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View Full Version : 2005 GNCC "The Mountaineer" Round #8 Afternoon ATV Race Coverage



Admin
06-15-2005, 03:11 PM
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Summersville, WV - GNCC Racing heads to the West Virginia Mountains for its eighth round of racing, and after dealing with muddy conditions at the previous two rounds, the weather cooperated this weekend with no rain in forecast, but heat and humidity would be factor on Saturday.

Good Evening Ranch would host the event at its exotic park in the mountains with a zoo, golf course, swimming pool, cabins, and mx track, which would provide for a vacation spot anytime of the year.

Admin
06-15-2005, 03:14 PM
The exotic animal park housed various games animals from the United States including Elk, Turkey, Deer, sheep, and many more..

These Elk were just starting to grow their new antlers for the fall.

Also, some of the Elk Pasture would be utilized as part of the course, but ofcourse the Elk would be moved to another field during the race.

Admin
06-15-2005, 03:15 PM
The facility also was home to some Africa native species including Zebras.

Admin
06-15-2005, 03:16 PM
They even had some mature male lions which were awesome to look at through the cages, which was plenty close enough.

Admin
06-15-2005, 03:19 PM
I mentioned early, the facility also has a MX Track which would be utilized as the final mile of the 11 mile GNCC Track.

Admin
06-15-2005, 03:21 PM
The track layout would also contain a few miles of high speed field sections with a mud pit at the bottom of this hill that would play a huge factor in the race

Admin
06-15-2005, 03:24 PM
The start of the race would have the riders making several high speed turns in the open fields before heading into the woods and into a garden of rocks before it opened up to some marsh land and fire roads.

Admin
06-15-2005, 03:27 PM
Don't let the rocks fool you into beleiving it was a rock feast
because the majority of the track was high speed fire roads with some tighter trails thrown into the mix with some off chamber hill sections.

Admin
06-15-2005, 03:31 PM
There was one knarly hill climb with exposed roots and stomps that riders could dare to attempt, or they could stay on the fire road and go around it which would cost them around 15 seconds to bypass the hill climb, which could provide the prefect chance to make a move on a slower rider if you could make it to the top.

Admin
06-15-2005, 03:37 PM
This seemingly simple climb would prove disastrous to many riders in the morning and afternoon race

Admin
06-15-2005, 03:40 PM
The final obstacle the riders would face before returning to the MX track would be the "FMF Doomsday Hill" which was a stair step of timber logs that the Afternoon riders would have to negotiate down to the bottom of the hill, which would claim many riders during the race.

A view of what the riders would see as they descended the hill

Admin
06-15-2005, 03:42 PM
Once the riders reached the bottom of the hill, they better hope they stayed to the left coming down because a mud pit awaited those that went to the right down the "FMF Dooms Day" hill.

Admin
06-15-2005, 03:48 PM
With track layout complete and finally some good weather, Jeff Russell, was in good spirits Saturday Morning as made his rounds.

Admin
06-15-2005, 03:53 PM
The crew from Hiper Wheels made the trip out from Kansas in attempt to recover and replace the center section of 9” Rear Wheels produced after January 1st, 2005 because of a defect in the center section.

Many riders were appreciative that Hiper stood behind their product and their customers to correct the issue. For more information on the Hiper Wheel Recall visit their website.

Admin
06-15-2005, 03:54 PM
GNCC Series Sponsor, Klotz, was on hand to provide fuel and lubricants to the GNCC Racers. Johnny Gallagher headed over early to get 10 Gallons of Fresh Fuel for the race.

Admin
06-15-2005, 03:57 PM
Holz Racing's own, Mark Holz, made the long trip back East from Washington State to do some testing with his Top Pro Am Rider in the GNCC Series, Adam McGill.

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:02 PM
Mark Holz also shipped out a new Honda 450R equipped with some extensive mods done to the engine and equipped with Holz Racing Swingarm, Linkage, Stem, and A-arms.

