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View Full Version : 2007 GNCC Series Round #5-Loretta Lynns-Hurricane Mills-Afternoon Coverage



Pappy
04-30-2007, 01:56 PM
Dateline: Hurricane Mills Tennessee
date: April 28, 2007
Subject: Matt Smiley is back!

I could not help but open this coverage without first acknowledging Matt Smiley's return to the Podium this round. We all have followed Matt the past few years and watched him go through issues that kept him, for what ever reason you would like to assign, off the podium and out of the hunt for a championship.

This season was unclear as it began with Matt aboard a Honda with teammate Chris Borich, but one thing that was clear is that Matt had not lost one ounce of determination to win. It may have taken a few rounds for him to shake loose the past two seasons, but shake them he did!

A huge congratulations to Matt for his effort at this round from everyone here at Atvriders.com!

Afternoon Gallery #1 (http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/thumbpage.aspx?e=2865232)

Afternoon Gallery #2 (http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/thumbpage.aspx?e=2865441)

Pappy
04-30-2007, 02:04 PM
Loretta Lynn's Ranch, located in Hurricane Mills Tennessee is home to round #5 on the GNCC series. It also marks the oldest stop on the tour and for good reason. Loretta Lynn's is world known for the MX events held there each year that bring in the worlds top talent to compete.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 02:06 PM
The ranch itself is worthy of a tour, and they are offered for anyone so inclined to take one of the many that are offered. The scenary around the world famous singers property is stunning.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 02:08 PM
The start would be held on the motocross track, but the majority of that track would remain unused for this event. Racer Productions kept the start area watered to control the dust prior to the start of the event

Pappy
04-30-2007, 02:52 PM
Defending GNCC Champion Bill Ballance sits and reflects before being called to the line. Ballance has had his work cut out for him in 2007, and none of it has been easy. With his win at the opening round, followed by his repeat at round #2, set the stage for what appeared to be a sure sign the champ had things in place to make a run at GNCC title #8.

Enter Chris Borich. Member number two of this one two punch that wished nothing more to unseat Ballance from his throne. Borich made a stand at round #3 and backed it up with another valiant run taking the win at round 4, placing the pair in a stranglehold for the points lead.

Ballance is wise, talented and determined, and heading into this round he knew he needed to keep borich in check.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 02:56 PM
Other riders are still to leave their mark on the class favorites, with names like Sturdivant, Mc Gill, Lenig and McClure all wanting badly to be the one who throws a wrench into the top gun's plans.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 03:00 PM
The stage was being set for this round and as with each round, the slate is clean until the flag drops. Chris Bithell had already scored two top three finishes this season, and is quietly making his own stand behind the series heavyweights. Could this round mark the unseating of Ballance or Borich and add a new name to the win sheet.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 03:06 PM
And one can not dismiss William Yokely, the factory backed kawasaki rider who wants desperatley to get that new machine upfront and show everyone he can win with it!


Tennessee may be the volunteer state, but you wouldnt find one person to volunteer to give up the chance to be crowned the winner of todays event. For some, it would be a turning point of the season, for others a second chance to stave off earlier problems, and for others yet another race plagued with issues that no one can predict.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 03:16 PM
With the start watered well, i took up a position at turn two as I felt this is where most of the action would come from. I heard the "Ten Seconds " call and 24 XC1 riders quads fired to life and the ground shook as they hit the first corner.

Out of my sight, the engine noise silenced for a split second as i could picture the field braking hard and then the loud rush of power was once again unleashed as a mad dash for turn two was underway!

Cocentrating through my lens, I could only speculate who would be the first rider to be the object of my attention, but the wait was short lived as Taylor Kiser rounded the turn hard on the throttle leading the pack as this round was underway!

Pappy
04-30-2007, 03:19 PM
Life at the start happens for me 1/4000 of a second at a time, each picture breaking down the action. As the blackness created when my shutter closes, the race changes frame by frame. No sooner then I had time to register Kiser as the leader, I immediatley picked up Borich and Ballance running mid pack at the start

Pappy
04-30-2007, 03:21 PM
Ballance's YFZ had failed to fire as quickly as usual, and the champ was going to have to deal with working his way through one talented group of riders.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 03:29 PM
Kiser was holding the lead as the pack headed down the last straight before entering the single line woods. Sturdivant came into view following the leader and hard on the gas!

