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View Full Version : 2005 GNCC "The Wisp" Round #9 Afternoon ATV Race Coverage



Admin
07-01-2005, 01:19 PM
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Mc Henry, MD - The GNCC heads north to the Maryland Mountains for one of the most scenic races of the series with breath taking views of the Deep Creek Lake from the top of the Wisp Ski Resort Slopes, but don’t let the beautiful landscape foul you because the once the riders heads into the woods they will face some roughest terrain of the series.

Early Saturday morning, it was already evident that it was going to a scorcher as a heavy haze formed in the low lying areas around the lake and with temps forecasted into the low 90’s, which was a boaters delight as many hit the water early, but for the GNCC racers, it was going to be the hottest races of the year and the last race before the two month summer break with the next race scheduled September 10th at Yadkinville, NC, which will replace the Sparta round due to scheduling conflicts.

Admin
07-01-2005, 01:24 PM
Many racers arrived early Friday to find a spot along the track as parking for the event was limited and only racers were allowed to drive their vehicles over to the event while spectators were required to take a shuttle bus from the fairgrounds across the street to the Wisp Ski Resort.

Admin
07-01-2005, 01:40 PM
The Morning Racers completed only 3 laps on the rugged 11 mile course with Mark Rhodes taking the win with a time of 1:56 with the Afternoon race scheduled for 4 laps it was going to be a long race for many especially with the heat.

#9 Brandon Ballance heads to the starting area with who I believe to be his girlfriend Nikki (If not, he better have a good excuse).

Brandon just missed the Podium at the Mountaineer finishing 4th Overall after a terrific battle with Matt Smiley most of the race and Brandon remains in 6th Place in the Pro Points and is currently ranked 7th Overall and only 1 point behind Pro Am Rider, Adam McGill.

Admin
07-01-2005, 01:52 PM
With this event marking the last race before the break, their were photographers from several publications and sponsors looking to capture some action shots for some upcoming catalogs and stories.

Friday Evening, PhotoG, Adam Campbell, took Bill Ballance and Chris Borich up into the woods for some action photos with others photographers having the riders stage some action shots before the start of the afternoon race.

Ofcourse, WILD, William Yokley, found this a perfect oppurtunity to have some fun as he played the role of a matador with Chris Borich, the Raging Bull.

Admin
07-01-2005, 01:53 PM
Only William Yokley:D

Admin
07-01-2005, 02:18 PM
#1 Bill Ballance heads into the Wisp with sole control of the Points Lead with Chris Borich giving him a run for his money at the Mountaineer as they once again finished back to back with Bill earning his 2nd consecutive win o#1 Bill Ballance heads into the Wisp with sole control of the Points Lead with Chris Borich giving him a run for his money at the Mountaineer as they once again finished back to back with Bill earning his 2nd consecutive win which gave him a 4-3 win advantage over #3 Chris Borich, so for the points chase to remain tight, Chris needed a win this weekend at the Wisp, but the advantage this weekend goes to Bill with two Previous wins at the Wisp with Chris winning one in 2003 when Bill snapped his chain.

With all the intensity this season for the first true battle for the championship in years, it has truly kept the fans coming out to watch the races and even some Pro ATV Racers with Shane Hitt coming out to watch this weekend’s GNCC race after making an appearance at High Point MX last weekend.

Shane hasn’t raced either XC or MX since his wreck early last year that sidelined him with severe ankle injury which has left him with limited mobility in his ankle and has undergone several surgeries since the injury. Even so, the multi-time TT Champion made a midseason return to racing last year and earned a win in only his second race back from his injury and finished out the season with three podium appearances in four races.

Over the winter, Shane made the switch to Suzuki for the 2005 season and in the opener in Arkansas he finished 6th with Harold Goodman taking the win on his new Suzuki ride, but I am sure that once Shane gets his dialed in that he will once again be back on the Podium and maybe as soon as the next race at Birch Creek on July 9th.

Admin
07-01-2005, 02:31 PM
#4 Matt Smiley,Factory Polaris, felt extremely confident heading into this race knowing that he has finished in 2nd Place Overall at all three previous races held at the Wisp, which proves Matt knows how to ride over the rocks.

Admin
07-01-2005, 02:38 PM
Maryland Resident, #14 Andy Lagzdins, was featured on this year's Wisp event t-shirt which sold out in a hurry as he is having a career best season finishing in the top 10 overall six times already this year.

Hopefully, he has better luck this year at the Wisp than last year because he snapped his rear linkage, but for the Wisp this year, he has the new Elka Dual Pro Link installed on his Honda and excited to test it at one of the roughest tracks of the season.

