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View Full Version : 2006 GNCC Yadkinville "STOMP" Morning coverage



Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:08 PM
Dropping down the mountains from Virginia, I looked out over the valley below and stared in awe at the beauty of this part of the country. Entering North Carolina and heading for Yadkin county, the highway passes through the rolling hills and .....yep that's about when Cody yelled" COP"!!:ermm: Thankfully my brakes were working better then my concentration because that would have been a healthy fine:p

Passing the lawman with a nod, we turned off the exit and in minutes we were at the gate. The GNCC series returned after the summer break once again to Yadkinville North Carolina for the second "Stomp" as it were. Last year, hot and dry conditions had the racers gasping for clean breaths of air and looking for the course markers as severe dust choked the track. Thanks to a small tropical storm that gave the area a good shot of rain, racers would be facing excellent conditions for this round of competition.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:12 PM
Kymco had a large display of it's line of atv's on hand for everyone to check out, and even had several media personnel primed to run the 300cc Mongoose in the Sportsman class.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:17 PM
Utility Stock rider Ken Robey finds his way to his starting spot as the morning sun finally burned off the last of a thick fog that hampered the Youth race earlier in the morning.


Robey had 2 wins coming into this round and was looking for number 3. He is in a pretty close points battle with Micheal Swift who also had 2 wins leading to the "Stomp"

Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:20 PM
Womens class racer Missy Legge tightens up her helmet as things were about to get started.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:22 PM
Kim Muzzarelli was smiling all weekend as she was sporting her new look at Yadkinville. Kim has been doing well this season, gaining attention and learning what it takes to do battle with the countries fastest women!

Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:26 PM
The national anthem was not the usual scratchy loud speaker rendition, but instead, Heather Cox from American Idol fame belted out the star spangled banner. Her voice carried through the valley and being so close to the fifth anniverary of 9/11, maybe meant a little more to us listening to the words.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:29 PM
The course was run reversed from last year and the start was located on the powerline offering an uphill run at the first turn.

The ladies of the GNCC were first off the line and it was Angel Attwell blasting her way to the front and grabbing the holeshot.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:32 PM
Traci Cecco applied the power and coming out of turn two, we had a race:cool:

Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:33 PM
Most men that have had the pleasure of meeting these women will swear they under go some form of mystical transformation when the green flag drops. You wont find any gossip, no talk of girly things, just raw horsepower and tenacity that only comes from a woman on a mission:macho

Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:41 PM
When it comes to the Super Senior 50+ class, the main man is John Gallagher Sr. John has won every round with the exception of the Spartan! Riding his Polaris to another holeshot, the Super Senior's hit the first turn and look forward to chasing down the women. Come to think of it, that does not sound like a bad way to spend a saturday morning:D

Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:44 PM
Utility Unlimited was next on deck, and if you have not seen this class before, you will think it was designed soley for the Kawasaki V-force. This is the weapon of choice for this class.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:47 PM
Mike Penland battles for the holeshot with Micheal Swift as Utility Stock rounds the first turn. This is the elite class for the big boys and man handling these 500+ pound machines for 2 hours will clear out anyone not ready for that type of work out.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:49 PM
When conditions favor the 4x4, these machines become the one's in charge as they plow thier way through what ever racer Productions has in store for them and handle what ever mother nature decides to throw at them!

Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:52 PM
Hot on thier heels came Utility Modified, where the sky is the limit. You can hear these quads coming as they make thier own way at times. Parker, Kilby, Stack are all veterans of this class and to watch them push the limits of such a large atv is exciting!

Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:54 PM
Jim Stack is a wildman on these machines. At times, you can not even see him as he hangs off the side, over the front and off the back of his machine doing what ever he can to go faster.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 05:57 PM
The Sportsman class was designed to offer media types the oppertunity to race for the expierence of event and to test new machines and equipment. Kymco outfitted several of the medias top editors and even an old pro, Jeff Stoess was aboard for the ride as he battles for the holeshot.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:01 PM
Sport 0-350cc was off and running as it's eight entries head through the first turn.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:05 PM
Novice C (16-21) followed a minute later as the woods was now alive with the unmistakable sound of several hundred quads laying it down.:macho

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:06 PM
The 33 entires cause a comotion as they scramble for position through turn two

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:14 PM
The morning numbers reign supreme where C class is concerned. This is where you get your feet wet, or muddy, in the GNCC series.

James Barron grabs the holeshot in Novice C 29+. James is leading this class in points.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:15 PM
Five different classes are available in the morning event

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:18 PM
Novice C 35+ rails the first turn with Dave Oplinger grabs the holeshot with site member "Gump" hot on his grab bar!