Pappy
04-30-2007, 04:34 PM
XC2 was the next row off the line, and Donald Ockerman claimed another ATVriders.com holeshot award and the money that goes along with it~!


Unfortunatley, Ockerman's highlight was the holeshot this round, as he posted 0 laps:(

Pappy
04-30-2007, 04:36 PM
Thats a tough break for Ockerman as he has been riding great this season

Pappy
04-30-2007, 04:41 PM
Glen Pritchard leads Senior 40+ out onto the track, and rode himself to his best finish this season of 3rd!

Pappy
04-30-2007, 04:44 PM
Junior A

Jason Stover stormed off the line and never looked back, getting the holeshot and running in the lead until teh checkered flag. This marks his second class win this season.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 04:46 PM
The second corner remained a bit slick during the starts

Pappy
04-30-2007, 04:47 PM
Vet A 30+

Chad Wallace grabbed the holeshot

Pappy
04-30-2007, 04:50 PM
Kaleb Nicholson on the move early in College A 16-21

Pappy
04-30-2007, 06:37 PM
Jonathan Shaff gets sideways heading out of turn two

Pappy
04-30-2007, 06:40 PM
Nathan Wallpe #52 had no where to go and no way to stop as he made contact with Shaff. This time, that worked in Shaff's favor, with the energy straightening him out and he was off and running!

Shaff went on to finish 11th, Wallpe 29th after scoring 1 lap

Pappy
04-30-2007, 06:41 PM
College A heads down the last straight and into the woods

Pappy
04-30-2007, 06:45 PM
Junior B rider Nathan Randolph #861 was about to practice for an Allstate commercial as a rider looses it in the turn

Pappy
04-30-2007, 06:49 PM
Randolph did what he could and narrowly missed the rider, but Brad Wilson #313 was going to get the short end of the stick as he and the spinning rider introduce themselves....

Pappy
04-30-2007, 06:52 PM
Wilson got free of turn two, and was then stuck with everyone else in the first big bottleneck of the day

Pappy
04-30-2007, 06:58 PM
VET 30+

Scott Wilson scooted his way past the class grabbing himself the holeshot and making it through the second turn unscathed. Wilson rode to a 3rd place finish, his best of the season!

Pappy
04-30-2007, 07:06 PM
College B gets underway

Pappy
04-30-2007, 07:19 PM
With the starting area cleared, I made my way to the woods to try and cut off the leaders as they finished the majority of the first lap. I did not have a long wait, and soon I could hear the front runners working the ridge in front of me. A few more minutes passed by, the sound echoing off the ridge and into the bottoms and finally I could hear the leader approach.

Borich came around the corner and witha blip of the throttle was gone!

Pappy
04-30-2007, 07:21 PM
Brent Sturdivant was next, riding with more restraint then I had seen in the past. I think some of these fast guys started learning that control and speed work better then running it wide open until you either win or wreck.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 07:22 PM
Jenks was in third at this point and running well.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 07:24 PM
XC2 rider Brandon Sommers had already moved his way into the Pro's and was moving up.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 07:27 PM
Working back to the other side of the track, Thomas Wright popped out of the woods heading to a second place finish in Senior 40+ and currently holds the lead in that class.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 07:30 PM
The course was getting rough on many areas, with each corner developing kickers that was taking its toll on riders arms and hands as they were jarred at every turn.

Michael Galbreath finished 5th this round, and holds the points lead in VET 30+

Pappy
04-30-2007, 07:35 PM
Gary Belbeck working his YFZ through the Hurricane Hill's countryside

Pappy
04-30-2007, 07:40 PM
The leaders were coming, and I could see that Borich was still in charge and riding smart.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 07:46 PM
When I saw Sturdivant still holding 2nd, I did not know wether to take the picture or throw my hands up and cheer him on!

Pappy
04-30-2007, 08:19 PM
Jenks gets out of shape after hooking a rut in the corner. He was still holding 3rd

Pappy
04-30-2007, 08:22 PM
Ballance popped into view and although I saw the red Honda I did not know who it was until after the pair passed me....it was Matt Smiley running in 5th!

