2004 GNCC Round #8 Rausch Creek PM Race

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The 8th Round of the GNCC Series was in Mountains of Tremont, PA. The track went between two ridges and completed a big circle that was about 10.5 miles long.

Standing at the two mile marker you could see the pits across the valley.

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The one thing you didn't have to worry about at this event was mud because the majority of the track was hard packed gravel with several rock gardens thrown in the mix.

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Another view of the course

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There weren't but one hill climb on the course and it was optional.

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As brutual as this course was in sections if you didn't take the time to walk the course, you were in for some surprises during the race. While I walked the course, I ran into Traci Cecco checking it out as well. It really helps during the race to know what obsticles are on the course and if there are alternative lines that can be used for passing.

There is much more that goes into winning a race than showing up the day of a race and going to the starting line. Occassionaly, you can get away with winning without much effort, but winning a championship requires much more effort.

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The Ballance Team and Johnny Gallagher head out Friday night after getting everything setup for the race on Saturday.

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Friday Evening a thunderstorm rolled through and dampened the ground for the Morning race, but by the time the Afternoon race was ready to start the track was all dried up and extremely dusty in sections.

William Yokley talked with Angel Atwell about the course before the Afternoon Race.

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John Natalie Jr.,GNC Pro MX Racer, with the help of East Coast ATV setup one of his YFZ for the XC race.

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Rob Zimmerman finally made the switch from the 400EX to the 450R!

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Michael Houston has had his share of problems the last two rounds, but he was back and ready for action. He honors the American Flag during the National Anthem.

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Pro Class

#10 Brandon Ballance rounded the 1st turn out front with #5 Matt Smiley and #2 Chris Borich close behind.

#4 Chad Duvall flipped over sideways heading into the turn :eek:

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John Natalie Jr sneaks around the corner tree behind Kim Kuhnle on his Predator.

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Bill Ballance had a slow start, but quickly found a hole between Johnny Gallagher and Frank Grimplin to pick up two spots.

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Rob Zimmerman found himself part of the pileup on the start, but quickly recovered and was on the gas.

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Chad Duvall finally got his YFZ uprighted and was on the gas chasing the rest of the class which had about a 30 second head start on him.

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By the end of the 1st lap, William Yokley had taken the lead with Matt Smiley in hot pursuit.

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Chris Borich was running strong in third place after the 1st lap, but he never finished the 2nd lap because of an engine failure:(

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No Surprise, Bill Ballance quickly made up for his poor start, and was already up to 4th place and easily took over third after Borich was left sitting on the course.

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Santo Derisi was charging hard in 5th place and was looking for a repeat podium appearance from last year, but unfortunately for him, his dream quickly ended when his lower A-arm nut came off and left him also sitting in the woods on the 2nd lap:(

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Jeff Stoess showed that he didn't need a muddy race to stay near the front. He also is a very good rock pounder and had his ATK hauling with its Tireballs:macho

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Michael Houston was up to 7th place as he flew through the pits and back into the woods behind Stoess.

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Todd Knippenberg was once again in the top 10 and running strong until his YFZ left him sitting in the woods on the 2nd lap. Three out of the last four races, poor Todd has run into problems with his YFZ, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him on a 450R like Andy Lagzdins if this continues.

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Brandon Ballance was back to 9th after the early lead, and Pro AM rider James Wahl was closing fast on his rear bumper. Brandon reportly lost it in a turn in the 1st lap which dropped him out of the lead. Also, in the 2nd lap, he ran into more problems when he nose dived a jump into a rock which flipped him over. Thank God, he wasn't seriously injuried and continued the race.

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Greg Trew was up to 3rd place until the 6 mile marker of the 1st lap when he went flying into a hard right hand turn and quickly realized he didn't have any front brakes. He over shot the turn and went into the woods and luckily he wasn't injuried. Once he got going again, he came through the first lap back to 10th place.

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Thomas Barrett on his 400EX was up to 11th on the first lap and was having his best race yet this year. Thomas is the last Pro to still be a on 400EX.

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Chad Duvall came flying through up to 15th after the 1st lap and was gaining fast on the competition :macho

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John Natalie Jr never finished the 1st lap because his chain derailed after he lost his skid plate, and Greg Trew was finished after only two laps because the track conditions were to dangerous to run up front at the high speeds without front brakes.

After two laps, the Rausch Creek course claimed four of the top ten riders in the 1st lap ( Chris Borich, Santo Derisi, Todd Knippenberg, and Greg Trew).

