| 2008
GBC Heartland Challenge
10 Hour ATV Endurance Race
Carlisle, Iowa
November 7-8, 2008
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GBC Heartland Challenge
10 Hour ATV Race Report
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Challenge Links |
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Carlisle, IA – The first
ever GBC Heartland Challenge presented by PIAA was
a big success. With nearly 60 teams signed up to
race the 10-hour ATV endurance race and while everyone
gave it their all, it was team Powermadd/GT Thunder
that claimed the Pro ATV win, with the PIAA/Can-Am
team taking home the $7500 first prize in the Pro
Utility ATV class.
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| After
snowing all day on Friday, the winds and
snow finally let up before the start of
the GBC Heartland Challenge 10 Hour ATV
Endurance Race, and the racers lined up
their quads for a Lemans style start
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Things got off to a very cold start with temps
dipping down in the 20’s and snow flurries
lingering, but that was an improvement from Friday
when the vigorous snow was coming in sideways
due to the strong winds, which also wreaked havoc
on the track by blowing down course markers. The
cold and wind did have its advantages however,
as it helped to dry out the track and keep the
mud from turning into a soupy mess. The weather
also didn’t stop the huge crowd of spectators
that showed up to cheer on the teams and show
their support.
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| Most
teams utlized 3 riders and multiple ATVs,
but not GBC / ATVRiders.com Pro ATV Team
Jeff Pickens & Jarrod McClure as they
planned on racing the entire race as a 2
man team with just one Tom Motorsports sponsored
Honda TRX 450R |
Yamaha's
Traci Cecco was all smiles before the start
of the race, and she has plenty to smile
about after securing her 7th GNCC Women's
Championship, and now she teamed up with
Kristen Atwell and Jesse Stracham in the
Women's Class |
There were four Pro teams consisting of several
GNCC racers, all with their sights set on winning.
The Powermadd/GT Thunder team consisting of Brandon
Sommers, Johnny Gallagher and Taylor Kiser were
up against some stiff competition from the Dirtworks
Motorsports team of former Can-Am factory rider,
Duane Johnson, Michael Burrows and Kyle Martin
while the GBC/ATVriders team of Jeff Pickens and
Jarrod McClure were a crowd favorite as well.
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| Several
teams stopped at the Heartland Challenge
for some racing before heading across the
country to Mexico for the Baja 1000, and
Stack Racing's Jim Stack (left) convinced
Tom Wright & Wayne Tharp to race his
Honda Rincon in the Pro Utility Class. Also,
Arctic Cat's Jesse West & Josh West
(right) broke out the Thundercat 1000 for
one of their few races this year
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On the Pro Utility side, the PIAA/Can-am team
consisting of GNCC 4x4 Limited champ Michael Swift.
4x4 Lites champ Cliff Beasley, and super fast
U2 class racer, Rick Cecco, would be going head
to head with West Racing’s Jesse West, winner
of the 2007 WPSA Quad Terrain Challenge championship
and his brother Josh West. Daryl Rath and his
Polaris team were also looking for a victory and
a shot at the record breaking $7500 1st place
prize for the Pro Utility class. Rath’s
team consisted of himself, Frank Batista and Jason
Dunkelberger who was making his “Ute”
racing debut. “I think this is going to
be a great event. The track looks fun and I’m
really looking forward to getting out there,”
said Dunk.
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Country
Music Singer, Krista Marie, sang the National
Anthem, and she also raced with Kristy Laurine
in the Women's Class |
Shortly before noon, racers began to line up their
quads for the Lemans style start that proved to
be very successful and fun for the Youth classes
that morning. Once all the quads were lined up in
their proper spots, a shivering Krista Marie, who
was also to race the 10-hour challenge, took to
the microphone to sing the National Anthem. “It
may be cold out here, but I think this is going
to be a lot of fun,” she said, shortly before
the race was to begin.
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