|
Can-Am GNCC ATV Heads
to Snowshoe for $50,000 Pro Purse Challenge
Morgantown, WV (6/22/2010)
- With the promise of an extra $10,000
for an overall victory in the air, and a total
of $50,000 on the line for
overall podium finishers, racers in the Can-Am
Grand National Cross Country
Series aim at a strong finish at this weekend's
MotorcycleUSA.com Snowshoe
GNCC. However, the ultra-rugged mountain track
complete with rocks, mud and
massive climbs can end championship hopes in a
hurry, too, and the top GNCC
racers have to balance the desire to win the money
with the goal of staying
consistent for a championship.
The event will pay a bonus of $10,000 to the
overall winner of the bike and ATV races, $5000
for second overall
finishers, and $3000 for third. ATVs race at West
Virginia's largest ski
resort on Saturday, June 26th, and bikes race
Sunday, June 27th.
Even with all the money on the line, the title
contenders on two and four
wheels will try to pretend Snowshoe is just another
race—the course is
double the distance of a normal GNCC and offers
some of the roughest
terrain in the nation to conquer. Getting stuck,
crashing or breaking
equipment could shake up the series.
"Haven't thought much about the purse,"
says current GNCC bike Champion
Paul Whibley. "Snowshoe is pretty rocky and
rutty. You need to get through
it and try to be consistent. I'm aiming to get
my Yamaha back up on the
podium."
The strategy worked for last year's GNCC ATV
Champion, Chris Borich, as
well. He finished second at Snowshoe last year,
while XC2 Pro-Am Class
rider Brian Wolfe won the $10,000 prize in an
all-time upset. "Nothing,
just another race," says Chris Borich. "Just
want to focus on getting out
front and making smart line choices. You make
a mistake here and it can
really cost you."
The Snowshoe GNCC is the roughest race of the
13-stop series. Last year
GNCC officials created a brand-new 20-mile course,
featuring deep mud bogs,
massive boulders and near-vertical hill climbs.
In fact, a special
1000-foot climb on a powerline road separates
the riders from their pit
areas on each lap. The race is the ultimate test
for a cross-country racer
and by the end of the race, whoever does win deserves
the $10,000 prize.
But then that championship battle comes back
into the picture. The bike
fight is perhaps the closest in the history of
the tour, as just a handful
of points separates FMF Makita Suzuki's Josh Strang,
and Obermeyer Am-Pro
Yamaha's Charlie Mullins. Factory KTM rookie Cory
Buttrick sits third
after winning the previous GNCC round in Ohio,
and Defending GNCC Champ
Whibley sits fourth on his Am-Pro Yamaha.
Mullins had won three-straight GNCC before a
disasterous run at the previous race in Ohio,
where he derailed a chain and lost a ton of points.
He's been victim of similar bad luck at Snowshoe
before. "Coming into this one, I'm doing
the same old thing I have been doing all year,"
says Mullins, hoping his bad luck doesn't last.
"I've lost some ground at Snowshoe before.
I want to have a good ride and better my finishes
there compared to years' past."
On ATVs, Taylor Kiser currently holds the number
two spot in the series
behind Borich and knows how tough this track can
be. "It's just another
race, but it has more money," says Kiser.
"I'm pretty confident about my
team and ability. The track is very unique and
it definitely presents a
challenge."
With the championship still up for grabs, and
a rough track on the horizon,
riders will have to be careful with their strategy.
Ticket prices for the event are just $15 for
the full race weekend,
including ATV racing all day on Saturday and bike
racing on Sunday. In all,
up to 1500 riders are expected to compete. Children
five and under are
free, as is full access to the pro pits and pro
rider autographs. Also,
Snowshoe will keep its ski lift chairs operating
all weekend to shuttle
fans down to the more spectacular parts of the
course.
Snowshoe Resort is West Virginia's largest ski
resort, and also offers mountain biking and golf
in the summer months. The event offers riders
a once-a-year opportunity to race around a resort,
with hotels and restaurants all within site of
the track. The event will even start right in
the middle of the ski village. For more information
on Snowshoe, visit www.snowshoemtn.com
- Overall Finish Bonus for Bike and
ATV
- 1st-$10,000
- 2nd- $5,000
- 3rd- $3,000
About GNCC Racing
The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series
is America's premier off-road racing series. Founded
in 1979, the 13-round championship is produced
exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross country
racing is one of the most physically demanding
sports in the world. The grueling three-hour GNCC
races lead as many as 1,800 riders through tracks
ranging in length from eight to 12 miles, competing
for more than $3 million in prizes. With varied
terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks
and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests
of both survival and speed. For more information,
please visit www.gnccracing.com.
www.gnccracing.com
122 Vista Del Rio Drive,
Morgantown, WV 26508
304-284-0084
|