Brandon Ballance had already wrecked atleast once.

Greg Trew coming through on the 2nd lap.

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By the three mile marker of the last lap, Matt Smiley was out front with Bill Ballance right on him. At times, Bill Ballance was probably less than one inch away from Matt's rear tire. By the 6 mile marker, Bill Ballance found a quicker line around a lapper which dropped Matt back to 2nd Place.

Matt attempted to regain the lead, but unfortunately for him a lapper caused him to stall his yfz around the 8 mile marker and it wouldn't start back up. A 2 stroke quad tried to come to his rescue, but wasn't able to push start him, so he waited till another 4 stroke quad was able to push start him. Matt ended up sitting several minutes in the woods, which gave Bill Ballance the Win by two minutes over Matt Smiley.

Bill Ballance and Matt Smiley looked incredible the entire race and completed seperated themselves from the rest of the field by almost four minutes which was amazing. Great Racing :macho

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Michael Houston put in his best ride of the season and finished 3rd in the Pro class and 4th Overall.

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Jeff Stoess had his 2nd best race of the year with a fifth overall finish, and him and Michael Houston battled to the finish line with Houston getting caught up with Nathan at the finish, which allowed Jeff to actually be scored ahead of Michael, but the incident occured on the finish line which gave Houston the 4th spot.

Great Race Jeff!!!:macho

[Admin]

William Yokley had his share of problems as well. He lost his rear brakes after the 1st lap and had to slow down.

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Chad Duvall put in an incredible run to work his way up from 15th on the 1st lap to 6th by the 2nd lap. By the last lap, he closed the gap on William Yokley in 5th and the two of them were battling for position. Unfortunately, a ditch in the track caught up on them quicker than they realized and Chad wasn't able to slow down in time. Him and William hit the ditch, but Yokley was able to save it. Chad wasn't as lucky and wrecked hard. He ended up breaking his collar bone in several places, and he will be out probably for six weeks. Through his determination he still finished the race :macho with a sixth place finish.

I wish Chad a speedy recovery, and I hope to see him back in action by Wisp.

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Thomas Barrett had his best finish yet this year with a 7th place finish and 10th Overall.

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Andy Lagzdins once again finished the race in 8th place and for the 4th time this year 11th Overall. Since Andy switched to the 450R he hasn't finished less than 15th overall and has been extremely consistent. Congratulations Andy on another great finish.

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Brandon Ballance held on to a 9th place finish.

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Bryan Cook was able to overcome a poor start and work his way up to 10th place.

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Jared Gruca finished a season's best 15th overall and 11th in the Pro Class.

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Rob Zimmerman was able to overcome and early wreck and finished 12th on his 450R.

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Kim Kuhnle rode his Predator to a 13th place finish.

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Frank Grimplin had his best overall finish of the season!!!

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Johnny Gallagher ran into electrical problems on the 2nd lap and ended up only completing three laps:(

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Bill Ballance was one again on the Podium for the 7th time this year!!! He five in a row streak was ended at Sparta, but Bill was ready to start over again with another Win.

Bill is an incredible racer to watch, and he earns every victory with his relentless determination. Congratulations Bill!!!

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Matt Smiley made his 4th podium apperance this year, and it was great to see him up there in his home state.

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With the finish line confusion, Jeff Stoess found himself on the Podium again, but in the end, he was scored 5th overall. I think Jeff is getting addicted to the podium thing. He sure did look happy.

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Bill Ballance sprays the crowd with Champagne in the Podium Celebration.

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Paramedics attended to Chad's injuries as William Yokley describes to BRYAN, Chad's Mechanic, what happened.

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I enjoyed the racing at the Rausch Creek course this past weekend, but looking back at all the injuries and severally damaged ATVs, I feel the course was too fast in sections for the rocky and dusty conditions. I almost lost it twice in the Morning race and half of the top Pro 10 riders suffered injuries or quad failures because of the rough conditions.

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Jeff Stoess signed Autographs for the fans after the race.

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John Pellan of ATV Scene was even on hand for the Race!!

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Pro Am Class

Tyson Thomas made his GNCC debut last year at Rausch Creek after missing the 1st half of the season, and after wrecking on the start, he came back to finish an impressive 5th overall.

This year he missed the first half of the season because of injury, and was looking for a repeat performance from last year.

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James Wahl another PA native was looking to have a great race in front of his hometown crowd.

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#16 Jeremy Rice, #13 Chris Jenks, and Scott Samuel on the starting line.

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James Wahl grabbed a commanding holeshot with Jeremy Rice and Mike Lucas in chase.

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By the end of the 1st lap, James Wahl remained out front as he looked back at the charging Greg Trew.

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Jeremy Rice was 30 seconds back in 2nd place

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Chris Jenks was on the gas trying to close the gap on the leaders.

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Mike Lucas was running strong in 4th, but I believe he suffered a flat in the 2nd lap and dropped back to 9th place. I wish that I could convince him to get Tireballs.

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Rick Cecco was only two seconds behind Lucas in 5th place

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Joshua Ribley was on the gas in 6th place

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Jason Lewis was once again running in the top 10, but was only able to complete one lap. Jason Lewis has had the worst luck this year of any racer I know. He has ran into problem 6 times this year already. The two races he finished he was third both times. Hopefully, the month off will do him good.

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By the end of the race, James Wahl was still out front and had moved up to third Overall on his 250R.

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One minute behind James Wahl, Jeremy Rice crossed the finish line in 2nd place and 6th overall.

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Chris Jenks had another great race and finished third and 8th Overall.

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Joshua Ribley finished 4th and 13th Overall. The past two times he finished as well was at the Hurricane and Sparta, so we know he can run in the Mud, but now he proved he is also a threat in the Rocks. I bet he can't wait for the next two races with swamps in Virginia and rocks at the Wisp. Great Racing Joshua:macho

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Brian Schmid was finally 100% after a injuries he recieved off the track, and he got right back where he left off in Steele Creek with a top 20 overall finish. If Brian can stay healthy, I expect him to quickly advance in the points with six races left. Congratulations Brian.

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Tyson Thomas didn't have a repeat of last year, but he still put in a great race. He worked his way up to within six seconds of Brian Schmid on the last lap, but got a flat front tire early in the last lap, which caused him to lose alot of time. He ended up dropped from 6th to 13th to finish the race. Hopefully, Tyson will have himself a set of Tire Balls for the next race, so he doesn't let another race slip away in the end.

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EXriders.com Member Scott Samuel made the trip down from MA to compete in his first GNCC this year in the Pro Am class on his 450R. He rode his way to a 12th place finish in an extremely competitive class, and it was nice to meet another member.

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Rob Hertz who loves to have his picture taken (NOT) finished right where he started in 8th place. Rob has been extremely consistent this year by finishing every race in the top 10. Last year, Rob couldn't have any luck, so it is great to see him having a little luck on his side this year.

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James Wahl celebrated his third Overall on the Podium in front of a hometown crowd. It was exciting to see James finally make the podium, and I wish him continued success this season.

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Open A / 265A

Sean Neidlinger has been having a great year with two wins so far in the 265A Class, and he is currently 2nd in the points behind Andy Klingworth. I guess Sean's father finally fiqured out how to put together Sean's engine:eek2: without it coming apart halfway through the race.:devil:

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Sean Neidlinger used his 250R powerplant to put himout front early in the race with Open A rider Richie Brown right beside of him.

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By the end of the 1st lap, Eric Davis was out front in the Open A Class, but he had a rear flat. He quickly pulled into his pits to get it changed, but not before several riders passed him.

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Jeffrey Pickens took over the lead!

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James Wahl's teammate, Josh Whitehead, was on the gas and moved up to 2nd place until the third lap when his race ended:(

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Bryan Baker once again had the vforce near the front of the pack after the 1st lap he was up to 5th place and flying around like he was on a 250R. It is scary how fast he gets that Vforce to move through the woods.

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Tim Lenig didn't dismount his cannondale on the start this week, and he was running 6th after the 1st lap. Unfortunately, his race also ended in the third lap.

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Scott Fleischhauer leads Tom Hertz and Sean Hertz through the Pro Pits! Scott worked his way up to 5th place by the third lap, but never finished the race.

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Eric Davis overcame his flat tire by the end of the 3rd lap and took over the lead. He went on to win the race :macho

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Bryan Baker put in the fastest last lap of the Open A Class and moved to within 10 seconds of Eric Davis at the finish line with an impressive 2nd place finish and his third top 20 overall finish of the year on the Vforce.

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Jeffrey Pickens didn't hold onto the lead, but he still finished only thirty seconds behind Eric Davis in third place.

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Dan Destefano finished 4th on his 400EX.

