McGill, Ballance,
Borich Set for Ohio GNCC Showdown
GNCC Racing - Round 6- John Penton
- May 10, 2008
Millfield, OH (5/8/2008) - Rarely
do three different racers each feel like the man
to beat halfway through a championship season, but
that’s the story for the 2008 Can-Am Grand
National Cross Country Series. Heading into this
weekend’s Wiseco John Penton GNCC in Southern
Ohio, FRE KTM’s Adam McGill, Yamaha’s
Bill Ballance and Rockstar/Yoshimura Suzuki’s
Chris Borich each feel like they can seize control
of the GNCC Title.
Ballance and Borich draw confidence from their
past dominance and 1-2 finish at the previous
GNCC at Loretta Lynn’s. Ballance won the
race to put himself back on track, with Borich
a close second. McGill, though, already owns three
wins this year and feels that he would have triumphed
again at Loretta’s if his engine hadn’t
quit on the last lap.
“I feel like I gave it right away,”
says McGill. “I had a line picked out and
I knew I could make the pass (on Ballance), because
I had passed him there before. I just feel bad
like I let everyone down. And you know why I’m
bummed? Millfield is my local track, and I wanted
to come in with a four-race win streak so I could
say it’s the drive for five. It’s
my local race and I’m going to have so many
people there. I can’t wait.”
Ballance believes McGill will be right in the
title hunt all year, but he doesn’t expect
a runaway. “I think it’s going to
be just like it was with me and Chris, but now
we’ll have a third guy in there with Adam,”
says Ballance. “He’s riding well.
After winning eight titles, it’s not winning
that keeps it going anymore, it’s those
battles.”
Borich opened the year with a win but missed
the podium for the next three races. “People
were asking what was wrong, but there is nothing
wrong,” said Borich. “They were just
muddy races and anything can happen. Once we get
out on dry tracks, I think I can start clicking
off some more wins.”
All three stars expect a win this weekend in
Ohio, but a deep field of contenders will pressure
them at every turn. Team Excell Motorsports Bryan
Cook sits second in points after scoring three
podiums this year, and the North Carolina veteran
has finished strong even when he starts at the
back of the pack.
The GT Thunder Yamaha tandemn of rookie Brandon
Sommers and veteran Johnny Gallagher hail from
the area and expect big finishes. Sommers phenomenal
rookie season includes two podium finishes, while
Gallagher expects to be in the hunt this weekend,
especially if it rains, which is a strong possibility.
McGill’s KTM teammate Taylor Kiser would
be right in the points battle if not for two moments
of bad luck -- a broken chain at one round and
the same electrical troubles that struck McGill
last weekend.
Veteran privateer riders Matt Smiley (Safari
Motorsports) and William Yokley (National Guard)
are also podium players this year, but both yearn
for a win. Also, the new Can-Am DS450 effort looks
to rebound, with Chris Bithell and Chris Jenks
(Warnert Racing) and Duane Johnson and Brent Sturdivant
(LTERacing.com) looking for their first podiums
of the season.
The John Penton GNCC features a full weekend
of racing. Saturday's ATV show begins at 8 a.m.
with a one-hour youth race, and continues at 10
a.m. with the morning race. Yamaha's Traci Cecco
and Tom Clark Motorsports' Angel Atwell are locked
in a battle for the Women's Championship and have
won every morning race overall this season. In
addition, the fast guns of the 4x4 and utility
divisions will battle at the same time.
Sunday's bike battle features Red Bull KTM's
David Knight and the best off-road motorcycle
racers in the world.
| GNCC Racing -
Round 6- John Penton Fast Facts: |
What: The Can-Am Grand National
Cross Country Series (GNCC), America's Largest
Off Road Racing Series. Cross-country racing is
one of the most physically demanding sports in
the world. The nearly three-hour long GNCC races
lead as many as 1,800 riders through tracks ranging
from eight to 12 miles in length. With varied
terrain including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks
and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests
of both survival and speed.
When: May 10 and 11, 2008
Where: The race takes place
at Sunday Creek Raceway. From Athens: Take Rt.
33 W. 1 mile to 13N (Chauncey Exit). Go 3 miles
into Chauncey. Turn right—staying on Route
13 North. Continue for 10 miles to Jacksonville.
Go right on Sixth St. for 2 miles, then turn left.
Who: The Can-Am GNCC Series
pits the best of the best in off-road racing against
each other. More than 1,500 amateur racers are
expected to compete on custom-built dirt bikes
and four-wheeled ATVs. Top pro motorcycle riders
include David Knight, Barry Hawk, Jr., Charles
Mullins, Jimmy Jarrett and Shane Watts. ATV pro
riders include Bill Ballance, Chris Borich, Chris
Bithell, Matt Smiley and Adam McGill.
www.gnccracing.com
122 Vista Del Rio Drive,
Morgantown, WV 26508
304-284-0084
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