Admin
07-01-2005, 02:52 PM
#13 Todd Knippenberg also calls Maryland home as he lives just under an hour from the track in Cumberland, MD.

Todd brought his 400EX out of retirement for the last round because he was still waiting on parts for his 450R and nothing has changed since the Mountaineer, which wasn't good news for Todd as his clutch failed on the 400EX at the Mountaineer.

Joe Borich caught wind of Todd's dilemma and stepped right up to help him out by lending him his ArsFX and Custom Axis components to finish putting together his machine for the race, which was a perfect example of the of camaraderie shared amongst the GNCC racers.

Admin
07-05-2005, 06:32 AM
Pro Am Rider, #316 Brandon Sturdivant was another rider that was looking forward to the rugged track at the Wisp since he has plenty of experience hammering through the tight and rocky woods of WV in the Koontz Series, and it showed at the Mountaineer with his second best finish of the year with 6th in the Pro Am Class and 15th Overall.

Admin
07-05-2005, 06:33 AM
With the sun high in the sky and temps in the 90’s, 4 Stroke A rider, Mark Notman used his umbrella to keep the sun from beating down on him while waiting for the start of the race. Many of those riders that didn’t bring umbrellas to the start headed to the sidelines to relax in the shade of the pine trees.

Admin
07-05-2005, 06:33 AM
Mark’s brother, Brian Notman wasn’t concerned about staying cool before the start of the race, but instead, he was looking to take the opportunity to display a forsale sign on his 400EX. With Mark currently 5th in points in the A Class and Brian back in 23rd, I would guess he has plans on getting himself a 450R.

Admin
07-05-2005, 06:34 AM
Dan Kiehl finished 2nd Overall last year at the Wisp in the Morning on his Stock Yamaha, but this year, he has decided to move up to the A Class in the Afternoon.

Admin
07-05-2005, 06:34 AM
Vet Class, Blaine Shick, remains loyal to his 250R as he is one of very few riders that remain on the 2 stroke machines, but it seems to be working for Blaine because he has finished in 3rd place the last two races.

Admin
07-05-2005, 06:35 AM
Jeff Brest has yet to win a race in the Vet Class this season, but he has been consistent enough to move himself into the top 3 behind Steve Zapfe and Ken Tincher.

It might appear that Jeff has been on a 450R all season by taking a quick glance at his machine, but actually he has been racing Service Honda’s Hybrid 250R which are available for $8,999 for a complete quad or $4,999 for a 250R kit with a 2001 CR250 Engine.

For the Wisp, Jeff actually was on his 450R, but I expect to see him back on the Service Honda 250R at the next round.

Admin
07-05-2005, 06:37 AM
Michael Hyen made the long trip from Jacksonville, FL to compete in his fist race of the season in the 4 Stroke B Class, and the long trip must have had him feeling stiff because he utilized some extreme maneuvers to stretch his muscles on the line.

Admin
07-05-2005, 06:37 AM
With 236 riders on the starting line, Ricky Towery stairs at it his watch waiting for the precise moment to give the 10 second signal to the Pro Riders.

Admin
07-05-2005, 06:41 AM
Ricky waves the green flag, and the start of the afternoon racing action was underway with #1 Bill Ballance, Factory Yamaha, grabbing the Holeshot once again aboard his YFZ with #3 Chris Borich, and #2 William Yokley in chase.

Admin
07-05-2005, 06:41 AM
With Ballance and Borich out front, #2 William Yokley, #9 Brandon Ballance, #16 Santo Derisi, and #4 Matt Smiley all battled for position heading through the second turn.

For Santo Derisi this was best start he has had in several rounds of racing, and after string of bad luck this start was exactly what he needed to get himself back into the groove.

Admin
07-05-2005, 06:41 AM
By the third turn, a dust cloud blinded the riders as they headed through a narrow section of barrels.

Admin
07-05-2005, 06:42 AM
A bottleneck quickly developed when two riders wedged themselves into the single quad width section which brought everyone behind them to a halt with #24 Rhett Butler, #11 Michael Houston, #14 Andy Lagzdins, #10 Greg Trew, and #20 Kim Kuhnle bringing up the rear of the pack as they waited for their turn through the tight section.

Admin
07-05-2005, 06:43 AM
Meanwhile, the battle for the lead was on between Bill Ballance and Chris Borich as they created a trail of dust behind them for the rest of the Pro Riders.

Admin
07-05-2005, 07:35 AM
A mile into the race, Chris Borich had powered his Alba Action 450R past Bill Ballance and took over the lead as they headed up one of the steeper ski slopes which was followed by a high speed section up a gradual ski slope before turning off into the woods.

