The eighth round of the 2023 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Racing season produced yet another interesting weekend of racing. For a portion of the race, it began to seem as if the trend of each event producing a new winner would continue. However, the streak would finally end after a long and hot day of racing. Here’s a few takeaways from the Mason-Dixon GNCC.

The previous two rounds of the GNCC series saw wet and muddy conditions throughout Sunday’s motorcycle races. These mud races can be grueling and difficult for racers, and it’s usually a love it or hate it type of scenario. Of course, the same can be said for the opposite of that, which the Mason-Dixon would prove to be.

Outside of a light shower that fell late on Saturday’s pro ATV race, the area had not received rain in quite a while. This would result in overly dry and dusty conditions for the event. This event has seen deep, powder silt races in the past and while this year’s edition of the Mason-Dixon did not quite get to that point, the dust would still linger and hurt visibility throughout the race.

The Mason-Dixon GNCC is actually a very unique event. Held across the street from the iconic High Point Raceway, Mason-Dixon is not just a creative name for the event as racers literally cross the Mason-Dixon line. The pits and start are located in Pennsylvania, then the course meanders through some open and flowing trail for about four miles where it then crosses the West Virginia state line.

Once in West Virginia, the trail tightens up significantly and becomes much more twisty for about four more miles before crossing back into Pennsylvania. When you’re back in Pennsylvania, the course opens back up slightly and becomes a bit more flowy for the final four miles to the finish. This gives the Mason-Dixon a very unique layout and feel.