RIDER INSIGHT: SECOND-ROW START, FIRST TO FINISH – SEPTEMBER 2025 ISSUE

By Tyler Shepardson

At just 19 years old, FMF KTM Factory Landers’ Grant Davis has gone from “fast kid with promise” to one of the heaviest hitters in off-road racing, and he’s doing it all before even officially stepping into XC1. The reigning XC2 champ isn’t just winning his class, he’s taking overall GNCC victories from the second row and becoming a leading favorite at the overall championship, battling and beating legends straight up, and proving that the next generation of talent is already here.

While Grant has played a major role in making it seem like XC2 guys contending for wins is the norm, that hasn’t always been the case. Last year Josh Toth became the first rider to ever complete the feat, winning a muddy Georgia race from the second row for the first time in the history of the XC2 class. Since that race, XC2 riders have taken six more overall wins, with four of those coming from the Pennsylvania native leading the charge. It wasn’t immediate success for Grant when he made his debut among the pro ranks. In fact, it wasn’t until the series finale at Ironman Raceway during his rookie season that he was able to get his first taste of even the XC2 podium. After breaking the ice, he was able to carry that momentum into the ’24 season, picking up eight XC2 wins and his first two overall wins on his way to a XC2 championship. This year, with the number-one plate on his bike, he’s been stacking more wins, sitting second in the overall standings at the summer break, and turning second-place finishes into learning moments. 

“I should have four overalls this year. Talladega was mine, but I made mistakes. That one still stings,” says Grant. “But that’s racing. After that first overall win, it just flipped a switch. Now, if I don’t win, I’m pissed.” 

That may be the craziest part of Grant’s unprecedented run. In years past, any XC2 winner would be pumped to earn a spot on the overall box. Now, he has raised the bar to such a high level and put so much confidence in his riding that anything less than an overall win is a failure in his mind. Heck, even after winning his second overall this year, he came off the track upset that he won on adjusted time and didn’t make it to the checkered flag first physically. (The XC2 row starts one minute behind XC1 so the start times are adjusted accordingly.) 

It hasn’t all been smooth. A tough season opener at Big Buck lit a fire under him, and two weeks of hard work in Florida with his team turned things around fast. He came back and rattled off four straight XC2 wins and started making overall podiums look routine. That’s the mentality that’s pushing him through the field. While he’s still racing XC2 on a KTM 250XC-F, Davis rides a 350XC-F during the week and says it suits his style much better.

“I only ride the 250 the Thursday before the races. I like to ride smooth, carry momentum, and the 350 just fits me better.” He’ll be moving to XC1 full-time in 2026, but he’s already tasted what that fight feels like. At Snowshoe, riders line up in rows of five based on overall points, then overall points leader Davis lined up on the front row next to XC1 mainstays like Ben Kelley and Steward Baylor. “I know Ben’s not going to give me anything. We train together, and we’re close, but when the flag drops, it’s war.” 

While it seems like he is just a young kid stepping into the ranks, Grant is already battle tested. Rising through the youth ranks with his big brother, Nick Davis, as a role model who had a successful career bouncing around factory teams as a pro himself. Grant was able to earn national championships on 65s, 85s, YXC2 and the YXC1 Youth overall as well. Since transitioning to big bikes, he has already won the 250A Championship, National Enduro Pro 2 Championship and, just recently, wrapped up this year’s U.S. Sprint Enduro Pro 2 Championship alongside last year’s XC2 title. But even with all those feathers in his cap already, Grant is still just getting started. In fact, his most memorable race wasn’t just a win, it was a statement: “John Penton last year. I won the XC2 Championship and got the overall win the same day. That’s the highlight of my career so far.” 

There’s also a quiet side to Grant. When he’s not training, racing or chasing podiums, he’s hanging with family, mountain biking, or helping out at local events. He recently showed up to a local race, won it and then donated all his winnings to the volunteer fire department. “They were out there cooking and supporting the race. I figured they could use it more than me.” 

And while he’s focused on wrapping up the GNCC season strong, Davis is already looking across the Atlantic. He’ll once again represent Team USA at the 2025 ISDE in Italy as part of the Junior World Trophy team after finishing as the second-highest American rider in 2024.

“My goal this year is top Junior, top 10 overall and top American. I think I can be in that fight.” 

None of this happens without a team, and Grant’s quick to give credit where it’s due: “Can’t thank the KTM team enough. My trainer Cole Martinez, my mechanic Andy Gray—he’s amazing—and my whole family, they’ve all been a part of this.”

From a kid on a 65 at big bro Nick’s races to a four-time overall race winner before even lining up in GNCC’s XC1 class, Grant Davis isn’t just the future of off-road, he’s already reshaping the present and doesn’t show any signs of backing down.