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GNCC Racing - Round #12
Powerline Park
St. Clairsville, OH
October 8,2005

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St. Clairsville, OH - The penultimate round of the 2005 GNCC Series was settled in the slippery hills and soggy bottoms of St. Clairsville, Ohio. All the riders who rode through the dusty conditions at the Yadkinsville and Unadilla GNCC's and wished for less dust at the St. Clairsville round definitely got what they wanted as the rain started falling mid-week and never let up. I arrived Friday under threatening skies and the rain continued through the night. One of the unique challenges of this series is the need to be ready for any weather and track conditions, and this race would be a test of adaptation and preparation.

#6 Bryan Cook's good luck charm (Bonnie Hamrick)
#6 Bryan Cook's good luck charm (Bonnie Hamrick) was home this weekend with him finishing 18th
The GNCC Overall Championship was all but wrapped up for Bill Ballance. In typical comeback-against-all-odds style, Bill had silenced all those who thought his midsummer injury would end his title run by limping to his quad at Unadilla and gutting out a remarkable 2nd overall while closest rival Chris Borich fell victim to mechanical gremlins. A mere 2 points was all Bill needed to end the championship race. Chris is always in win mode and always in the hunt for the overall regardless of the conditions. Living in Pennsylvania you have to be accustomed to riding in the wet because that's all you have from November to April, and Chris rides ALL winter. William Yokely is an established mud master; winning the water-soaked Loretta Lynn's GNCC earlier this year. Chris Jenks has been on fire since his first overall win in Yadkinsville, and led the last round at Unadilla until a last lap mudhole mishap ended his two-in-a-row attempt. Matt Smiley was healing up after reportedly attempting the first backflip during GNCC competition in New York two weeks ago. Bryan Cook won Unadilla convincingly and looked to have his equipment ready and his confidence at an all-time high. ProAm class champion Adam McGill was making his Pro debut, and was ready to mix it up with the big boys after coming so close to an overall win at the equally mud-encrusted Penton GNCC eariler this year. Last but not least, in an effort to ready himself for the 2005 12 Hours of ATV America; none other than 2005 GNC MX champ John Natalie signed up to race one of Chris Borich's Hondas. This is the equivalent of Ricky Carmicheal entering the bike GNCC!

Pro Row of umbrellas with with John Natalie Jr ready for some GNCC racing
#1 Bill Ballance powers his Yamaha YFZ450 to yet another Holeshot
Pro Row of umbrellas with with John Natalie Jr ready for some GNCC racing
#1 Bill Ballance powers his Yamaha YFZ450 to yet another Holeshot

The rain showed no signs of letting up as the Pro riders lined up for the start. Elephant-ear handguards, Holeshot HD's, Maxxis iRazr's, duct-taped boots, tear-offs on top of roll-offs, and of course the "black foam taped to the helmet visor thing" were all signs that this would be a sloppy one. The start saw Bill Ballance with yet another holeshot, and Chris Borich right on him in second. Yokely, Smiley and Jenks got off behind them and the race was on. I was fortunate to get a good start and ran with McGill and Gallagher midpack. The mud was flying and coating my goggles and helmet constantly. I made sure my first lap went without any hang-ups, and managed to stay out of trouble. The track was amazingly good, and although it was very slippery there were good berms and plenty of passing opportunities. Borich got out front and led the first lap in front of Bill Ballance and Chris Jenks. Yokely and Smiley came through fourth and fifth.

#2 William Yokley was back on the Podium for the sixth time this season
#7 Chris Jenks pits for a clean pair of goggles to complete the race
#2 William Yokley was back on the Podium for the sixth time this season
#7 Chris Jenks pits for a clean pair of goggles to complete the race

The second lap had Smiley jumping up into second behind Borich and Yokely grabbing third. The top ten were separated by less than a minute. McGill was up to fifth behind Bill. I passed up a first lap pit and got up to eighth behind Jenks and Gallagher. The highlight of this part of the race for me was dicing with John Natalie. We rode together for the first three laps, and passed each other quite a few times (I passed him twice in the pits). Knowing what an accomplished rider he is really motivated me to stay with him and dig deep. He showed a great deal of skill in conditions very foreign to MX racing, and deserves credit for his good results.

#3 Chris Borich takes the win with his 450R leaving a trail of steam
#3 Chris Borich takes the win with his 450R leaving a trail of steam
The track was holding up good, and I did not hit one bottleneck the whole race. Spectators were at the big "puddle" crossing and other key obstacles helping to keep the riders flowing through. Borich held onto a 40 second lead at the end of lap three, and Yokely and Smiley ran two and three. Jenks, Ballance and Gallagher ran close together. Bryan Baker moved up into the top ten and was challenging McGill for seventh. I was in tenth, chewing on a steady supply of Natalie's roost. This is about when I noticed that there was actually a spot on the track that was dry! It was an uphill off camber section that had a little bit of dust coming off of it. It was about 50 feet long. Did anyone else see this?

Six Time GNCC ATV Champion
Six Time GNCC ATV Champion
#1 Bill Ballance
Chris Borich held onto the lead and came across the line 30 seconds in front of William Yokely. Bill Ballance finished a remarkable third and clinched the 2006 Championship. Smiley just missed the podium in fourth with Jenks, Gallagher and Baker behind him. John Natalie rode consistently to a great eighth overall with Jeremy Rice and Chad Duvall rounding out the top ten. You have got to give it to the Racer Productions crew for putting together a great event in the conditions, and providing an excellent track despite the rainfall. Bill Ballance proved once again why he is the man to beat, adapting to the conditions and preparing his machine flawlessly to wrap up his 6th consecutive GNCC championship.

The stage is set for the Ironman finale in Indiana. Bill Ballance is always ready, Borich will be hot for another win, Yokely is ready to win the Ironman again, and Smiley has one more chance to put the Polaris on top in its rookie year. Don't use the price of gas as an excuse- see you in Indiana!

When it rains on race day, expect to see Johnny Gallagher in the Top 10 Overall
Motorhomes are a great way to get to the races, unless it rains.
When it rains on race day, expect to see Johnny Gallagher in the Top 10 Overall
Motorhomes are a great way to get to the races, unless it rains.


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