The turn into the woods caught Borich off quard, and he locked up his brakes to make the turn with Ballance right behind him, which spelled trouble for the two riders because Ballance wasn’t able to stop quick enough and hit front tire went up and over Chris’s rear tire as they became locked together, which was the perfect opportunity for William Yokley and Matt Smiley to take over the lead as Borich and Ballance separated their quads.

Once separated, Ballance took off first and luckily only dropped back to around 5th place with Borich kick starting his Honda and taking off right behind Ballance.

Admin
07-05-2005, 07:35 AM
The dust became a major issue in the fields as it completed blinded the riders with almost zero visibility, but luckily the majority of the track was in the woods where the dust wasn’t a major issue and in several sections the riders were faced with mud holes.

#8 Jeremy Rice remained hard on the gas regardless of the poor visibility and was charging hard in the top 10.

Admin
07-05-2005, 07:36 AM
Pro Am Start
With the Pro Race well underway, the Pro Arm Riders were just getting started with #63 Scott Barron and #316 Brandon Sturdivant getting out to slight lead over the rest of the class as they sprinted up the hill for the first turn.

Admin
07-05-2005, 07:42 AM
Scott Barron inside line proved faster as he was able to edge out Brandon Sturdivant for the Holeshot.

Admin
07-05-2005, 07:43 AM
With over 31 Pro Am riders heading through the first turn, a blinding cloud of dust formed which caused havoc for class leader #66 Adam McGill along with several other riders as they collided in the dust sending Adam off his Holz Racing 450R.

Adam quickly jumped up and with the help of Rick Cecco was able to continue the race in last place behind #19 Rob Hertz who also had his share of problems getting his 450R to fire up on the starting line

Admin
07-05-2005, 07:43 AM
Scott Barron remained out front with Duane Johnson making his move on Brandon Sturdivant and taking over the second spot with James Wahl and Chris Bithell rounding out the top five riders heading through turn two.

Admin
07-07-2005, 11:40 AM
4 Stroke A

Ryan Morphew put his Yamaha YFZ450 out front early grabbing the Holeshot with Tom Collins aboard his Honda along side Ryan, but they wouldn't lead for long as Kyle Hemlick would take over the lead before the end of lap one and lead the first three laps of the race with Ryan Morphew moving back up to the front in 2nd place with one lap to go.

Admin
07-07-2005, 11:47 AM
Dan Kiehl was off to a great start, but his day would end after only one lap.

Behind Dan, Taylor Kiser spun sideways causing Paul McCoy to lock it up to avoid flipping him over. Luckily for Taylor, he was able to quickly able to get moving again and was in the top 5 after lap one, but with the an intense points battle between him and Rothermel for the Championship, he really needed to stay infront of Rothermel back in 8th spot as they worked there way through the pack and up to 3rd and 4th with one lap to go.

Zac Phillips dropped all the way back to 15th after the 1st lap, but had worked his way back up to 9th by the white flap with the 3rd fastest laptime in the class.

Admin
07-07-2005, 11:52 AM
Junior

The battle was on between Jeffrey Vensel and Greg Lott from start as these two battled for the lead the entire first lap with Greg making the pass in the 2nd lap and started to pullaway from Jeffrey Vensel who remained in 2nd place until the final lap, which he never completed and dropped him back to a 10th place finish

Admin
07-07-2005, 11:57 AM
Open A

ATVriders.com member, Jonathan Shaff battled with Jason Lewis for the Holeshot, but unfortunately Jason would once again run into trouble early in the race and only complete one lap and Jonathan ended up dropping back to 17th by the end of the 1st lap, but managed to work his way back up to 7th by lap two only to drop back to 12th as he dealt with the brutal conditions of the track which caused numerous bottles throughout the course.

Former Stock Class Rider, Craig Reed, would take over the lead after the 1st lap, and he would quickly develop a cushion between him and Mark Walters in 2nd place with the Class leader Brian Shaw hanging tight behind Waters in third.

Admin
07-07-2005, 12:10 PM
Senior / 2 Stroke

No Surprise, Dave Simmons once again wasted no time taking over the lead in route to yet another win to extend his winning streak to 9 Races.

Brian Edwards lead the way for the 2 Stroke Class early, but Class Leader, Wes Stone, would claim his spot out front early and pull away from the rest of the class by the end of lap one.

Admin
07-07-2005, 12:15 PM
Vet

Alba Actions, John Rowlings created an impressive roost as he blasted himself off to the early lead over the rest of the class

Admin
07-07-2005, 12:19 PM
John's lead would be interupted as Sean DeLaney and Greg Wampler would both pass Rowlings as he dropped back to third and other a minute behind DeLaney, but he remained focused and was able to regain the lead by the 3rd lap with Sean DeLaney ran into problems and dropped back to 7th place.

