De Leon Springs, FL - It seems like
the first round of the GNCC's comes up so fast. No matter
how prepared you think you are, there's always something
that doesn't come together- some parts that don't show
up, some riding you don't get to do, some plans that
don't get made. My big last-minute rush was the assembly
of my race quad; a 2006 TRX450R kick-start model that
I didn't take delivery of until 5 days before we were
scheduled to leave for Florida! Luckily, my sponsors
had all come through with the parts I needed and I had
stockpiled them in my shop waiting on the arrival of
the quad. After four days of steady wrenching, the 2006
race quad was ready to roll into the trailer Thursday
morning before I left to do battle in the sandy trenches
of De Leon Springs.
There is no better feeling than loading up the hauler
on a bitter, windy 30 degree Maryland winter morning
and unloading it the next day under the blinding sunlight
of a cloudless 85 degree Florida afternoon. Every
time I roll my quad out into the warm sand for a ride
it feels like I'm cutting school, or as if I called
in sick for work. Having a reason to go south every
winter is what makes the Orange Crush GNCC such a
great event. Many racers make a vacation out of it,
and they get to do the first two rounds of the series
in one trip while being able to bring the family and
enjoy Daytona's Bike Week in between the races.
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#3
William Yokley debuts the new Suzuki LT-R450
in basically stock form as he heads to the starting
line with Suzuki's Pat Alexander in attendance. |
#5
Matt Smiley continues his racing campaign with
Polaris, but his weapon of choice for Florida
was the new Outlaw with its Independent Rear
Suspension |
Another interesting part of the Orange Crush is finally
seeing the racers with their new quads. There is an
ever-growing "silly season" in ATV racing
that is fueled by hear-say, magazine hype, and web
forum know-it-alls. People want to know who is riding
what for who and with whose parts. In Florida, it
was all out in the open on practice day. The Ballance
brothers were on their "factory" Yamaha's,
with Bill now using Ohlins shocks and Brandon on Elka's.
Chris Borich was on the Honda, and returned to using
Laeger components and also once again getting backing
from East Coast ATV. Yokley had a new LTR450 which
was surprisingly stock, sitting in front of the Suzuki
/ Yoshimura MX Team Semi. Chris Jenks had a couple
of very nice looking Honda's, and was running his
own program after a very successful 2005 season with
Team Four Stroke Tech. Matt Smiley was set to race
the Polaris Outlaw, and there was a steady crowd around
his pit looking for some new info about the ground-breaking
machine with its independent rear suspension system.
Bryan Baker had a fresh K&K sponsored green TRX450R;
with the biggest change to his program being the switch
to Elka shocks. I was now the lone rider for Team
Duncan, and it really makes it easier for me when
such a race-oriented company such as Duncan is 100%
dedicated to my race program. I haven’t made
any major changes to my race program in years, and
with such great sponsors behind me, I probably won't
for years to come. My Honda’s were sporting
the new ITP Holeshot GNCC tires, which was hot out
of the molds and ready for the race. Look for these
tires to make a big impact on the series with Yokley,
McGill, Rice, and I all switching to these new tires
from ITP. Pro Rookie, Adam McGill was happy to be
in the pro pits with his Holz Racing 450R's. Santo
DeRisi and Brian Cook had sharp looking Hondas under
the Team Excel banner, using the new Pirelli Race
Rail XC tires. The Looney Tuned team of Mike Houston
and Chris Bithell had a great looking rig and their
race quads stood out with bright yellow color schemes,
and featured the new Super Grip tires.
Race day dawned with beautiful weather, and over
500 riders were ready to enjoy the 12 mile course.
The morning race went well, and the new class structure
helped secure a podium sweep by the women's class.
The 270+ morning racers turned the track into a whoop-fest,
and the afternoon race would be a 48 mile long whoop
section. Twenty-two pro riders lined up on the front
row, including MX champ John Natalie and WORCS top-three
rider Logan Holladay.
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#2 Chris Borich takes the Holeshot by darting
to the inside of #1 Bill Ballance in the first
turn |
The start had Bill Ballance and Chris Borich battling
for the Holeshot with Borich edging out Ballance through
turn one. The first three straights were probably
the smoothest on the course, but a pileup in the third
turn between Kim Kunhle and Santo DeRisi held the
rest of the pack behind the pair; unfortunately, I
was behind them, but it seems the come-from-behind
race is my specialty. I knew the importance of keeping
a good solid pace that I was capable of maintaining
for the duration, and I set off to reel in the guys
out front. I was able to work my way past Rhett Butler,
but then Logan Holladay went past me like I was standing
still! Somewhere during this first few miles I hit
one of those stumps, which jolted me off the quad
enough to where I had my chest on the right front
fender and one foot barely on the edge of my nerf
bar. Logan got away from me and I thought he would
pull another disappearing act on me like he did at
the WORCS race in California several weeks ago. I
rounded the first lap way back in 18th place, and
I was feeling the pressure to up the pace.
