Image: Octopi Media.

Eight-time Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) champion Kailub Russell has called time on his guest ride in Lucas Oil Pro Motocross at the halfway point of the 2021 season.

Russell, 31, transitioned from an incredibly successful GNCC career to a factory ride with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing this year, achieving a lifelong dream of lining up outdoors.

However, just before the season, Russell announced he’d suffered a serious crash at the practice track, leaving him with a broken jaw and a host of other injuries, ultimately putting him out for the opening two rounds.

In his first outing at High Point he notched 15-21 moto scores for 21st overall, ultimately scoring points in his first weekend back. Russell has since topped his debut performance with an 18th overall at Southwick, but took to social media to announce his exit following a 39th-place finish at Spring Creek.

“I just wanted to get out ahead of this thing and basically give my farewell speech to the motocross world,” Russell explained. “This isn’t being forced upon me, this is my ultimate end decision now. We were a little bit under the weather for Millville, but we’ve struggled big-time at a few.

“I’ve had a couple of okay rides, but nothing to write home about and not where we wanted to be. Mentally I’m not defeated, I thought I could get back and be that same racer I was a couple of years ago and be in that realm, but I’m just riding timid and scared, just struggling every weekend.

“That’s not what the fans deserve to see of me and the team deserves to get out of me, so yeah, it’s a tough go, but the professional career has come to a close.”

In the near seven-minute video, Russell addressed issues what he’s been facing as he navigated the 250MX class and all that comes with it, stating he felt as though he was lying to himself week in and week out about where he’s finished.

“I’ve had a tough year going, broke my jaw at the beginning of the year, but I’m just mentally checked out right now,” he continued. “I keep lying to myself… As a racer, almost every racer out there just lies to themselves.

“Whether it’s ‘oh I just need a start,’ or ‘when I get a factory bike’, whatever it may be. All these guys they lie to themselves and tell themselves that they can do it, this is all I need to do it and, yeah, I just don’t have it anymore.

“I’m not the same guy, same racer I used to be, that I once was, it’s just not there. The lights are on, but nobody’s home. I’ve been doing this for a long time and I was really excited for this opportunity, don’t get me wrong, it’s awesome. Unbelievable. But it’s just one of those things, we couldn’t make it happen.”

Russell made mention of a conversation with KTM USA race director Roger DeCoster that ignited his desire to move on from the sport after racing just four rounds.

“Roger called me a couple of weeks ago and was basically telling me that we need to reevaluate and try to get some better results and what not and it kind of rubbed me the wrong way and ticked me off,” he added. “But then again I started thinking and my brain started turning and come to the realization that my song’s been sung.

“I don’t just want to be circulating out there and blend in with everybody else. I’ve probably had way more exposure in this venture than I deserve for my results, 100 percent, and I didn’t ask for any of that, but that just comes with the territory of being as successful as I was in one facet of the sport.”