Admin
07-07-2005, 12:21 PM
Wayne Edwards also got off to a great start, but he also would drop back several positions to 7th by the end of lap one, but worked his way back up to 2nd with one lap to go.

Admin
07-07-2005, 12:28 PM
4 Stroke B

Mike Novak must practice dead engine starts or a very powerful YFZ450 because even with over usually over 30 riders in the class, he is almost always leading the way through the 1st turn, and the Wisp proved no different as he grabbed the Holeshot with Josh Dearth right behind him on his Honda 450R.

Sadly, the Class leader, Brandon Sommers, had a rough get off on the start in the cloud of dust, but it didn’t stop him from continuing the race. On a brighter Note, Tyler Lenig actually had a descent start for a change and quickly worked his way to the front after passing Donald Ockerman for the lead in the 2nd lap with Mike Novak dropping back to 4th behind Christoper Stephens

Admin
07-07-2005, 12:33 PM
Open B

Class Leader, Darrell Bozart, edged out Joe Arnold for the Holeshot with Darrell never looking back as he quickly pulled a minute lead over 2nd Place Owen Kapalski by the end of the 1st lap with class rival Sloan Jackson holding down third.

Admin
07-07-2005, 12:36 PM
Sport

Finally, in the 10th Row, the Sport Class race was underway with Tom Bobrowicz roosting his way to the early lead with Benji Edwards working his way to the front by the end of lap one ahead of Ted Barrick as Bobrowicz dropped back to third place.

Admin
07-07-2005, 12:38 PM
With the race well underway, many of the spectators took to the Chair Lifts to check out some of the racing action from a birds eye view and the lifts also provided the easiest way to the top of the mountain to view some of the more rugged sections of the course and enjoy the incredible view from the top of the mountain.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:07 PM
With the Pros due to appear at any moment for the completion of the 1st lap, many spectators gathered around the half pipe to watch the Pros go over some jumps and through some water holes.

Also, a wood bridge was built over the half pipe, which gave spectators two chances to see their favorite riders in a short period of time.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:09 PM
Leading the way was Matt Smiley with surprisingly Bill Ballance already working his way up behind Matt even after an early collision with Chris Borich. Close behind the pair was William Yokley and Chris Jenks as they all rode around the jumps to save time.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:13 PM
Chris Borich was only six seconds back in 5th place with Brandon Ballance, Jeremy Rice, and Santo Derisi right behind him.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:14 PM
Bryan Cook held onto the 9th spot ahead of Todd Knippenberg in 10th.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:16 PM
Thomas Barrett didn't take the easy route around the water holes, but instead used them as a way to cool down as he plowed his 450R into water creating a tidal wave, well not really, but it was close.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:19 PM
Heading through the section behind Andy Lagzdins was Chad Duvall back in 16th, and he would call it a day before completing the second lap as he was having trouble holding on and didn't want to risk injurying himself or someone else.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:20 PM
Bryan Baker was yet another rider that only completed one lap.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:27 PM
The next through was the Pro Am Riders with James Wahl out front ahead of Duane Johnson in 2nd Place, but amazingly, Adam McGill had already worked his way from 30th place to 3rd by the end of the lap with Scott Barron, Brandon Sturdivant, and Chris Bithell forming a train behind him as they were all within 2 seconds of each other.

Derek Litterini was back to 7th and had a nasty spill through the section with sent his quad flying, but he didn't waste much time remounting it and taking back off just over 30 seconds behind the lead group.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:31 PM
The battle for the lead was on between Smiley and Ballance early in the 2nd lap with Ballance winning the battle and taking back over the lead.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:32 PM
Chris Borich made his way around Jenks and began applying the pressure on William Yokley in 3rd.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:39 PM
No sooner did one Pro gain a position that another rider would make the pass and take over the position, which proved to be the case many times at the Wisp with this weekend as positions were constantly changing with multiple lines and constantly changing track conditions.

Chris Jenks was one rider that was on the position roller coaster early in the race as he would move his way up into the lead from 5th and just as quickly back several positions.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:45 PM
Santo Derisi remained in the hunt and worked his way up to 6th place early in the 2nd lap passing both Jeremy Rice and Brandon Ballance

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:47 PM
Brandon Ballance was back to 7th place early in the lap, and he would end up dropping all th way back to 13th as the heat and rough conditions were taking its toll on him.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:48 PM
On the otherhand, Bryan Cook was moving up through the pack as he quickly moved up from 9th to 8th early in the lap after passing Jeremy Rice and by the end of the lap he passed both Brandon and Derisi to move into 6th place as he worked his way to the front.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:53 PM
Michael Houston had closed the gap on Todd Knippenberg in 10th at the time with Houston applying the pressure, but unfortunatley, Houston would wreck hard in the 2nd lap, which took him out of the race:(

Todd Knippenberg moved up to 9th after passing Brandon Ballance and Greg Trew moved into 10th with Andy Lagzdins only 2 seconds back.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:56 PM
James maintained the the Pro Am lead early in the 2nd lap, but Adam McGill was closing in after passing Duane Johnson to move into 2nd place behind Wahl.

