GNCC ATV & SxS / UTV Racing Heads to Powerline Park
ITP Powerline Park GNCC - Round 11 - St. Clairsville, OH - October 6, 2012

Morgantown, WV (10/3/2012) - The 2012 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series kicks off the fall season this weekend, October 6 and 7, with Round 11 of racing in St. Clairsville, Ohio for the 12th running of the ITP Powerline Park GNCC. While 4-time ATV champ Chris Borich has already claimed the XC1 Pro class title, there's still plenty of excitement as the rest of the field continues to fight for valuable points or even steal a race-win from the always consistent champ.

The GNCC XC1 Pro ATV Class is filled with talent in the 2012 racing season with racers like Chris Borich, Adam McGill, Walker Fowler, Taylor Kiser, Jarrod McClure & more

Only two points separate Ballance Racing Yamaha teammates Walker Fowler and Taylor Kiser in the class standings and the runner-up position means something a little different to each rider. For Kiser, moving into the second place position gives him a rise from last year's third place finish. However, as a rookie, Fowler is looking to score high in his pro debut season. The young gun hasn't been able to secure a race-win yet but has shown great promise this season. In 2011, Fowler finished only 2 seconds off of Borich's victory at Powerline Park from the XC2 Pro Am division so there's a good chance that Fowler will be a strong contender in his home state of Ohio this weekend.

Precision/Moto X Perts/ITP/Lonestar/RG Motorsports' Adam McGill is currently the defending runner-up but after switching his race program this season, McGill has run into several mechanical issues that have consequently placed knocked him back to the fifth place position. Although, when things go right McGill is always a top contender for the race-win.  

Motoworks/Can-Am's Chris Bithell tops McGill in the standings by only three points. While Bithell isn't lacking standout performances this season, the Pennsylvania native has often struggled to finish strongly in the two-hour competition.  

Two riders that have the potential to mix things up this weekend are Bowers Motorcycle/Coastal National Guard/Yokley Racing's Jarrod McClure and JG Offroad/FRE/American Honda's Brian Wolf. McClure is coming off a confidence-boosting podium finish at Round 10-his first of the 2012 season-and he's proven that he can hang with the leaders until the finish. Wolf has a successful history when it comes to rough terrain and muddy conditions, which is much of what Powerline Park has to offer. In 2011, Wolf finished only 3 seconds behind Borich in St. Clairsville, so the Ohio native is looking for a repeat performance this weekend.

Perhaps some of the best racing of the season has taken place just outside the top five, showing the incredible depth in this year's pro class. BNR's Kevin Yoho has put in a consistent string of finishes and sits only 10 points away from sixth place in the standings. This weekend Yoho will compete in front of his hometown crowd with hopes of landing his first podium finish of the year.

GBC/Cernics/HMF/Yamaha's Johnny Gallagher and Waynesburg Yamaha's Jeff Pickens may be friends off the course, but the Yamaha duo has continuously battled back and forth all season long and rivals one another by less than 10 points in the standings.

The XC2 Pro Am championship is still up for grabs as Tireballs-backed Patrick McGuire holds a small points lead over DeRising Racing's Braden Henthorn. DeRisi Racing teammate Eric Hoyland ran into problems earlier in the season, where he failed to earn points in Round 6, but still remains third in the class.  

Although Greg's ATV & Cycle's Matt Hanna has yet to win a race this season, he sits only two points behind Hoyland's third place spot. Hanna and Hoyland have a little room for error since Waynesburg Yamaha's Gabe Phillips won't be able to compete for the remainder of the season due to injury. Phillips still holds the most class-wins with a total of four and will unfortunately miss a shot at the 2012 title.

The penultimate round of Side-by-Side racing hits the course on Saturday as Team Coastal National Guard and Polaris National Guard continue a heated battle for the XC1 Modified championship. Team Can-Am/Motoworks sits within striking distance of the Polaris duo as the title chase gets down to the wire this weekend.

Four-wheeled ATVs will compete throughout the day on Saturday, October 6, and dirt bikes will race on Sunday, October 7. Local riders are invited to race the event as well, as GNCC racing offers classes for riders of all skill and experience levels. The amateur racer entry fee is $40 and riders can sign up at the track.

Spectator passes run $15 for the full weekend, with pro pit access and pro autographs at no additional charge. On both Saturday and Sunday, the Youth races at 8 a.m., amateurs race at 10 a.m., and the top amateurs and pros race at 1 p.m. Special to this event, Side-by-Side racing will take place Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., following the ATVs.

The track is located at exit 213 off Ohio I-70. Take Route 331 N. just a few yards and make a right onto Hammond Rd for approximately 1 mile. Turn left at Lee Road for another .5 miles. Track is on the right. The track is roughly 15 miles west of Wheeling, W.Va. For more information, visit the series website at www.gnccracing.com. 

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. Each event is nationally televised on the Versus Network, and consists of two race days: ATVs and side-by-side machines on Saturday, and motorcycles on Sunday. The grueling three-hour races draw as many as 1,800 riders, making it the largest off-road racing series in the world. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.

www.gnccracing.com

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