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:27 PM
Don't let the "Novice" in the class name fool you, these guys rip! and Oplinger was looking more like a Pro as he worked his way to the woods

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:30 PM
Dave rode a good race and finished 2nd in his class!

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:36 PM
Spliting the Stock class between the morning and afternoon has had some benefits. A few of the riders have moved to the afternoon if they qualified and a few new names have excelled this season.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:38 PM
I was not supposed to cover the morning race, but the sunlight was looking to good to not venture out and get some shots. Woolin was on the starts so I picked a spot to catch some of the action prior to the riders entering the first tree's of the day!

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:42 PM
First Year Racer 16-24 had a good run at the first turn, and all 14 entries were soon ripping up the red clay of the Stomp

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:46 PM
I watched through my lens as they rounded the 3rd and 4th turns and quickly picked up on a fast mover. Matt Dalton #338 was rollin!

Matt had a bad run of luck at rounds 6,7 and 8 but got a top 5 at the Wisp. I remember thinking to myself that if he kept riding the way he was at the start shown here, he would have a good finish. He did not prove me wrong, and Matt stomped his way to a class win! Great riding matt!

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:50 PM
With the starts complete, I figured i would take a peek at the field sections to see who was where early on the first lap. One of the first riders to zoom past me was Jeff Stoess aboard a Kymco.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:53 PM
Joey Margueria was on a tear! I could hear him coming long before he ripped by me and he was gone in a flash of flying grass. Joey kept up that blistering pace and won his class, and to add to it finished 6th overall on the day!

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:55 PM
I could tell the leaders were well past me, but the action was good as classes mingled and passes were made in almost every corner.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 06:58 PM
Nicholas Regalia finished 8th at the Stomp, bettering his Wisp finish by 2 places. Nick has been doing extremely well in his local series and it was good to see him back at a GNCC

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:00 PM
The last of the classes to start were just hitting the fields as I appraoched an area that provided good shots last year.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:05 PM
35+ racer Dewey Kuhns finished in 33rd at the Stomp.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:08 PM
Stock class rider Josh Ross is currently leading the class and finished 2nd

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:11 PM
35+ rider Alan Copeland aka "Gump" hones his skills racing in the Mid South Series. Gump finished 10th at the Stomp

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:14 PM
Shawn Collins grenaded his engine at the Wisp round. He was dejected but refused to give up and was back at the Stomp with a new power plant ready to do some damage in the stock class. Shawn has been pretty solid this year and has been racking up class wins locally. Collins dropped the hammer in yadkinville and rode home with the number one spot in his class!

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:21 PM
I had every intent to duck down the track to another spot I scouted, but early on you can become traction if you are not careful. Being jammed up behind a big utility for a mile or so will have riders absolutley going every which way when they see a chance to make a pass.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:24 PM
I decided to not tempt fate and headed off to cut the leaders right before they completed the first lap. John Gallagher Sr was riding upfront and looked to be having a great race.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:28 PM
Angel Atwell was looking focused as she set her sights on another win. After winning at Big Buck and Showtime, she is proving she is a serious threat for that number one spot in the womans class.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:30 PM
Traci Cecco has dominated this season. With 7 wins coming into Yadkinville, for once the season points battle would not come down to the last lap of the last race. The dedication and drive she has shown this season have paid off.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:34 PM
Shana Bradshaw and Kim Muzzarelli battle early on.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:36 PM
Kyrie Brafford passes by one of the abandoned buildings that sit next to portions of the course. I think she shocked the young man with his jaw agape after realizing girls race this stuff too:macho

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:37 PM
The track at the Stomp offers good viewing for fans and pit spaces for teams

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:41 PM
Missie Legge may have finished in 12th, but she was showing good solid riding and I hope to see her up front in no time

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:42 PM
Coming from West Virginia, I still get a kick out of how red the soil is in the south. You could tell who was riding behind another rider by thier nice coating of clay:p

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:46 PM
Once again I tried getting to my spot and this time I would be successful. Riders were still in packs early on and catching a break would still not be easy

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:47 PM
Emerging from the tight one line woods, the open fields offered those with power and the willingness to hold her wide open and make much needed passes.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:49 PM
HMF's Han's Luenger was but one rider reported to have had an encounter with bee's! There were warning signs posted for riders but the bee's must have been reading them too as they were going after riders. One rider told me that you could see a swarm chase riders as they passed:(

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:51 PM
This riders sign states "You can't fix stupid":p I need that on my bar pad:ermm:

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:53 PM
ATVSports own Chris Vogtman, the managing editor of ATV Sport, was ripping on his Kymco. Jarrod finished 5th in the Sportsman class, but second behind Jeff Stoess out of the riders on Kymco's!