Admin
07-07-2005, 01:59 PM
Before the end of the lap, Adam McGill would take over the lead and with James Wahl hanging tight as worked their way into the top 10 Overall and began to pull away from Brandon Sturdivant in 3rd.

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:04 PM
The battle was on between Scott Barron and Duane Johnson as they swapped the 4th spot back and forth with Duane leading the pair by the end of the lap.

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:05 PM
Scott Fleischhauer was up to 8th after passing Timothy Gale, but his charge would end by the 3rd lap with it taking him over an hour to complete the lap.

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:07 PM
Scott wasn't alone as riders in every class were taking a beating from the rocks with Open A rider, David Grimm's race day ending in the 2nd lap after a broken ball joint and missing front fenders

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:09 PM
Open B Rider, Jeremy Benson ended up going to opposite direction on the track trying to find a way out with his broken Tie-rod end

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:13 PM
Luckily, Mike Lucas, is in the used ATV parts business because he would need to raid his Nerf bar/ foot peg inventory after the rocks smashed his up like paper mache

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:15 PM
Nearing the 2nd of the 3rd lap, once again, Matt Smiley held the lead as him and the rest of the pros blitzed through the trees, which created a time warp portal, or maybe I just decided to have some fun with the photos, I will let you decide which is reality.

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:19 PM
Chris Borich was back up to 3rd before he clipped a rock in one of the high speed slope sections, which sent him flying off his quad an onto his shoulder, which resulted in a broken collar bone.

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:20 PM
Yokley moved up into 3rd place as a result of Borich's wreck

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:23 PM
Byran Cook continued his charge as he moved up to 5th place behind Chris Jenks with Santo Derisi right behind Cook as the top 6 Pro Riders remained less than a one minute apart heading into the last lap, so it was still anybodies race.

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:27 PM
Jeremy Rice remained in 7th place with Todd Knippenberg over a minute back in 8th place.

Andy Lagzdins was up to 9th place with Johnny Gallagher staying right with him for two laps as they worked their way through the Pro Class after starting near the back.

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:28 PM
Kim Kuhnle also was on the move as he worked his way from 17th to 12th behind, but remained over 3 minutes behind Brandon Ballance in 11th place.

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:30 PM
The spectators couldn't get enough of the action as they cheered on their favorite riders and really hammed it up for the camera.

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:34 PM
The Borich Family quickly received word of Chris's wreck, and they rushed to his aid. Chris was in some intense pain and he received a ride down to he pits with Buren Hamrick with Joe driving back the 450R to the pits.

Chris refused trackside medical attention and decided to wait till he returned home to visit he doctor where they confirmed his collarbone was broke, and he wouldn't be riding for several weeks, which meant he would not be attending the Great Outdoor Games the weekend of July 9-10th to represent the GNCC racers:(

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:49 PM
Smiley and Ballance along with many of the leaders stopped in the pits before the final lap for a splash of gas because the race was already near the 2 Hour mark and still one lap to go.

Jenks and Cook pulled into the pits almost back to back with Jenks maintaining his 4th position exiting the pits ahead of Cook.

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:51 PM
In the final lap, Matt Smiley held the lead by the two mile marker with both Ballance and Yokley right behind him.

Admin
07-07-2005, 02:53 PM
After exiting one section of woods and entering another short 1/4 mile section of woods, Smiley maintained the lead, but he picked the wrong line through the rocks which allowed both Ballance and Yokley to pass him, which put Bill Ballance in the drivers seat, but he had his own troubles of his own.

Bill lost his Rear Brakes early in the lap, and he didn't think he would be able to hold off Yokley or Smiley for the remainder of the race.

Admin
07-07-2005, 03:00 PM
Yokley remained in 2nd place, but wasn't able to make it through the lap traffic quick enough to catch the slowing Ballance, and William received an early break when Smiley had a limb get stuck in the front of his machine which forced him to stop and get help from another rider to remove it, which gave Yokley some breathing room.

Unfortunately, William Yokley's Subframe broke with only a few miles to go, which forced him to nurse his Suzuki to the finish line, which allowed Matt Smiley to close the gap.

