Any recommendations?

I don’t really know what counts as ‘XC race’ gloves, but I’m a big fan of Troy Lee gloves. The fingers are pretty long and thin (as compared to my sausage fingers), but even with a snug fit my TL SEs have lasted 2 years of riding (and falling) through trees, spiky bushes and rocky patches, and various other maintenance jobs AND trapping raccoons. What more could you ask for?!

For comparison, my previous 661 gloves came apart at the heel of the hand within 6 months of buying them.