Union, SC ( 4/22/2010) - The Can Am GNCC
series now has 4 rounds in the books and it has
been an exciting season thus far! The XC1 Pro
class has been one of the tightest classes to
keep track of as the defending champion Chris
Borich has set his sights squarely on keeping
the number one plate. With so much talent inside
the XC1 class, Borich would have his hands full
from the first "10 Seconds" call of
the 2010 season as his competition aimed to bring
the Suzuki rider down right from the start.
| 1st-
#1 Chris Borich - Factory Suzuki LTR-450
ATV - 115 Pts. |
The opening round would not find Borich out front
and running away with the race, however his style
or tactics were very apparent as he kept the race
leaders in check, only taking the lead near the
end of the race, something that most are fully
aware of but are finding it hard to defend. Borich
has spent many years making almost every mistake
one would expect and now has such a commanding
stance aboard his Suzuki that shadowing the front
runners then cutting them down is becoming almost
an art form. It is a testament to his riding ability,
physical conditioning and his ATV set up.
With all of his ducks in a row, he gained the
points lead by winning round one and would care
it and the momentum into the following rounds.
A tight course at round #2 would find Borich battling
late in the race once again and his strategy almost
failed him however he was able to make things
happen and secured the number two spot on the
podium. Many thought that he had waited too late
in the race to make his move but in the end his
finish was more then enough to keep him where
he needed to be as far as points. This round also
brought the new blood into the light as Taylor
Kiser grabbed the win.
Facing early season sponsor issues, Borich wasn't
rolling full steam behind the scenes but the support
the champion had secured was more then enough
to have him in the best position he could hope
for as the season started. The battered economy
had many scrambling for support and the champ
wasn't in this boat alone. For a few racers, the
curtailing of support could have been a glimmer
of hope as the gap may have narrowed from factory
backed to supported privateer. That hope faded
quickly as new sponsors emerged for the champion
and he was back in the driver’s seat on
almost every level.
Rounds 3 and 4 would see Borich streak to back
to back wins as he dispelled any thoughts anyone
had of snatching wins and valuable points to give
them some cushion over the hard charging Suzuki
racer. As we head into the meat of the season,
Borich holds the points lead
| 2nd
- #2 Taylor Kiser - Yamaha YFZ450X ATV -
105 Pts. |
Taylor Kiser would start his 2010 season with
a solid second place finish as he became the
first victim of Borich's late race charge. While
support for the Florida native is sufficient,
he stands alone as the rider many feel has the
best chance of toppling Borich and staking his
claim for the championship. Kiser would take
full advantage of a mistake made by the race
leader at round two and place his Yamaha on
the podium with his first win of the season.
On eye level with Borich, Kiser headed into
round 3 with alot of confidence and the ability
to do battle with all comers, including his
teammate Bill Ballance. For Kiser, taking 2nd
at both round 3 and 4 would propel him to the
forefront as the main challenger to Borich’s
title defense.
Taylor has developed into a well rounded GNCC
racer and has put the seat time in to qualify
as a threat on any course and on any terrain.
What seems to be different is that Kiser has
yet to make the big mistakes that others who
have raced before him have made. Focused, dedicated
and highly skilled, the season long battle for
the championship is now shaping up to be a two
man race.
As the pair of front runners open a sizeable
gap between 3rd place, one has to wonder if
this could be one of those seasons that goes
down to the wire, and if that is the case, one
has to wonder when experience will come into
play as the pressure mounts.