Admin
07-07-2005, 03:03 PM
With Yokley and Smiley experiencing problems of their own, Bill Ballance was able to pullaway and claim his 3rd win in a row and extend his points lead over the injuried Chris Borich.

Admin
07-07-2005, 03:06 PM
Smiley made the pass on William Yokley to claim his 4th 2nd Place finish at the Wisp and put his Polaris Predator on the Podium for the 4th time in 9 races as Matt proves the Predator is a very capable GNCC racing macine.

Admin
07-08-2005, 06:53 AM
William Yokley finished just 13 seconds behind Smiley for 3rd Overall and was lucky to finish the race because when his subframe broke it pulled the airbox off his carb, so he will most likely be tearing the engine down over the summer for a fresh topend with all the dust that was probably sucked into the engine.

Admin
07-08-2005, 07:01 AM
#16 Santo Derisi was on a mission this weekend, and he almost earned himself a podium finish crossing the finish line just 19 seconds behind Yokley after putting the hammer down on the last lap recording the 2nd fastest lap time of any rider on the final lap, which was enough to move him past both Chris Jenks and Bryan Cook.

The 4th Place finish tied Derisi best this year after the season opener in Texas when he finished 4th Overall and once again 19 seconds behind Yokley in 3rd Overall:huh, but since then the season has gone down hill until this weekend, so hopefully he will comeback just as strong after the summer break!!!

Great Racing, Santo Derisi:macho

Admin
07-08-2005, 07:06 AM
The Fourstroke Tech Team had plenty to celebrate about with both Chris Jenks and Bryan Cook finishing in the top 10 Overall with Chris earning his 8th Top 7 Overall finish of the season.

Bryan Cook received the confidence boost that he needed heading into the summer break with his 6th Overall finish after a season of badluck that has taken him out of the top 10 several times this year, so hopefully the Wisp was a turning point for Bryan.

Admin
07-08-2005, 07:09 AM
#8 Jeremy Rice was once again healthy after wrecking during practice after the Loretta Lynn's Podium finish, and he recorded his 2nd best finish of the season with a 7th Overall.

Admin
07-08-2005, 07:14 AM
Adam McGill has quickly made a name for himself this year in the GNCC Series finishing consistantly in the top 8 Overall and this weekend proved no different even though he got off to a last place start.

This young talent is still in High School and already has a Podium finish and still has plenty of years to mature into an even better rider, so get use to hearing the name Adam McGill because once he wraps up the Pro Am Championship and moves to Pro, I don't expect it will take long to see him back on the Podium.

Admin
07-08-2005, 07:31 AM
#14 Andy Lagzdins rode most the race with #18 Johnny Gallagher, but the last lap the pair caught #13 Todd Knippenberg with Andy making the early pass on Todd to go on an finish 9th Overall which was the 7th time this season Andy has eclipsed the Top 10 Overall mark after never making into the Top 10 Overall all last season.

#13 Todd Knippenberg rode an incredible race considering he was riding on a completely new setup and never even had a chance to practice on it before the race.

Admin
07-08-2005, 07:34 AM
#15 James Wahl held the lead in the Pro Am Class halfway through the last lap, but he lost the lead when he buried his 450R in a mud hole which allowed both Adam McGill and Brandon Sturdivant to get around him as a string of Pro Am riders finish 12th through 15th Overall.

Admin
07-08-2005, 12:35 PM
Finishing 15th Overall and 5th in the Pro Am Class, Scott Barron jumped up to 3rd in Points after both Scott Flieshhauer and Joshua Ribley became victims to the brutal track and finished 21st and 16th.

Admin
07-08-2005, 12:39 PM
#9 Brandon Ballance finished out the day in 16th Overall and 11th in the Pro Class, which was his worst Overall finish of the season and he remains in 6th Place in the Pro Class.

Admin
07-08-2005, 12:59 PM
The Top Amateur this weekend was Craig Reed finishing 18th Overall with the Win in the Open A Class, which was his second win in a row as he proves to have plenty of experience riding in the Mountains.

Admin
07-08-2005, 01:10 PM
#863 Dan Yocabet was the only rider on a 250R that made it into the Top 20 Overall with his best finish of the season at his hometown track with the Wisp less than an hour away from his home in Brownsville, PA

Dan put on an impressive charge working his way up from 17th after the 1st lap to finish 8th in the Pro Am Class

Admin
07-08-2005, 01:17 PM
#81 Todd Rothermel won his 3rd race in a row as he extends his Points lead in the 4 Stroke A Class over Taylor Kiser finishing 3rd, but with 4 races left and both of them tied with 4 wins each the Championship is still up for grabs

Admin
07-08-2005, 01:21 PM
Open A Class Leader, Brian Shaw, had his best finish of the season with 25th Overall and 2nd Place in the Class, and he has yet to win a race this season, but he consistency has kept him out front.

