Ballance Takes
Third Straight, And The Points Lead, In Kentucky
Sparta, Kentucky (6/1/2008) -
Bill Ballance picked the right place, the right
time and the right track to nail his third-straight
Can-Am Grand National Cross Country win. Not only
did the Kentucky rider take the Weekend Warrior
Spartan GNCC in front of his home-state fans,
but he chief championship rival, Adam McGill,
failed to finish due to mechanical problems, which
landed Ballance into the GNCC XC1 Pro points lead
for the first time this year.
"Man it feels good to win in front of so
many friends and family," said Ballance.
"These were my type of conditions, it was
hard and fast and I was able to have fun."
Ballance topped his fellow Yamaha rider Brandon
Sommers and The National Guard veteran William
Yokley to take the win. He also grabbed the $100
ITP Holeshot Award, but trouble on the first lap
saw the eight-time GNCC Champion cross the finish
on the first lap in ninth place. From there he
put on a charge and took the lead halfway through
the race, and then held off a strong charge from
Sommers and Yokley to take the win.
For the rookie Sommers, his second marked the
best finish yet of his young career, after taking
two third-place finishes earlier in the season.
Yokley, another Kentucky native, mached his season
best with third. Team Excell Motorsports Bryan
Cook logged another solid run, coming from mid-pack
to finish fourth, ahead of ATVRiders.com backed
Jarrod McClure.
McGill led the race early but succummed to mechanical
troubles on the final lap for the second time
this year. He now sits second in the points, 14
points behind Ballance.
GT Thunder Yamaha's Don Ockerman topped the XC2
Pro-Am class for the sixth time in seven races
this season, and also finished an impressive sixth
overall. Ockerman also won the $100 Rekluse Clutch
Holeshot Award. Second in the class went to Josh
Kirkland, with David Crane third.
In the morning race, Yamaha's Traci Cecco won
the ATVRiders.com Morning Race Overall. Once again,
Kawasaki KFX700 rider Michael Benson pushed hard
and nearly pulled off the win, but ended up second,
with Angel Atwell third on her Tom Clark Motorsports
Honda.
About GNCC Racing:
The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country series
is America's premier off-road racing series. The
13-round championship series is produced exclusively
by Racer Productions and has run since 1973. 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 twelve miles in length.
With varied terrain including hills, woods, mud,
dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events
are tests of both survival and speed. GNCC Racing
will air weekly television shows on the Versus
network starting August 2. GNCC featured sponsors
include Can-Am, Parts Unlimited, Moose Racing,
Maxxis, Pirelli, Wiseco, Acerbis, Elka, Geico,
Klotz, FMF, ITP and Weekend Warrior, and riders
compete for over $3 million in series prizes and
contingency money. Associate sponsors include
Alpinestars, Cometic, HiPer Technology, Laegers,
Moose Utility Division, The National Guard, Powersport
Grafx, REM, Scott, Thor, Tire Balls, Twin Air,
Ogio, Rekluse, and MotoTee's. For more information
log on to www.gnccracing.com.
www.gnccracing.com
122 Vista Del Rio Drive,
Morgantown, WV 26508
304-284-0084
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