pro, the series confirmed in its season-finale report. [1]
Sixth was enough for Ashburn
Ashburn finished sixth overall. The victory went to AmPro Yamaha's Kailub Russell, whose 70th career overall GNCC win supplied a separate milestone. Liam Draper and Grant Davis completed the overall podium, followed by Michael Witkowski and Craig Delong. [1]
The team release published by Racer X puts Ashburn on 217 points, just one ahead of Draper. Phoenix says his late-season shoulder injury complicated the run-in, while earlier victories at The Dukes and The Old Gray helped build his championship campaign. It is his second national title, following 2022. [2]
Riordan finishes with the class win
Riordan won XC2 at the finale ahead of Toby Cleveland and Jason Tino. The class victory also settled his championship, giving Phoenix a second reason to celebrate on the same afternoon. [1]
Phoenix reports six wins for Riordan across the season and a final XC2 total of 281 points, 12 ahead of Jhak Walker. The release identifies this as Riordan's first GNCC Pro national championship. [2]
A Honda milestone, attributed to the team
According to Phoenix, this is Honda's first simultaneous championship success in the two pro classes. The team also describes Ashburn's crown as Honda's first premier-class title since Scott Summers in 1997, and Riordan's as its first XC2 title since Trevor Bollinger in 2016. Those historical comparisons are the team's claims, rather than a separate WrenchMoto archive audit. [2]
What the finale tells us
WrenchMoto take: The useful distinction is between winning the afternoon and winning the year. Honda's double does not mean Honda swept the overall race. Keeping the race result alongside the championship result makes this finish more interesting, not less: one rider needed enough points to close the season, while his teammate closed it with a class victory. A title story should preserve both achievements without turning either into a claim about outright speed that the finishing order cannot support.
Sources & race information
- Buckwheat 100 GNCC motorcycle finale, Newburg, West Virginia: (completed).
- GNCC: Buckwheat 100 motorcycle race report — published .
- Phoenix Racing Honda championship press release, via Racer X — published .
Sources checked Nov 11, 2026 (UTC). GNCC confirms the finale results and championships. Season totals and historical comparisons come from the Phoenix Racing Honda release published by Racer X. Sources checked November 11, 2026.