Admin
07-08-2005, 01:24 PM
Pro Am Rider, Timothy Gale finished a seasons best 26th Overall

Admin
07-08-2005, 01:28 PM
West Virginia Resident, Kyle Hemlick lead the three laps until Todd Rothermel worked his way up from 8th to take the lead on the last lap.

Ryan Morphew and Taylor Kiser applied the pressure to Kyle, but he was able to hold off there charge finishing 2nd place in his second race of the season with Taylor and Ryan right behind him.

Admin
07-08-2005, 01:32 PM
Dave Simmons won his 9th Consecutive race of the season and remains the only undefeated rider this year as he finished 37th Overall, which was his second best finish of the season behind his 17th at the Penton.

I will be curious to see if Dave jumps up to Pro Am or A Class when the season resume in September because he has wrapped up the Championship early once agin.

Hey Dave, you are just too fast for your age, I think they should have Senior A and Senior B next year:cool: because how will anyone else win the championship.

Admin
07-08-2005, 01:35 PM
Junior Class Leader, Justin Brown didn't pull of the win this weekend with Gregg Lott taking his first win of the season and Bryan Davis holding down the 2nd Place position as Justin Brown finished the race in 3rd over 6 minutes ahead of Justin Buss in 4th

Admin
07-08-2005, 01:43 PM
Tyler Lenig once again got off to a slow start and was only up to 9th by the end of the 1st lap, but he was able to catch the leader Donald Ockerman by the 2nd lap and make the pass in the 3rd lap and take the win with several minutes to spare especially with class rival Brandon Sommers a lap down.

The win technically put Tyler out front in the points, but the in reality, Brandon has the championship wrapped up with if he finishes 3rd or higher at the next race even if Tyler wins the remaining four races.

Admin
07-08-2005, 01:47 PM
John Rowlings regained the Vet Class lead by the 3rd lap and easily went on to win his 2nd race of the season and has yet to finish below 2nd place in the class.

Unfortunately for John, He may even have enough points at season end to win the Championship, but he will only have 8 races in the class, so it won't matter :(

Admin
07-08-2005, 01:49 PM
Open B Class Leader, Darrell Bozarth won his 3rd race of the season and him and Owen Kapalski were the only two Open B riders to complete all four laps

Admin
07-08-2005, 01:51 PM
John Cunningham Jr finished in 2nd Place for the 7th time this season in the Senior Class behind Dave Simmons, but hopefully for John he will have a chance to claim a victory if Dave moves to another class to finish out the year, HINT,HINT, lol....

Admin
07-08-2005, 01:55 PM
The New York Resident, Wayne Edwards, may not be able to attend all the GNCC races, but when he shows up to compete, he is normally one of the riders to watch in the Vet Class as he earned his 3rd second place finish in the Vet Class this season with only four races behind him.

Always great to see you make the trip, Wayne

Admin
07-08-2005, 01:57 PM
Another one to watch in the Vet Class is Greg Wampler as he too has only attend four races this year, but hasn't finished below 3rd yet with his worst finish of the year at the Wisp.

Admin
07-08-2005, 01:59 PM
Mike Novak held on this weekend to finish 3rd in the highly competitive 4 Stroke B Class, which was his best finish of the season, which moved him into a tie with Christoper Stephens for 6th Place in the Class.

Admin
07-08-2005, 03:00 PM
Wes Stone continues his domination in the 2 Stroke A/B Class by winning his 6th race of the season and with one more race, he will have the Championship secured

Admin
07-08-2005, 03:01 PM
Drew Carl finished in 2nd Place behind Wes Stone to record his best finish of the season and leaped up to 6th place in the points behind Glenn McConnell.

Admin
07-08-2005, 03:03 PM
kenneth Tincher didn't fair as well at the Wisp as he did at the Mountaineer with a win, but he still kept himself in the top 10 with an 8th place finish which has him in 2nd Place in points behind Steve Zapfe

Admin
07-08-2005, 03:06 PM
John Kenney is stuck on the multiples of three this year because is currently 3rd in the Points and he has finished either 3rd or 6th every race but one this season with the Wisp earning him another 6th place finish.

Admin
07-08-2005, 03:08 PM
Terry Brooks brought out his Banshee as he remains one of the only racers on a Banshee and he finished 7th for the 2nd time this season.

