Reflecting on the GNCC in 1988

[quadman21]

I was reading an old Dirtwheels from February, 1989. One of many archive issues I have tucked away. Reading it made my feel a little old and even nostalgic. The issue had the Cross Country round up from the 1988 season in it. It made things feel like the good ole’ days. Things have changed dramatically in the XC realm. The 88 season Had Chuck Delullo and Bob Sloan battling it out until the last round. Bob and Chuck both had virtually stock 250Rs. Looking at the magazine article, it has chuck’s R with stock engine, shocks, tires, a-arms and swing arms. I’m not for sure if aftermarket arms were even made back then since there was virtually no need for them. Further reading the article found a picture of Dave McCarroll on his #46 250X competing in the 4-stroke B class. Things were much simpler back then. This started me thinking of the current Production Pro class. Were the Early years of the GNCC a production based class all on its own? I think the answer is yes and as the years went on it became an open pro class. Once Honda and Suzuki stopped the production of their 250s we had no alternative but to seek aftermarket world to build, replace, and maintain the winning machines we were accustomed to. As I look at the production based pro class of today I feel we still are not saving money making racing more affordable to consumers. All the pro ATVs are set up with thousands of dollars of aftermarket parts. The only true production based class of today is the 4-stroke stock class. I wonder if any of our favorite top pros of today could win a championship on a stock ATV as Chuck Delullo did in 1988?:confused:

[jlhughes750]

good reflection!:)

[mmills023]

I dont think that the question is "could the top pros win on a stock quad today", but more who would win if everyone was riding the exact same quad?

Just like any other sport everyone is always looking for that "edge" over thier competition. So guy#1 gets new shocks, so now guy 2 - 400000 have to get shocks to stay competitive. On one hand i think that it is great that so many companies make such great products that improve todays quads so much, on the other hand, with the exception of the 4 stroke stock class, those parts and the racing can get very expensive.

Just look at NASCAR could you imagine how crazy it would get if the curent rules were not in place (motor size, HP limits, etc, etc).

I suppose same goes for any type of quad racing, just last year, you had the pros on $30,000 custom one off quads. At least with the Pro-Production rule it helps to drive down that cost a little. Not to mention that you and I can go buy virtually the same parts that Bill Ballance himself uses. Though that doesnt mean that if i get on one of Bills quads that i would be able to beat him, or for that matter even hang with him much beyond 1/4 mile.

Good questions.....

Mike

[yamblaster200]

the other thing we have to remember is that in 1988 the top of the line quad was the 250r. just like the dirt bike world of today, the high performance quads of yesteryear were built with the best of technology that was available at the time. If things could've continued on, none of the lawsuits would have happened and things like that, i believe that the manufactures would've continued supporting racers and updated their machines from time to time to get that edge over the other company's quads, and i believe today you'd be able to buy stock quads with zps suspension systems, and things like that at a reasonable cost. It doesn't cost a manufacture any more to research and develop thing for quads than it does for bikes... and I do believe that the top bike racers could win on stock bikes. If they mass produce the high performance parts like the ssd/zps suspension then they wouldn't cost so much...and we could have suspension systems that are almost as good as a mx bike's suspension. Since the manufacture's lost all interest in building anything of any kind of performance in the 90's, the technology is now a decade behind where it should be. When the manufactures stop developing better thing for quads that's when the aftermarket stepped in and that is why the manufactures are still trying to catch up to the quads people race that were built in the 80's. Do i think a top gncc rider could win on a stock quad? I doubt it very highly. Mabe a top 10 finish if he had a good race and was on either a 450r or a yfz...but on a 400ex, raptor, or z400 he'd just make himself look bad.

[Smoker]

They had some aftermarket a-arms in 88', but I only knew of JP Racing (Lonestar) making them and only the mx guys we're using them. That was when Doug Gust was running a stock 250R with stock shocks and tires and running up front. Doug was one of the first big leapers of the time, from what I remember reading. It was all 250R's back then, it's one of the only bikes you would see at the races. There weren't many shock companies either, Works and Ohlins. There were no production rules in GNC back then, I'm not sure if there was a stock class since highly modded bikes were around but not so prevelant, buy a 250R, pipe it and maybe buy shocks for it and go racing. I remember Tim Farr running a stock frame 250R chassis with a Fisher built 350X, I believe he won the 4-Stroke A class on it and then raced some Pro races on it. It was the only hot 4-stroke motor of the time for an atv. This is what I can recall, all of it may not be perfectly true, correct me if I'm wrong. :p

[SGA]

Good points are written here.
Jeff, this thread is right up your alley, lets hear it.

[quadman21]

What's also fun to read in these old issues is where our pro riders of today came from. I was reading older articles showing Johnny G winning in the youth classes and Chad Duvall racing in 4-stroke classes. Steve and Mike Holbert both doing well on banshees finishing in the top overalls. Andy lagzdins (sp) on his #114 250R back in 88 doing well in the 250A class. Some of these pros of today have been around longer than we all know and I give them all the respect they deserve.
As far as aftermarket frames and arms I am not 100% sure myself when the first ones reached us consumers. I remember the JP Racing frames around 90-92? or something like that.
When I asked if ony of our top pros could win on a stock quad, I was in no way questioning their abilities. They're pros for a reason, they flat out rock! I was really pointing out how things have changed in the GNCC (or even MX) scene. Talking about how things have changed makes me feel older than I really am. Like some old timer remembering when he could buy milk for a nickel.
:p

[gncc35]

Could any of our top pro's win on a stock atv? I think Yes. Brad page finished 5th on a new 450r with only a pipe and elka shocks in north carolina and it was his first race of the season. Yes the pipe may have helped a little, and the elka's may have helped some, but the stock shocks could have been revalved and resprung to be just as good, and I don't think Page finished that well all last year on a fully built atv. So my answer is yes.