Jarrod Kelley also from ATVsport was not far behind also running a Kymco this round!

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:56 PM
Finally getting to where i wanted, I was just in time to catch Mike Penland come roaring under me:huh Mike was so kind as to clip the log i had clammered up on and unearthed a yellow jackets nest:chinese:

Mike ran into problems and clocked out after 3 laps with a mechanical issue. I think he bent a tie rod but i did not slow down long enough to see for certain.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 07:59 PM
Stephanie Parton works by me on her Outlaw looking to have a great finish this round.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:00 PM
Angel Atwell was coming, she had Parton in her sights and this was shaping up to be a good race

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:03 PM
John Gallagher came gliding past me on his way to another class win. John is one rider i always try and say hello to at the races, damn nice feller and a great ambassador of our sport.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:04 PM
I wanted down off that tree badly as the bee's continued to grow in numbers. I almost jumped on the back with Kim:D

Kim Muzzarelli went on to finish 6th in her class!

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:07 PM
Jeff Stoess is an old Pro. He has taken this year and just relaxed, riding for ATVriders.com and writing reviews for the website. Jeff finished 3rd in the Sportsman class just around 7 minutes off the leader that was on a fully prepped race quad. Thats pretty good in my book.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:18 PM
On the Utility side of things, Jim Stack popped out and took a quick look back then raced down the field. Jim finished just 2 laps.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:21 PM
Cliffton Beasley currently sits in the number two spot in Utility Modified. Cliffton finished 6th at the Stomp

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:23 PM
David Reese races both quads and bikes in the GNCC series. he finished 4th on his quad and 6th on his bike !

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:27 PM
When what dust there was settled, there were three women standing tall on the podium. Traci Cecco did what she does so well and took the class and overall win, and was awarded her number one plate for 2007!

I would like to extend a huge congratulations to Traci on a job well done, you deserve it kid;)

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:31 PM
Stephanie Parton would take the second spot and graciously took her spot on the podium. These women are fierce competitors and each one wants that number one plate.

Stephanie has another battle brewing between her and Angel Atwell that will be fought over the next few rounds to determine who will command the second place finishing position for the year.

Stephanie recounts the race as fans listen to how it all went down.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:34 PM
Angel Atwell has been working hard to earn the respect she is due. 2006 is shaping up to be a defining year for this talented racer and the next few rounds will show us all just what she can bring to Parton as the points battle goes to redline.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:41 PM
Scott Kilby holds the points lead in Utility Modified and finished in the 3rd spot this round

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:43 PM
Ken Robey is now 12 points behind first place in Utility Stock. Robey finished 5th in Yadkinville

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:44 PM
Sam Williams got around Robey and took the 4th spot to the checkers

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:46 PM
Kenny Sampson raced his way to a second place finish this round, marking his best finish this season.

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:51 PM
Jonathan Shelley rode to his seasons best finish thus far, claiming 6th in Utility Unlimited

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:53 PM
Michael Wawzysko eyeballs me as he rides on to a 5th place finish in Utility Unlimited

Pappy
09-13-2006, 08:56 PM
Super Senior rider David Aman logged his first GNCC in 2006 and placed 9th

Pappy
09-13-2006, 09:00 PM
That about wraps up the coverage, I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I enjoyed bring it to you. I also hope everyone who got stung is doing better, I know that a bee sting took womans racer Stefanie Verkade out of the race after the 2nd lap.

I should be at the next few rounds sans Unadilla, but you never know where I will pop up. Hope to see everyone soon!

400exmom
09-14-2006, 01:11 PM
Awesome coverage pappy thanks!!

this is a one time shot for me and i will never forget this year ~no matter where i end up~~

thanks for the pics~ hope to see you and cody again B4 the season end!~*:)

RaptorRacer45
09-14-2006, 01:35 PM
Nice Job Pappy......ill have to stop and say hi next time i notice ya around......uve seen me i know it:D

Pappy
09-15-2006, 02:59 PM
I made an error reporting that Jarrod Kelley was pictured earlier in this thread. It was infact Chris Vogtman, the managing editor of ATV Sport. Jarrod did race and finished extremely well.


I wonder if letting your boss beat you can get you a raise?:devil: