Masontown, WV (6/1/2012)
- The Mountaineer Run, held at
Marvin’s Mountaintop in Masontown,
West Virginia, was another new stop on the
2012 Grand National Cross Country schedule,
but for many it had an “old school”
feel. Round seven of 13 was held on a technical,
rough, rocky, semi-muddy course not far
from the familiar Snowshoe GNCC site (the
next stop for the series). Plus it was also
just good old fashioned hot, which all added
up to a challenging weekend for man and
machine. But Team ITP was up for it, and
notched a number of victories using a variety
of ITP QuadCross and Holeshot tire setups.
A most impressive display of skill and
endurance was put up by Patrick McGuire
(Yam). The Valencia, Pennsylvania, native
blasted out of the first turn in first
and never looked back, leading the XC2
Pro Am class from start to finish to win
his second round of the season by nearly
three minutes. It was good for ninth overall
out of 186 top competitors in the afternoon
wave of racing, and moved him back into
the points lead.
Finishing second in XC2 was Matt Hanna,
backed by Greg’s ATV and running
ITP tires on his Yamaha YFZ450. It was
Hanna’s third podium appearance
of the season, which puts him in fifth
place in the class standings.
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GBC Motorsports' Dave Simmons took
the Morning Overall Win & Senior
45+ class Win |
The morning race was once again the domain
of Dave Simmons (Yam). It’s the
fifth occasion this veteran has taken
the overall victory in 2012, this time
ahead of 250 other amateur class athletes.
He’s also undefeated for the year
in the Super Senior 45+ class. Maybe age
really is just a number…
The Masters 50+ class proved to be a
slugfest, as ITP’s Glenn McConnell
(Yam) came up just five seconds short
— in over two hours of racing —
of his fifth win of the year. He’s
still in it to win it when the series
concludes in early November, as he holds
a close third in the class standings.
Speaking of close, the Women’s
class championship could very well be
decided by a tiebreaker. Angel Atwell
(Hon) finished second in class and sixth
overall at the Mountaineer, and is just
two points out of the points lead. It
was her seventh straight podium finish
in seven events, including three victories.
Still searching for that elusive top
step is Adam McGill (Hon). Bad luck has
plagued this XC1 Pro star all year, and
this event was another agonizing example.
McGill nailed a decisive holeshot and
was battling for the lead on the first
lap when a mechanical failure put him
on the sidelines early. But McGill is
one of the most popular, upbeat riders
on the circuit, and he’s remaining
focused on that checkered flag.
The next event takes place at the ski
resort in Snowshoe, West Virginia, June
23-24.
About ITP:
ITP is
proud to celebrate its 30th anniversary
this year. Since 1982, ITP has grown into
the world's #1 ATV/UTV aftermarket tire
and wheel source, and continues to provide
a complete line of innovative tires and
wheels for virtually all ATVs and UTVs.
For a copy of ITP’s full-color product
catalog, call toll-free: 1-800-859-4740.
For other inquiries or technical advice,
contact ITP at 1990 S. Vintage Ave., Ontario,
CA 91761; (909) 390-1905. Or visit ITP’s
website at www.itptires.com.