Mark was in hopes of Adam racing the machine this weekend, but Adam decided he felt more comfortable aboard his current 450R, and he wanted more seat time on the new machine before making the switch, which gave Mark the opportunity to try out the new machine himself in the Afternoon as he decided to enter the race in the 4 Stroke A Class.

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:07 PM
Back in the Pits, Bill Ballance was up early providing an interview for the upcoming GNCC Television Coverage and DVDs available at the track and online at www.gearracewear.com

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:10 PM
Bill's Daughter, Lauren, was out and about on her new battery powered Yamaha Raptor, and if you have been living in the closet the past few days, you better check out Yamaha's latest Sports Quad the Yamaha Raptor 700, and don't let the name fool you because this machine has been totally rebuilt from the frame to the engine and beyond.

Yamaha Raptor 700 Details (http://www.atvriders.com/atvnews/2006yamahayfz700.html)

YFZ450 Updates Link (http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=166283)

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:14 PM
With the Afternoon race about to begin, William Yokley and his Father head over to the starting area.

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:15 PM
This little one also rode over to the starting area by wagon.

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:17 PM
The Afternoon Start would be delayed as the Water Truck needed to be pulled out of the mud at the bottom of the hill of the start.

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:22 PM
#13 Todd Knippenberg was forced to bring his 400EX out of retirement for this round because his 450R out of commission awaiting parts, so for the first time since Texas Last year Todd was back on 400EX.

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:27 PM
#23 Bryan Baker continues to be a dominating force in the Pro Class this year, and he has quietly slipped his way up to 8th Place in the Pro Class and 9th Overall this season aboard his K&K Honda 450R.

Bryan is hoping for better luck at this track this year because last year aboard his Kawasaki VForce he had one of his worst finishes of the season with a 70th Overall

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:32 PM
#6 Bryan Cook relaxed in the shade of his YFZ before the start of the racing looking to conserve some energy for the grueling two hour race in the heat.

Bryan hasn't had the best of luck this season, and hopefully he can have better luck this year at the Mountaineer than last year because it was one of only two races he didn't complete.

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:34 PM
With the Sun high in the sky and temps in the upper 80's, Bryan wasn't alone in taking it easy before the race with Eric Helmick also taking a breather as he prepared for this 2nd race of the season in the Open B Class.

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:41 PM
4 Stroke A Points Leader, #81 Todd Rothermel, was kept shaded from the sun with his Father's Umbrella.

It is great to see Todd putting together a great season with a couple of wins and top three finishes. Several years ago, Todd and I battled weekend after weekend at various races in District 6 when he rode the Predator, and some of those battles were the most intense in my racing career.

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:44 PM
Several riders were sporting their Alba Graphics Kits in an attempt to earn some Alba Bucks with Alba paying back to 10th Place in every GNCC Class.

For more details, check out Alba Contingency Program (http://www.atvriders.com/atvnews/albacontigency.html)

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:48 PM
Senior Class Points Leader, #31 Dave Simmons, remains the only rider to win every race this season with his 7 wins heading into the Mountaineer.

On a side note, I can't believe how clean he keeps his race gear from race to race, so please share your secret unless you just buy new gear all the time.

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:50 PM
#784 Brandon Sommers has the 2nd Most Wins in the Afternoon with only one 2nd Place finish to Tyler Lenig at Loretta Lynn's as Brandon and Tyler lead the 4 Stroke B Class.

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:54 PM
A Class that doesn't always receive much recognition for its riders is the Sport Class, and I personally think everyone of them is crazy some races for even attempting some of the hill climbs with only a 350cc or less machine.

Steven Mitchell doesn’t seem to be phased by some of the brutal track conditions as he has attended every race this season aboard his Yamaha Warrior. Steven has earned himself several wins and is currently leading the points with Brad Morrison in 2nd Place aboard his Yamaha Blaster.

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:56 PM
Tom Bobrowicz skipped the first 3 races of the season, but with a win at the Penton he is now only one point behind Brad heading into the 8th round.

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:58 PM
With water truck moved from the starting area, the Afternoon race was about to begin with the riders lowering their heads for the riders prayer before every race.

Admin
06-15-2005, 04:59 PM
Chris Bithell and the rest of the Pro Am Riders stood for the playing of the National Anthem.

Admin
06-15-2005, 05:09 PM
With all the riders lined up and the pits crews, friends, and family leaving the start area the race was set to get underway with the Pro Class out front ready to start.

Admin
06-15-2005, 05:10 PM
The start of the Pro Class had #1 Bill Ballance jumping out to a several quad length lead right off the start with the rest of the class in chase.

Admin
06-15-2005, 05:12 PM
Rounding the hay bail right behind Bill Ballance were #2 William Yokley, #9 Brandon Ballance, #3 Chris Borich, and #4 Matt Smiley.

#16 Santo Derisi found himself in last place as he connected with the Hay Bail spinning him around.

Admin
06-15-2005, 05:14 PM
Trying to close the gap on Bill, Brandon Ballance went into the 2nd Turn a little too fast and about flipped over making the turn with Matt Smiley going wide to avoid a collision.

Admin
06-15-2005, 05:14 PM
The Four Stroke Tech Teammates, Michael Houston and Chris Jenks were fighting the dust early as they were off to a mid pack start.

Admin
06-15-2005, 05:15 PM
Heading into the Rock Garden first was Bill Ballance with Matt Smiley right behind him getting off to one of his best starts of the season.

Admin
06-15-2005, 05:18 PM
#3 Chris Borich was up to 4th behind #2 William Yokley with #13 Andy Lagzdins up to 5th place, but with several different paths through the rocks, several riders were able to sneak past Borich and Lagzdins before reaching the fire roads.

Admin
06-15-2005, 05:19 PM
Rhett Butler, Bryan Baker, and Todd Knippenberg stay to the left while Greg Trew and Johnny Gallagher go right in hopes of picking a quicker line.

Admin
06-15-2005, 05:21 PM
#16 Santo Derisi once again would find himself in last place off the start and would have a long race ahead of him trying to work his way to the front.

Admin
06-15-2005, 05:24 PM
Pro Am Start

A minute behind the Pros, The Pro Am riders were underway with #66 Adam McGill getting out to the early lead with Pickens, Bithell, Schmid, and Sturdivant in chase.

Admin
06-15-2005, 05:26 PM
#25 Brian Schmid was take over the lead when Adam McGill would lock it up heading into the 2nd turn spinning him around backwards.

Admin
06-15-2005, 05:29 PM
Adam's spinout had Bithell and Wahl playing bumper cars which other heading into the turn with Jeffrey Pickens avoiding the mess along with Brandon Sturdivant.

Sturdivant would track down and pass Brian Schmid before heading into the rock garden and take over the lead.

Admin
06-15-2005, 05:30 PM
Chris Bithell would get himself going again and off to a midpack start with Adam stalling his machine, which required him to kick Start it and sent him back to last place.

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:07 AM
Open A

Open A points leader, Brian Shaw jumped out to an early lead along with Anthony Hill as these two battle for the lead heading into the woods.

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:11 AM
4 Stroke A

#614 Josh Allen aboard his Yamaha YFZ held the lead heading through the rock garden with Tom Collins on his Honda in Chase with the crowd cheering them on.

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:14 AM
Vet Class

Jeff Brest lead the way for the Vet Class with John Rowlings and Blaine Shick close behind.

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:17 AM
John Rowlings has been on fire since switching to the Vet Class at Loretta Lynn's with his two best overall finishes of the season, and by the roost his 450R was throwing, John was looking for another win as he tried to reel in Jeff Brest.

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:19 AM
Junior Class

Greg Lott and Kevan Logston lead the way for the Junior Class off the start with Peter Stadtmueller and Chad Wallace fighting the dust trying to keep the leaders in sight.

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:20 AM
Heading into the woods, Greg Lott remained outfront with Kevan Logston in 2nd place.

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:22 AM
4 Stroke B

Mike Novak once again put his Yamaha out front early as he continues to get out front early, but he wasn't alone with Brandon Sommers going wide and staying on the gas looking to beat Mike Novak to the 2nd turn as Christoper Stephens closes in from behind on Novak.

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:24 AM
Tyler Lenig continues to struggle with his starts as he was several quads back behind the leaders, but this hasn't seemed to slow him down too much as he normally works his way up behind Brandon within a few laps.

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:25 AM
Brandon Sommers makes the pass on Mike Novak and takes over the lead and was on his way well on his way to another victory.

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:36 AM
Senior & 2 Stroke Class

Three Time National GNCC Champion (85,86,87), Tom Tokay, has returned to ATV racing this season competing in his 3rd event of the season, and this time he decided to give the Senior Class a try and was off to a descent start ahead of Jim VanLockie as they chased down the leaders.

Bruce Marshall grabbed the Holeshot and lead the way for the 2 Stroke Class

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:38 AM
Sport Class

Terry Rowh put his trick Yamaha Blaster out front early

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:39 AM
Brad Morrison was hard on the gas chasing after Terry as Tom Bobrowicz in third took the outside line in hopes of passing Brad through the rocks.

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:46 AM
By the end of the 1st lap, the first rider to emerge from the woods and make the descent down "FMF Dooms Day Hill" was #1 Bill Ballance all alone out front as the rest of the Pro struggled to make up time after some chaos at the Hill Climb, which claimed several riders.

Bill Ballance was the 1st rider to head up the hillclimb, with Matt Smiley, William Yokley, and several other pros in chase, but Matt found himself stuck on hill and began to slide back down into William Yokley which blocked the path up the hill.

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:49 AM
#3 Chris Borich was several positions back, and he saw the chaos on the hill and decided to take the bypass, which payed off big as he launched himself up into 2nd place, but was 1/2 minute behind the leader Bill Ballance, so he would have his work cut out for him closing the gap.

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:52 AM
#14 Andy Lagzdins was off to a career best race after following Chris around the hill climb, which catapulted him into 3rd place where he remained for the 1st lap.

Admin
06-16-2005, 07:57 AM
Only a few seconds behind Lagzdins was #8 Jeremy Rice & #7 Chris Jenks launch themselves over the timber logs looking to reel in Lagzdins.

Jenks was able to out run Rice on the MX Track and take over the 4th spot heading into the 2nd lap.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:01 AM
#6 Bryan Cook was also off to a great start running in 6th place and just over a minute behind Bill Ballance in the lead as he chased after Jenks and Rice.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:06 AM
Pro Am Riders, Jeffrey Pickens and Joshua Ribley lead the way for the Pro Am Class as they were already mid pack among the Pro Class Riders and with adjusted time the pair was in the top 10 Overall.

Joshua Ribley wasted no time passing Jeffrey Pickens once they reached the MX Track and took over the Pro Am lead and was officially in 7th Overall with Jeffrey Pickens tied with Pro Rider, #5 Chad Duvall for 8th Overall as Chad Duvall was also off to another good start.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:08 AM
#25 Brian Schmid held down the 3rd Spot in the Pro Am Class and rounded out the Top 10 Overall tied with Pro Rider, #69 Thomas Barrett.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:10 AM
Sadly, #66 Adam McGill would DNF his 1st race of the season after his engine failed before the end of the 1st lap, which had him wishing he he made the switch to Holz machine, but after the race, Adam told me he would be on the new machine at the Wisp.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:13 AM
With the 1st lap in the record books, the top 10 Overall board remained virtually the same early in the 2nd lap except for Overall leader, which was now #3 Chris Borich.

