Jarrod McClure's GNCC & WORCS Pro ATV Race Report
GNCC ATV Racing - Round 11-12- Yadkin Valley, NC And St. Clairsville, OH
WORCS ATV Racing - Round 7 - Glen Helen, CA

Kaska, PA (10/7/2009) -The past two weeks have been pretty crazy for me! I managed to compete in two GNCC races and also a WORCS race over the course of the last two weekends. I first had a GNCC in Yadkinville, NC, from there I caught a plane to California for round 7 of the WORCS at Glen Helen raceway. That was all in one weekend, then the following weekend I raced round 12 of the GNCC series in St Clairsville, OH. All three races proved to be challenging because the competition is getting tougher and tougher!

Yadkinville GNCC Round 11

Yadkinville was the same track as always, one lined, hard to pass and dusty…well no dust this year due to some rain on Friday and Saturday during the pro race. I had a great start but I missed my thumb throttle going into the second turn allowing a few riders to slip by. I went into the wood somewhere around 10th. The track was faster than ever due to the lack of dust which made it even tougher to pass. We all rode like a train for the first lap, and when we hit the pits there was havoc everywhere! Everyone was checking in for gloves and goggles. I got a new set of goggles and came out somewhere around 9th behind Johnny Gallagher. I rode with Johnny for the next two laps, we both rode very smooth and made no mistakes.

By the last lap, the track began getting rough, and the creek jump was getting worse and worse. I followed Gallagher off the jump on the last lap and couldn’t believe how hard he hit! I leaned back and braced for impact it was a nasty landing. From there we passed Bryan Cook who dropped back after taking a stick to the eye. We crossed the finish in a Yamaha train! Four seconds separated Sommers, Ockerman, Gallagher, and myself. I finished the day in eigth.

I had to hurry after the race to make sure I caught my plane in Charlotte, NC. I flew out around 8 o’clock and arrived in Los Angeles late that night. I had to compete in round 7 of the WORCS series at Glen Helen Raceway. The weather was from one extreme to the next. In North Carolina the weather was rainy and 50 degrees, and in Southern California it was sunny, and 105 degrees!

Glen Helen is an awesome track it has huge elevation changes. The track required some serious motor, which I didn’t have cause I’m running a mostly stock engine. With some help from Motoworks and MCR (Mike Cafro Racing) I had my trx450r prepped and ready to go.

The start was a long drag race to the Talladega first turn. This turn is huge and is banked like a Nascar track, hence the name! I got smoked on the start due to my lack of motor, and I came out of the holeshot around 13th or so. I made a few passes on the first hills, and worked my way up into the top ten by the first lap. My race got cut short though, on the fifth lap. I was sitting in eight place when motor made some crazy noise and came to a stop ending my day. I ended up with my first DNF in a long, long, long time…I was bummed!

I had to put that finish behind me though and begin preparing for the Powerline Park GNCC which was the following weekend! My XCBOB.COM YFZ450 had little damage from Yadkinville, so prepping it was fairly easy. The weather in Ohio looked like rain for the weekend and when I arrived to the track it was muddy, with slight drizzle coming down.

Saturday morning the sun was shining and it looked like we were actually in for a good race. I was able to walk some of the track in the morning to see what we were in for. The track looked slick in spots, and dry in others. Also there was a few mudholes that would cause issues. I geared up and headed to the start. I had another good start going into the woods around 8th.

The first lap was easy going till we all got to see the track, and I held my position in eight until we passed Chris Borich who was stuck in one of the mudholes. I was sitting in seventh place and following Taylor Kiser. At one point on the second lap Kiser spun out, and hit a tree blocking the path. I tried to stop but I couldn’t, and I slid into him causing my quad to stall. As we tried to get unstuck more and more people kept passing. I had trouble getting my Yamaha to start because the clutch was overheated.

I got going again and found myself somewhere around 12th. I rode hard and tried to get back on pace but the leaders had checked out. I got by Ryan Lane on the third lap and continued to ride hard. When I hit the mudhole that lap I got my gloves covered in mud making it hard to hang on. This allowed Johnny Gallagher to catch up with me. After riding with Johnny for a while, I over shot a turn allowing him to go by.

I made a quick pit stop and got some paper towels on my grips, and I was able to catch back up to Johnny and ride with him for a while. I was putting some pressure on him, but I got stuck on one of the uphills allowing him to get out of sight. I finished in 11th place.

Well, after a long two weeks of racing I had some bad luck and a DNF. I hope the rest of the year goes better. I will be going to my last WORCS race in two weeks in Nevada, and then to the Ironman. Take care and I will see you there!

I’d also like to thank my sponsors: Motoworks, Bowers Motorcycle Supplies, Atvriders.com, Motoprotraining, GBC Tires, Motoworks, Exit Shocks, Ars-fx, Tireballs, Pro Armor, Hiper, Shift, Powermadd, Pro Taper, Yamaha, Precision, DP Brakes, Graphic Creations, friends and family, also Mike Cafro Racing.

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