The Snowshoe GNCC
ATV Race Report by William Yokley
William Yokley finished 12th Overall and 10th
in the XC1 Pro Class today in the tough West Virginia
mountains. There were 197 total entries with 21
XC1 Pro Riders. Team Rider Mark Notman finished
26th Overall and 9th in the 26 rider XC2 Pro Am
Class
It’s always fun coming to the Snowshoe Resort;
the facilities are first rate and the scenery is
spectacular. It’s a real treat to be able
to walk out of a nice hotel room right down to your
pit area and the starting line. This is the only
GNCC race that has a live engine Grand Prix style
start on pavement, which adds to the carnival atmosphere
of the event. The machines are lined up in rows
of five taking up the entire length of the main
street, and each row is flagged off in ten second
intervals. It’s intense, but loads of fun
and the spectators love watching the quads backing
in the first turn sprint car style with tires smoking
and a little beating and banging going on.
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William Yokley
Snowshoe GNCC Start
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I started on the second row and my teammate Mark
was right behind me in the third row. I was in
second place in our group as we headed out to
the ski slopes and I settled in for what I knew
was going to be grind. The Snowshoe course is
one of the toughest on the schedule with a 14
mile lap with lots of elevation changes, and long
sections of rock gardens, deep ruts and mud bogs.
The scenery is beautiful if you could only take
the time to take it all in, but you can’t,
or you’ll wreck big time! Getting your machine
set up right and jetted properly is very important
here, as the start area is almost a mile above
sea level, and you do go up and down the mountain
several times per lap.
I ran in 5th place most of the first lap, that
is until I hung a wheel on the edge of one of
the many deep mud holes. That hole was much deeper
than I thought, and just sucked my whole bike
into it; I in trouble already! I struggled to
get the bike out, and every time I tried to lift
one end out, I would sink down in mud above my
knees. I got a crash course about the true meaning
of suction. I finally got the bike out after about
3 minutes; I was covered in mud, my gloves were
all wet and slimy which made holding on to the
bars challenging, and my heart rate was in the
red zone like a gazelle getting chased down by
a lion. I made it back to the pits at the end
of lap 1, and I had dropped out of the top forty
overall.
I concentrated on keeping a steady pace and not
getting hung up in the many bottlenecks and obstacles,
and tried to work my way back toward the front
to salvage as many points as possible. I did get
stopped a few more times in traffic jams, but
everybody else did too. At the end of lap 2, I
had worked my way up to 15th in the Pro class;
so many other guys were having difficulties like
I had. I finally finished the race in 10th place
in the XC1 Pro class, and I actually felt stronger
as the race progressed. Many thanks to Mark Spataro
and his training program! I salvaged some points
and I remained in 6th place in the season standings
with three races left to run.
My teammate Mark Notman actually had a very good
race, even though results show that he finished
in 9th place in the Pro Am class. At one point,
he was in the top 10 overall and running strong.
As he came through the pits on lap 1, the crew
could hear that his bike was running rough and
missing badly under full throttle. On this course,
you need the horsepower to get up all the steep
mountain trails, and he was under a huge handicap.
We think he may have gotten some mud or water
in the carb and clogged up one of the jets. Mark
rode very well to the finish, and actually had
to push his bike up some steep grades on the last
lap. Needless to say, he slept very well that
night! Good job Mark!
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Mark Notman
Pit Stop
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Although we were both disappointed with our finishes,
we realized it could have been much worse. We both
finished in the top 10 in our classes, and held
on to our season points positions; Mark is 3rd in
the Pro Am class, only 1 point out of second. We
have 2 weeks to get ready for the next race in historic
Unadilla, NY, and a nice 17 hour drive! Congratulations
to Adam McGill, Bill Ballance and Jarrod McClure
for finishing on the podium today, they earned it!
One final bit of news, I am excited about signing
with Polaris for 2009. Yokley Racing will be factory
supported competing on the new Outlaw 450 sport
bikes and RZR UTVs. Mark and I can’t wait
to get these new bikes, and work with all the
great people at Polaris. Polaris has great products
and we are honored to be representing them. And
best of all, they’re MADE IN THE USA BABY!
See you next time; I’ve got to go shovel
some mud and rocks out of my leathers!
Yokley Racing Team Sponsors:
The Army National Guard, Rocky Mountain
ATV, Polaris Industries, ITP Tires, Elka Suspension,
Roll Design, HMF Exhaust Systems, IMS/Roll, Tire
Balls, Andrews Cycle, Douglas Wheel Technology,
Baldwin Motorsports, CGR, O’Neal Clothing,
Panolin Lubricants, IMS, Hinson, 317 Graphics,
Intense Fabrication & Design, Tsubaki Chains,
Hardkor, Shoei Helmets, Axcalibar Axles, Streamline,
Powermadd, Moto Pro Training, and KG Clutch Factory.
www.YokleyRacing.com
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