#1 Bill Ballance once again attempted the hill climb, but this time, he didn't make it to the top before finding himself hung up on a stomp, which sent Chris around the Bypass once again. The bypass put Chris at the top of the hill first with Bill Ballance getting help from some fans to free his machine and take off in 2nd place.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:24 AM
#2 William Yokley's bad luck continued this race with him finding himself buried in the mud up to his fenders early in the 2nd lap which sent him back several more minutes behind the leaders.

#4 Matt Smiley was back to 12th after the 1st lap and also found himself stuck in the mud as these two continued to run into problems, but unlike Yokley, Smiley was able to quickly free himself before losing too much time.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:34 AM
#5 Chad Duvall also found himself stuck in the mud, but fortunately several spectators rushed over to help pull him out of the mud.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:38 AM
I personally feel guys like this should be stationed at every mud pit of a GNCC Event, and I am sure many riders were thankful to see him when they found themselves stuck.

Special Thanks to all of those fans that aren't afraid to get dirty and help out a stranded rider :D because your help plays a huge part in the race many of times, and I have more on that in the morning race report

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:54 AM
With less than a mile from the finish line on lap two, Chris Borich remained in the lead with Bill Ballance close behind as they head down the "FMF Doomsday Hill"

Bill Ballance would make the pass on Chris Borich before they reached the scoring tent, which would put Bill back out front for the start of the 3rd lap.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:57 AM
Over a mintue behind Ballance and Borich, West Virgian favorite, Chris Jenks, moved into 3rd Overall after passing Andy Lagzdins.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:01 AM
With the battle on between Andy Lagzdins and Bryan Cook as they head onto the MX Track bumper to bumper, #9 Brandon Ballance followed by amazingly #4 Matt Smiley as he made an incredible charge from 12th to 7th place in the 2nd lap.

#8 Jeremy Rice dropped back several positions from 5th to 8th place as lack of riding since his wreck after Loretta's began taking its toll on him.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:03 AM
#6 Bryan Cook makes the pass on #14 Andy Lagzdins before exiting the MX Track, which moved Bryan into 4th Overall.

#9 Brandon Ballance in the distance also began to close the gap as he headed into the scoring tent for the start of the 3rd lap only 15 seconds behind Lagzdins.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:06 AM
Back over at the Rock Garden, Jeremy Rice, remained hard on the gas trying to keep Brandon Ballance and Matt Smiley within his sights.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:08 AM
#23 Bryan Baker continued his charge from 13th up to 9th after making the pass on #5 Chad Duvall. Bryan then moves in on #8 Jeremy Rice and made the pass which moved him up to 8th place.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:10 AM
Jason Weigandt and Rachel Ayers rush back over to the Pro Pit area to catch the leaders as they head into the pits for beginning of the 4th lap. .

You must admit the Jason looks like he is part of the secret service sitting in the back of the mule

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:32 AM
#1 Bill Ballance remained out front with the hard charging #3 Chris Borich not giving him any slack as he stays within only a few quad lengths of Bill.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:34 AM
Remaining just over a minute behind the leaders, #7 Chris Jenks heads into his pits for fuel while also receiving a drenching of water over his back to help keep him cool

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:37 AM
Next into the Pits was #4 Matt Smiley in 4th place after over a minute behind Jenks with #9 Brandon Ballance and #6 Bryan Cook only a few seconds behind.

Matt takes a quick glance over his shoulder heading out of the pits to check for any riders flying up Pro Pit Row.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:39 AM
#9 Brandon Ballance crew pulls off the quicker pit stop and allows Brandon to pass #4 Matt Smiley and take back over the 4th spot.

#6 Bryan Cook heads into his pits back to 6th place as the battle was on between Brandon Ballance and Matt Smiley.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:41 AM
#14 Andy Lagzdins heads into his pits just 15 seconds later with Tony waiting to fill his tank.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:45 AM
#5 Chad Duvall was back to 10th place and less than 19 seconds behind #23 Bryan Baker and #8 Jeremy Rice.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:47 AM
#28 Chris Bithell made an incredible comeback from a horrible start to take over the lead and move himself in 10th Overall with only 2 laps remaining.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:48 AM
After leading the 2nd lap, #706 Duane Johnson remained only 4 seconds behind Bithell and was keeping the pressure on Bithell.

Joshua Ribley was back to 3rd and less than 13 seconds behind Johnson with Brandon Sturdivant moving into 4th, but he was well over a minute behind the leaders in the Pro Am Class.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:54 AM
The next Pro Am Rider to emerge was Scott Fleischhauer in 5th place with #16 Santo Derisi quickly moving in from behind in his attempt to salvage the race.

#3 William Yokley pulls into his pits to make some suspension adjustments to his Suzuki as he decided to utilize the WV track as a testing ground, so he could be better prepared for the upcoming race at the Wisp after receiving so many set backs early in the race.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:56 AM
#13 Todd Knippenberg heads into his pits for the last time this race in back in 16th place after finding himself stuck on the hillclimb as well early in the race, and to top everything off for the day, his clutch would fail in the 4th lap :(

Admin
06-16-2005, 03:42 PM
Chris Bithell continues to lead the Pro Am Class as he heads into his pits down over the hill from the Pro Pits by the mudhole where his mother, brother, and friend Adam McGill are waiting for him.

It is great to see his mother so emotionally involved in his racing:D

Admin
06-16-2005, 03:46 PM
Meanwhile, the battle out front continues between Ballance and Borich as they continue to swap position for the Overall lead back and forth.

Admin
06-16-2005, 03:48 PM
Bill Ballance chases after Chris Borich as Pro Rider, #18 Johnny Gallagher, looks on from the sidelines after his Honda 450R quit on him after the 1st lap.

Admin
06-16-2005, 03:50 PM
#7 Chris Jenks remained in 3rd Overall behind the battling pair, but he was beginning to lose ground as they pulled the gap to almost a minute and a half by the end of the 4th lap.

Admin
06-16-2005, 03:52 PM
#4 Matt Smiley regained the lead from #9 Brandon Ballance as they pushed it to their limit trying to reel in Jenks for the final podium spot.

Admin
06-16-2005, 03:55 PM
#6 Bryan Cook remained in 6th place only a few seconds behind the battling Smiley and Br. Ballance, but he would drop back to 8th before the end of the lap.

Admin
06-16-2005, 03:56 PM
#14 Andy Lagzdins was able to move back up to 6th place with #23 Bryan Baker closing the gap on Lagzdins as they headed into the final lap.

Admin
06-16-2005, 04:02 PM
#28 Chris Bithell was on a relentless charge as he worked his way through the Top Pros and moved himself into 6th Overall ahead of Andy Lagzdins after recording the fastest 4th lap time of any rider with a 27:51, which was 8 seconds faster than Chris Borich and 9 Seconds Faster than Bill Ballance.:macho

Admin
06-16-2005, 04:06 PM
Duane Johnson made his way around Chad Duvall and remained in 2nd Place behind Bithell with Duvall moving back into 9th place after passing #8 Jeremy Rice

Admin
06-16-2005, 04:10 PM
With intense battle out front between Bill and Chris for the lead on the last lap, everyone was focused on watching for the pair to emerge.

In the meantime, #2 William Yokley came by on his Suzuki a lap down testing his Suspension for the next round.

Admin
06-16-2005, 04:13 PM
Ballance and Borich finally begin their descent down the "FMF Dooms Day Hill" with Bill holding a very slight lead after Chris let off on his attempt to make the passes heading over the first log to avoid the risk of wrecking.

Bill and Borich head to the MX Track where their would be plenty of room for passing if Chris was going to make his move.

Admin
06-16-2005, 04:14 PM
#1 Bill Ballance stays hard on the gas through the MX track keeping Chris right behind him.

Admin
06-16-2005, 04:16 PM
#1 Bill Ballance takes the Checkered Flag and his 2nd Win in a Row with #3 Chris Borich put in an incredible ride to finish only a few seconds behind Bill in 2nd Overall.

