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Am Pro Yamaha's Walker Fowler secured his second win of the 2013 GNCC Racing Season at Snowshoe. Fowler currently sits second in the GNCC XC1 Pro Points on his AmPro Yamaha YFZ450R ATV
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Snowshoe, WV (7/2/2013) - Aboard his Yamaha YFZ450R, Walker Fowler took his second XC1 Pro win of the year in the ninth round of the GNCC championship at Snowshoe, WV on Saturday, June 29. As well, Kara Merritt finished second in the Women’s class and Patrick McGuire finished third in XC2 Pro Am, putting a Yamaha on the podium in each of the three key GNCC ATV classes.
While in record heat in California on Sunday, Dustin Nelson raced his YFZ450R to second overall with 2-3 moto finishes in Yamaha Quad-X competition. Fowler and Nelson are both currently second in points in their respective series.
Held at the Snowshoe Mountain resort, round nine of the 2013 GNCC ATV series is unique among off-road races. It’s also the last event before the long summer break, giving Fowler extra motivation to win. He did so in decisive fashion, jumping ahead early on the unique paved start in the village, then leading the entire field for seven long laps and over two hours.
Fowler’s hard training showed in the interval between his YFZ and the following rider, rival Chris Borich. Fowler forged a 43-second lead at the end of lap one, nearly a minute and a half at mid-race, and an incredible 2 min. 22 sec. advantage at the flag.
“I came into this race thinking that I want to do whatever it takes to win, even if it meant riding outside of my comfort zone,” Fowler said. “I’ve been putting in more effort than I ever have and figured I would make a statement heading into summer.”
Due to simmering 108-degree heat at So-Cal’s Competitive Edge MX Park, the Quad-X series brought only the most serious competitors, Nelson and teammate Josh Row included. Nelson got only an average start in the first of two motos, but he made up for it by advancing to third in just a few corners.
The combined heat and mud buildup on his radiator soon illuminated the YFZ’s temperature warning, but with performance still strong he continued. Then as the race wound down, rivals Davi Haagsma and Beau Baron both experienced heat-related mechanical issues and Nelson was able to pass Baron and nearly catch Haagsma before the finish. The second moto was a near duplicate of the first, with Nelson playing catch-up to ultimately finish third.
“They watered the track to keep dust down, but the mud spray and roost went everywhere,” he explained. “Despite the overheat light being on the whole time, the bike ran strong until the end.”
2013
GNCC ATV XC1 Pro Points |
| Position |
Name |
Points |
| 1 |
Chris Borich |
251 |
| 2 |
Walker
Fowler - Yamaha |
187 |
| 3 |
Chris Bithell |
181 |
| 4 |
Adam McGill |
178 |
| 5 |
Kevin Yoho |
133 |
2013
Yamaha Quad-X ATV MX Pro Points |
| Position |
Name |
Points |
| 1 |
Davi Haagsma |
97 |
| 2 |
Dustin Nelson – Yamaha |
87 |
| 3 |
Beau Baron |
84 |
| 4 |
Tanner Gemperle |
73 |
| 5 |
Josh Row – Yamaha |
71 |
