Phoenix Racing Yamaha Opens 2026 GNCC ATV Season with Dominant Victory at Big Buck

Phoenix Racing Yamaha Opens 2026 GNCC ATV Season with Dominant Victory at Big Buck

Phoenix Racing Yamaha kicked off the 2026 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC)

Series in commanding fashion at the VP Racing Fuels Big Buck GNCC in Union, South

Carolina. With sunshine and warmer-than-usual February temperatures greeting the

field, the team delivered a statement performance in the XC1 Pro class to open the

year.

Big Buck is known for offering a little bit of everything: tight Carolina woods, fast open

sections, elevation changes, and technical creek crossings…and this year’s edition

was no different. The near-perfect track conditions created an ideal environment for

racing, and Phoenix Racing Yamaha capitalized from the moment the green flag flew.

Brycen Neal Leads Wire-to-Wire for Overall Victory

When the XC1 Pro class launched off the line, Brycen Neal executed exactly as

planned, grabbing the $250 Holeshot Award and immediately putting his Phoenix

Racing Yamaha YFZ450R out front. Early pressure came from Wyatt Wilkin, but Neal

responded quickly and controlled the pace for the remainder of the race.

From there, it was a textbook performance that we’ve become accustomed to from the

four-time champion. Neal managed the three-hour event with precision, handling Big

Buck with confidence and maintaining his position at the front all afternoon to secure

the first overall win of the 2026 season.

“We started the day strong with a holeshot and headed into the woods on a nearperfect

track. The Phoenix Racing ATV Yamaha was superb all day, and we had an

absolute blast out there. The course had a little bit of everything with fast sections, tight

woods, great hill climbs, long ridges, and even creek crossings. I was really enjoying it.

It feels great to lead the race wire-to-wire and bring home the win at the opener,

starting the season off strong. I’m really proud of the entire team and already looking

forward to Round 2.” – Brycen Neal

Neal’s dominant ride places him right where he finished off 2025, on top of the

championship standings and immediately establishes his vision of replacing the title

“four-time champion” with “five-time champion”.

John Glauda Charges Through the Field for Top-Five Finish

John Glauda faced early adversity but turned it into one of the strongest comeback

rides of the day. Starting near the back of the XC1 field, Glauda methodically worked

his way forward through the pack. A mid-race incident with the surroundings of the

course, namely a tree, gave him an extra obstacle to overcome in an action-packed

opening round. Despite the setbacks, Glauda kept his composure and continued

pushing. A last-lap pass secured fifth overall and fifth in XC1.

“I started second to last and worked my way through the pack early on. At one point, a

vine got kicked up and wrapped around my front end, so I had to pass the same riders

multiple times. Later, I clipped a tree and had to make those passes all over again. The

speed was there; I just need to clean a few things up. I made a last-lap pass for P5. It’s

my best Round 1 finish in the last couple of years, so I can’t be too upset.” – John

Glauda

Glauda’s resilience highlighted both his fitness and the durability of the Phoenix Racing

Yamaha equipment in demanding conditions.

Grayson Eller Looks for Redemption at Round Two

Grayson Eller’s 2026 season started off with a less-than-ideal opening lap that set the

tone for the remainder of the Big Buck GNCC. With Phoenix Racing Yamaha’s structure

and backing, Eller aims to rebound at round two and show the off-season work that he

was unable to display at round one.