Admin
06-16-2005, 04:17 PM
Bill Ballance and Chris Borich quickly remove their helmets after the race and begin to cleanup before heading to the Podium.

Admin
06-16-2005, 04:19 PM
3rd Overall
Just under 2 minutes later, #7 Chris Jenks takes the checkered Flag for this 2nd Podium appereance this year with yet another 3rd Overall in front of his Homestate Crowd.

Admin
06-16-2005, 04:26 PM
4th Overall
#9 Brandon Ballance was the next rider to cross the finish line in 4th overall, but what happened to #4 Matt Smiley because he was no where in sight?

Unfortunately, Matt Smiley slammed one of the drainage ditches on the fire roads, which sent him over the bars at high speed while his Predator began flipping out of control with Brandon barely avoiding the wreck himself.

Brandon didn't get out of the way quick enough as predator clipped him in the shoulder with one of its wheels as he tried to avoid running over Matt Smiley.

Matt Smiley remounting the Predator in hopes of salvaging the race, but his trip around the track would prove to be a slow one as his rear axle was severely bent and his chain began sheering off the sprocket teeth.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:10 PM
5th Overall

#28 Chris Bithell held on for this 2nd Top 5 Overall finish in a row :macho

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:12 PM
6th Overall

#23 Bryan Baker made a dramatic comeback from 13th place after the 1st lap to move up to 6th Overall and 5th in the Pro Class, which was a season best.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:16 PM
7th Overall

#14 Andy Lagzdins earned his best Pro Class finish of the season in 6th Place and with the series heading back to home state of Maryland, I am sure he will be looking to improve upon it.

Great Race Andy!!!!

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:19 PM
8th Overall

#5 Chad Duvall proved he is back with two back to back top 10 overall finishes, and I am sure it won't be long till he is back into striking distance of the podium without the mud.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:21 PM
9th Overall

Duane Johnson had all the Missouri fans hopping as he earned a career best overall finish and another 2nd place finish in the Pro Am class which lifted him into 2nd Place in Points in the Class moving past Scott Fleischhauer who finished 16th.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:24 PM
10th Overall

#29 Joshua Ribley set another milestone in his career with his career best overall finishes which was one better the 11th he received at "The Patriot" last year and two years ago at "The Hurricane" in the Open A Class

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:26 PM
11th Overall

#8 Jeremy Rice made an impressive comeback from a bad wreck after Loretta's that him sidelined for "The Penton", and without any training in between he still was able to hang on for his 2nd best Pro Class finish of the year with 8th Place and moves into the top 10 in Points.

Great to have you back, Jeremy Rice

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:30 PM
12th Overall

#16 Santo Derisi made one of the most dramatic comebacks from last place to finish 9th in the Pro Class. Santo proved that the race isn't over till it is over, and he kept his head down the entire race and didn't let a rough start discourage him from pushing himself to the next level.

Santo really needed this come from behind performance, and I hope that the Wisp is as good to him this year as it was two years ago when he earned himself a podium finish.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:36 PM
13th Overall

#38 Todd Demaree has been extremely consistant all season finishing between 21st and 26th Overall every race, but Washington, GA. This weekend the Indiana resident must had something to prove to himself because he rode his best race of the season and finally crested the Top 20 Overall and finished 4th in the Pro Am Class.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:38 PM
14th Overall

#39 Jeffrey Pickens was yet another rider to have a season best performance at "The Mountaineer" and moved into the Top in the Pro Am Class

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:41 PM
15th Overall

#316 Brandon Sturdivant rode smooth the entire race and earned himself a 6th place finish, and he is currently in 13th in the Class, but with 4 throw aways, I am sure he will find himself in the Top 10 before season end.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:46 PM
16th Overall

#25 Brian Schmid hasn't been dealt the best hand this season, but Brian is no quiter and he proved it this weekend with his 2nd Top 20 Overall finish of the season, which is well below the 5 he earned last season, so with 5 races left, there is still a chance to surpass last season's mark.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:48 PM
17th Overall

4 Stroke A Class leader, #81 Todd Rothermel is on a roll with his 3rd win in four races and two back to back top 20 Overall finishes from several rows back on the start.