Admin
07-08-2005, 03:09 PM
Jason Walker maintains 5th Place in the Junior Class, but this weekend didn't help him much as he finished 14th

Admin
07-08-2005, 03:13 PM
In the Sport Class, Benji Edwards claimed his 1st win since Texas.

Ted Barrick made his Sport Class racing debut with a 2nd Place finish and Tom Bobrowicz finished 3rd with Brad Morrison rounding out the class with 4th place.

Admin
07-08-2005, 03:15 PM
Back at the finish line, Matt Smiley and Bill Ballance shake hands after battling throughout the race for the win.

Admin
07-08-2005, 03:17 PM
The normally shy, Lauren has really come out of her shell here of late as she has joined her father, Bill, for a ride to the podium the last few rounds.

Admin
07-08-2005, 03:18 PM
With a huge crowd gathered around, Bill Ballance rode up on the Podium and lit up his tires for the crowd.

Admin
07-08-2005, 03:19 PM
Bill's burnout lasted for close to a minute and Matt Smiley followed him up by doing a burnout with his Polaris Predator.

Admin
07-08-2005, 03:21 PM
Matt Smiley's 2nd Overall finish moved him with one point of Chris Jenks in 4th Overall and since Matt just wrapped his Trailer with the #4 on the side, I am sure he is going to do what ever it takes to maintain his #4 National Number for next season.

Congrats Matt Smiley on another great finish and thanks for all the support you have giving to ATVriders.com this season.

Admin
07-08-2005, 03:23 PM
Yokley's testing at the Mountaineer paid off for him as he made his comeback to the Podium after burying himself in the mud early in the race two weeks ago, and spent the rest of the race adjusting his Elka Suspension to handle the rocky conditions.

Admin
07-08-2005, 03:25 PM
With the Podium celebration, I conclude the Wisp Afternoon Coverage, and as always, I hope you enjoyed it. Check back for the Morning Coverage next week, and I look forward to seeing everyone in two months at Round #10 in North Carolina

fastrider450r
07-14-2005, 02:49 PM
hey harlen this is ted barrick, great coverage!
Keep up the good work:blah:

bradley300
07-17-2005, 08:58 AM
Originally posted by Admin
In the Sport Class, Benji Edwards claimed his 1st win since breaking his leg practicing after Texas, which had him sidelined till Loretta's.


Jacob Jones broke his leg before Texas, Benji Edwards won Texas and Maryland;)

Admin
07-17-2005, 09:43 AM
Originally posted by bradley300
Jacob Jones broke his leg before Texas, Benji Edwards won Texas and Maryland;)

Whoops:eek: I mixed them two up

bradley300
07-18-2005, 08:09 AM
dont wory harlen, i got you covered in the sport class;)

cliq20
07-20-2005, 11:53 AM
is it just me or does that reservior on yokley's front end (rear reservoir) look like a custom axis reservoir? i just think i'm seeing things. on page 5...


great coverage as usual harlen.

Jonesboys
07-21-2005, 12:15 PM
awesome coverage, jonesboys racing team wasn't there because of the Hatfield McCoy Dirt Days, in which we blew up a motor and fried the rings in another.:D

fastrider450r
07-22-2005, 07:56 PM
Originally posted by cliq20
is it just me or does that reservior on yokley's front end (rear reservoir) look like a custom axis reservoir? i just think i'm seeing things. on page 5...


great coverage as usual harlen.
yeah it kinda does doesnt it, but im sure elka would terminate his sponsorship.:eek2:

Admin
07-22-2005, 08:12 PM
Alright Guys, I wanted to settle this rumor before it even builds any speed.

William Yokley uses ELKA Suspension, and the Rear Shock was indeed an Elka Shock with Front Mounted Reservoir and here is the close-up Photo to clear up any confusion

An extra black zip tie covers up the Elka logo which makes it look like a Custom Axis, but its an Elka.

GE4x4
07-23-2005, 05:28 AM
I don't know, but with the white on top and blue on bottom, it sure looks like a Custom Axis.

Admin
07-23-2005, 07:42 AM
Originally posted by GE4x4
I don't know, but with the white on top and blue on bottom, it sure looks like a Custom Axis.

You guys are too much, it is completey obvious in the closeup that it is an Elka ressy.

IOWAracer
07-23-2005, 09:50 AM
In the close up all i see is black red there is no white and blue dont know what the heck you all are lookin at with white and blue plus it is defently a elka ressy. Broc

Jonesboys
07-23-2005, 01:49 PM
i see no blue, yokley wouldn't copy bill any ways:blah:

big bad beny
08-24-2005, 07:04 PM
It looks elka to be

fastrider450r
08-24-2005, 07:10 PM
i know how sponsors work ITS AN ELKA for crying out loud. DAH