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Shawn Beavers finished the race in 5th place!

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Sean Neidlinger went on to win his third race of the season in the 265A Class by over two minutes over Mike Knight who had lead the race until the last lap. Great racing Sean:macho

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Local Rider, Mark Waters finished 3rd in his first GNCC race this year.

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Zap's Racing, Andy Klingworth, the 265A points leader finished 4th.

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Another PA Local rider, Dan Ketterer finished an impressive 5th place!

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Yet another PA rider, Mark Carmen finished 6th! I tell you those local boys in PA may not make all the nationals, but they can sure ride:cool:

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4 Stroke A

Scott Barron pulled his first holeshot of the season and he did it in style!

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Scott continued to lead the race after the 1st lap, and developed a one minute lead going into the third lap, but like a broken record, he never finished the third lap and was out of the race:(

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Derek Litterini capitalized on Scott's misfortune and went on to win his 2nd race of the season.

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Gregg Stewart had his best finish of the year with a 2nd place and closed the gap on the 4 Stroke A Points Leader Rhett Butler.

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After three DNFs in a row, John Rowlings finally had a respectable 10th place finish in Sparta, but it wasn't where I expected to see John. The John that I knew last year finally emerged at Rausch with a third place finish, and now that he is use to the 450R, I expect we will be seeing him near the front even more as the year cointinues.

Great Racing John:macho

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Kevin Tinsley finished 7th which was his best finish of the year:macho

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The Points Leader, Rhett Butler, was back to 16th after the 1st lap, but worked his way up to 6th by the third lap only to run into problems on the last lap, and finished 8th.

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Justin Trevis finished the race in 9th place

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Allen Howell threw his Polaris sideways heading through the turn after the pits and was having a good race until it all ended in the third lap.

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Lee Dickerson race ended after the 1st lap when his Suzuki's subframe just snapped off without any help from another quad.

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Ben Wrightsman assisted EXriders.com in the Morning by taking photographs, and raced the A Class in the afternoon.

Thanks for your Help Ben!!!

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Junior Class

Michale Kyte took the early lead heading into turn two.

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Jim Pinkston and Tom Brown were in hot pursuit.

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Pete Stadtmueller was one of the last riders to head into the woods.

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Jared Huffman extended his points lead by winning his fifth race of the season after working his way up from third place.

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Wyatt Westmoreland lead the first three laps, but was passed by Jared on the last lap. Wyatt switched from racing his Gas Gas in the morning in the 2 stroke C Class to the 450R in the Afternoon for his chance of getting some of that Honda Contingency money, which paid off for him this race.

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PA Resident, Tom Brown finished third in his first GNCC race this season.

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George Hickey rode his 450R to a 4th place finish.

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Pete Stadtmueller had his best finish of the year with a 5th place finish, which moved him into third place in points.

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Vet Class

Marty Eckert had his YFZ looking awesome before the race!

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Marty has been a great help this year in providing some of the awesome pictures from the morning races, and I thank him for all of his help. My other faithful camera man, Fred Mudd, stayed home to be with his pregnant wife, but also has been a great help this year.

I thank everyone that has helped make this race coverage possible, and I am always looking for others to help out with video and taking pictures. I typically bring four cameras to each race, so your help would be appericiated.

Thanks again, Marty:D

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Kevin D Wall and EXriders.com Member Wayne Edwards grabbed the early lead

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But in the End, Eric Lemely put in an incredible race and finished an amazing 18th overall, which wasn't even his best race of the year. This is a true acomplishment for starting on the 6th row, and I wish that I got a better picture of him than this washed out one.

Great Job Eric!!

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No surprise that another EXriders.com Member, Blaine Shick, finished 2nd and 25th overall. The battle for the championship in the Vet Class this year between top six guys is going to be fun to watch.

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Last Year's Vet Class Champion Bryan Hulsey finished 4th behind Kevin Wall.

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Bobby Ousley worked his way up to a 5th place finish, and is currently tied for the points lead with Cale Clarkson.

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Kenneth Tincher finished 6th with his best overall finish.

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Marty Eckert rode his way to his best overall finish and is currently 7th in Points.

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The Points Leader, Cale Clarkson, finished a season's worst 9th place.

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Senior Class

Dave A Simmons got off an running with Jim Vanloocke right behind him.

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John Kenney and John Cunningham

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The Points Leader, Dave Simmons, Won his 7th Race in a Row:macho and hasn't lost a race yet this year :eek:

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John Kenney finished a season's best third and is currently 6th in Points.