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#13 John Natalie Jr took advantage of the GNCC
race in Florida to prepare for the Gatorback
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On lap two the track started to take it's toll, and
I made my way past Scott Barron and Todd Demaree. Then,
I spotted Logan as he was only coasting through the
whoops and I motored past him. Adam McGill was the next
rider I saw, and he was having mechanical issues. At
the end of a straight, I found Johnny Gallagher laying
in a berm with his quad upside down. I hopped off my
quad and tried to help him. He was convinced his leg
was broken, and he resisted being moved, so I went and
told a rider who was pulled over that Johnny was in
trouble. Adam also stopped and helped Johnny, and he
was able to finish another lap. I came up on Matt Smiley
and he was not going his usual speed until we reached
deep whoop sections where he really slowed down because
of issues with one of his rear shocks, so I worked my
way past him right before the check point. With the
misfortunes of Bill Ballance's bent tie rod, and Bryan
Cook's get-off, I was able to move up to 10th going
into the third lap. Then I made the most novice error
- I was rolling over the second log in the "gator
pit" made-for-tv section and stalled my quad! It
took about ten kicks to start it, and that seemed like
an eternity. On the third lap, I made it past Mike Houston,
and moved to 9th going into the last lap.
The last lap of the Orange Crush GNCC felt like the
last round of a title bout with Ali in the 70's. I
hit my helmet on my handlebars so many times it probably
looked like Sylvester Stallone working out on the
speed bag in Rocky 3. I came powering out of a whooped-out
turn where a group of people were standing and got
out of shape so bad my knee hit my thumb throttle,
which launched me over a couple whoops exiting the
turn. I was trying to keep my composure, and then
Bill Ballance came up on me trying to charge his way
back to the front, so I just pulled over and let him
go. The thought actually went through my delirious
head that I was getting lapped! I was so exhausted
at the finish that I stalled my quad and didn't have
the energy to kick start, but it was a great feeling
to finish well and not have any mechanical problems,
injuries, or blisters; and I felt relieved that the
first round was over.
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#2 Chris Borich dominated the opening round
of the GNCC Series on his Honda TRX450R |
Chris Borich showed everyone that he was determined
to win everything this year with a dominating performance,
winning by more than 3 minutes over William Yokley.
William put the new Suzuki LT-R450 on the podium in
it's first GNCC race in virtually stock form because
the only major changes included Elka Suspension, Yoshimura
Cherry Bomb & Exhaust, handlebars along with other
bolt on parts. Hey Suzuki- give that man a semi! Yamaha’s
Brandon Ballance battled with Chris Jenks for the
final podium spot, and came out on top. Chris came
in ahead of a hard-charging John Natalie; who rode
great to round out the top five even without a clutch.
Sixth and seventh went to up-and-comers Chris Bithell
and Duane Johnson. Bill got past Bryan Baker for eighth,
and Pro Am rider, Sean Neidlinger finishing tenth
overall and taking the class win.
The GNCC series seems to be growing and gaining more
recognition every year, and the title chase is already
heated up after a dominating win by Chris Borich.
This weekend's race in Georgia will be a return to
a more "GNCC-style" course, and the versatility
of the riders will be tested, so get ready for Round
2 of the greatest off-road series on earth!
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| William
Yokley put in an impressive race on the new
Suzuki LT-R450, and earned himself a 2nd Overall
finish |
Ballance
brothers both faced adversity in the opening
round, but Brandon was able to overcome his
issues and earn the final spot on the podium
in Florida. |
The
AMA-sanctioned Suzuki Grand National Cross Country
series is America's premier off-road racing series.
The 13-round series is produced exclusively by Racer
Productions. Cross-country racing is one of the most
physically demanding sports in the world. The nearly
three-hour long GNCC races lead as many as 1800 riders
through tracks ranging from eight to twelve miles
in length. With varied terrain including hills, trees,
mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events
are tests of both survival and speed. GNCC featured
sponsors include Parts Unlimited, Moose, Maxxis, Pirelli,
Wiseco, Klotz, FMF and ITP, and riders compete for
over $2.8 million in series prizes and contingency
money. Associate sponsors include Moose Utility Division,
Scott, Acerbis, Alpinestars, Cometic, Outerwears,
Twin Air, Polisport Plastics, Thor, Motion Pro, Hyper
Wheels, Elka Suspension, MotoTee's, Weekend Warrior,
Owens Motorsports, Tom's Marina Polaris, EK Chain
and Laeger's. Media Sponsors include Dirt Rider Magazine,
ATV Sport Magazine, www.ATVRiders.com
and Racer X Illustrated. For more information log
on to www.GNCCRacing.com.
www.gnccracing.com
122 Vista Del Rio Drive,
Morgantown, WV 26508
304-284-0084
ATVriders.com
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