Great performance Todd, and I think you will be heading back to Pro Am for next season :macho

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:55 PM
18th Overall

#893 Craig Reed earned his 2nd Open A win of the season with his career best Afternoon Overall performance. Craig made a breif appearance last season in the Stock Class where he earned himself Several top 10 Overall finishes and the Podium at Loretta's, but after round 7, he was out for the season.

Craig returned this year in the Afternoon, and he hasn't missed a race yet and is currently ranked 3rd in Open A.

Admin
06-16-2005, 08:58 PM
19th Overall

#35 Josh Whitehead skipped the last two rounds, and the time away obviously didn't slow him down as he recorded a season best finish aboard his Laegar 250R, and he is one of the few top riders that continue to run the 2 Stroke Honda.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:00 PM
20th Overall

Rounding out the Top 20 Overall was none other than #63 Scott Barron aboard his Steel City Yamaha.

Congratulations to all the riders that were able to earn a top 20 overall finish.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:01 PM
Meanwhile, the Top 3 Overall finishers (Ballance, Borich, Jenks) finished cleaning up and headed over to the Podium.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:03 PM
Bill's Daughter, Lauren, joined him on the ride over to the Podium, and you could tell she was daddy's little girl giving everyone the thumbs up just like her Father.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:04 PM
A large crowd gathered around the Podium to listen to what the riders had to say about the race and celebrate their victory.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:06 PM
#7 Chris Jenks headed into "The Mountaineer" with a new Four Stroke Tech Honda 450R, and he didn't take anytime getting use to his new ride.

Congrats Chris Jenks

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:09 PM
#3 Chris Borich aboard his Alba Action Honda 450R put in another incredible battle with #1 Bill Ballance, but he just wasn't able to pull out the win this weekend, but with 5 races left the Championship is still up for grabs, so I know Chris will be even more eager for a win at the Wisp before the summer break.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:11 PM
#1 Bill Ballance earns his 4th Win of the season in dramatic fashion as these two continue to make this one of the best GNCC Seasons to watch in years.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:13 PM
Let the Celebration begin as they three men conquered the Heat, Rocks, and Mud to earn a spot on the Podium.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:16 PM
With the Podium Celebration complete, a bruised and disappointed #4 Matt Smiley received a push back to the pits after finishing the race in 10th place.

I spoke with Matt Smiley yesterday, and he is doing fine and only a little sore, and he is excited to be heading back to the Wisp where he has been on the Podium the past two years.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:18 PM
As usual Bill Ballance took some time to sign autographs for the fans before heading back to the trailer to clean up and head home to catch his flight to Las Vegas for the Yamaha 50th Anniversary Dealer Show for the revealing of the newly improved YFZ450 and the totally redesigned Raptor 700.

Admin
06-16-2005, 09:20 PM
This complete the Afternoon Coverage from Round #8 of the GNCC Series, and be sure to check out the Photo Gallery for even more photos of the Amateur Riders.

Photo Gallery Link (http://www.atvriders.com/gallery/)

fastrider450r
06-16-2005, 09:22 PM
Great Job once again Harlen. I can't wait till "The Wisp" Ill be in the Sport Class on a yellow Honda 300ex. Hope to see you there!
-Ted

bradley300
06-17-2005, 08:12 AM
see you there, you will love the sport class!

fastrider450r
06-20-2005, 07:30 PM
Bradley, how am i supposed to sign up if I don't have a photo ID? Do you know how I will be able to do it. I e-mailed gncc to see if I could use my school ID with my photo on it or not. Plus my birth certificate.
Could you please tell me how to go abot this.
Thank you