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265B Class

Justin Wright grabbed the Holeshot and went on to win his 4th race of the year.

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Nathan Gogno finished 2nd and is currently 3rd in Points.

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Freddy Montgomery finished 5th

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Open B

Brian Kennard was the 1st person around the first turn.

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Brian Kennard went on to finish 4th

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Craig Wilson won the last race at Sparta, but didn't have as good of luck at Rausch Creek with a 17th place 1st lap, but he was able to work his way up to a 10th place finish, which puts in 5th in the Points.

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4 Stroke B

Bub Yoho grabbed the holeshot on his LTZ400

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In the end, Mark Fulton put his Z out front and took over the points lead in the Class.

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Bub Yoho finished 2nd and is currently 5th in Points.

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Shon Franklin finished 3rd

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My good friend, Ralph Johnson raced his first GNCC this year after taking some time off from racing. It was great to see him back in action.

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Sport Class

Dustin Pigott got his 300EX out to an early lead, but ended up finishing 14 seconds behind PA rider Denton Kosmer.

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EXriders.com Member Joseph Papa raced his blaster to a 7th place finish.

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Brad Morrison finished 8th, but remains 3rd in Points.

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Mitch Wright on his 300EX finished 9th

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Dylan Doston brought out his Warrior for the race, which isn't a quad you see too often at the races anymore.

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Well that is it for the Afternoon Race Coverage. I would have had more pictures, but somehow almost 200 of them were inadvertently deleted:(

In closing, I must say that after going through the results that it was evident that this course took its toll on many of the riders and quads. It was a fun course, but it was dangerous in sections because of the high speeds and sudden drop offs. Also, many local PA racers showed up and did extremely well, which is no surprise because I personally feel some of the fastest racers in the country are in PA, but most just don't follow the GNCC series.

I will probably won't get the Morning coverage finished till next week because I have plenty of work to get done around the house.

Will you be putting the pics in the picture gallery anytime soon???

[Ralph]

Originally posted by EXriders Admin
My good friend, Ralph Johnson raced his first GNCC this year after taking some time off from racing. It was great to see him back in action.

IS THAT THE REAL RALPH JOHNSON:devil:

[Admin]

Originally posted by Rico
Will you be putting the pics in the picture gallery anytime soon???

I am behind on the gallery:(

I will try to get gallery updated some tonight, and thanks for reminding me.

[Pappy]

Originally posted by Ralph
IS THAT THE REAL RALPH JOHNSON:devil:

the one and only RALPH JOHNSON:macho

[Ralph]

i hear he is also ralph13:eek:

[ex kid]

Originally posted by EXriders Admin
EXriders.com Member Joseph Papa raced his blaster to a 7th place finish.

harlen, thanks for the recongnition!

it's really cool that you take the time to cover so many races. for those of us that can usally only make districts it keeps us up do date. i'll probably see you down in Virginia and Maryland. i'll be looking for better results in the sport class agian.

[CatMostFeared]

Originally posted by EXriders Admin
But in the End, Eric Lemely put in an incredible race and finished an amazing 18th overall, which wasn't even his best race of the year. This is a true acomplishment for starting on the 6th row, and I wish that I got a better picture of him than this washed out one.

Great Job Eric!!

Sand Bagger :mad:

[CatMostFeared]

Your welcome Harlen I love taken pics.
Good job on the afternoon pics.:)

Originally posted by CatMostFeared
Your welcome Harlen I love taken pics.


Weres the mornin race coverage then slacker....:grr:

[Ryan]

Great coverage like always! ;)

[FASTeR]

all these yfz problems yet it finishes #1 on the podium in gncc more than anything else. It's weird how some people have repeated problems while others have none.

[Admin]

Originally posted by FASTeR
all these yfz problems yet it finishes #1 on the podium in gncc more than anything else. It's weird how some people have repeated problems while others have none.

I agree with you to a point, but being that most are running YFZ quads it makes it easier for them to get on the podium.

[Ralph]

how are the ride pics coming?

[Admin]

Whoops, I have been so busy that I forgot. I will get them started on Tuesday.

[FASTeR]

Borich's engine let go do to a rock cracking the case and letting all the oil drain out, which could happen on anything, i know my old R had more than one hole in its cases at one time. Please dont leave things open ended like that. It would be fair to mislead people into thinking these things are time bombs just ready to blow up.