Ballance had made his way through the pack and with Smiley on his grab bar, they took off after the leaders.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 08:26 PM
I took off to Pro row to see if I could pick up anything as I strolled by, and the loud speaker was blaring the info that Smiley was in this race and moving up! This was great news for Smiley as the past few seasons havent been his best and he really needed a confidence booster and running up front has a tendancy to do just that.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 08:28 PM
It wasnt long before I could hear the leaders as they worked back and forth from the pit area and field section heading towards me. I caught a glimpse and could see Borich and Ballance running 1st and 2nd as they crossed the road heading to the uphill section.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 08:33 PM
Smiley was up on Sturdivant as they raced up the hill. I couldnt help but wonder what was going on in Sturdivants head....here he had a real shot at the podium and now he has Matt Smiley on his grab bar. Smiley, the veteran of many a GNCC race and Sturdivant with youthful exhuberance. As they topped the hill, I was cheering on both of them as they went out of sight. No matter who ended up 3rd, both were putting in one hell of a good race.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 08:36 PM
In two and a half laps, Kiser had gone from leading to running in 5th. I am sure the stories will come out about the battles that raged out of everyone's view, but for now he needed to stay focused because others wanted his spot!

Pappy
04-30-2007, 08:38 PM
Craig Reed and another Pro passed me as I was set up for a shot and not looking at who was behind Reed. In a flash, reed cut a line that took him further to the left line and I am here to tell you, fans were scattering like crazy!

Pappy
04-30-2007, 08:40 PM
The rider chasing Reed was Chris Bithell, and he rocketed up the right line and out of sight!

Pappy
04-30-2007, 08:42 PM
Adam McGill had his sights on Bithell

Pappy
04-30-2007, 08:43 PM
jenks found the far left line as well and once again, spectators were diving for cover!

Pappy
04-30-2007, 08:45 PM
Yokely wasnt running where I am sure he would have liked to have been, but he was putting in a solid effort, shown here looking up at the hill

Pappy
04-30-2007, 08:47 PM
It is hard to show how rough the hill was getting, but when Brandon Ballance took a bounce on his way up people watching could see just what the riders were facing.

Brandon improved his finishes this round, and i am sure he would have like to keep climbing back up the ladder as the next few rounds are run.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 08:53 PM
Knowing the last lap was underway, I once again traversed the grounds to catch the leaders at the finish and see how it all would play out!

Borich was the first rider to hit the 2nd from last turn, and unless he boned it in the last 500 feet, he would take the win.
He did not infact nake any mistakes and reached out and took the win and the points lead from Ballance.

Chris Borich is now ready to race Ballance for the championship. He has taken the past few years mistakes and learned from the man infront of him, round after round. The expierence is now there, the speed is there, the confidence is there, and the wins are coming to him.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 08:58 PM
Ballance was heading for the checkered flag and 2nd place was securely his. He now sits one point behind Borich as we head to round 6.

This season has to be weighing heavily on the champs mind. The pressure of possibly breaking Hawks record, Borich performing at his level, both hitting him full on. Anyone who counts Ballance out is a fool, but we finally have 2 riders that are on equal footing once the flag drops each round, and that makes for great racing.

The champion of 2007 will be the rider who makes the least mistakes.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 08:59 PM
Matt Smiley checks for any pressure or a last minute charge as he heads to the checkers, taking his well earned spot on the podium!

Pappy
04-30-2007, 09:01 PM
Brent Sturdivant heading for the 4th spot and he should be proud to have put a solid race in at this event. I only got a few pictures of Smiley and Sturdivant because I did put the camera down and showed them both some support. It was great watching such a race as this!

Pappy
04-30-2007, 09:03 PM
Chris Bithell put in another great ride and finished 5th on the day, marking his 4th top 5 on the season.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 09:05 PM
Borich holds the victory in todays battle, but the war is not over. The heat is going to be turned up and he will have the chance to shine when and if he can fend off the charge Ballance will be sure to bring.

Pappy
04-30-2007, 09:08 PM
Bill Ballance just doesnt look right holding anything but a 1st place trophy, and I am sure he will be refocusing his attention in the next two weeks preparing for the Penton.

If anyone can bring it to Borich, it will be Ballance. Sure sets the bar aweful high and I can not wait to watch it all unfold!

Pappy
04-30-2007, 09:11 PM
Matt Smiley, Mr. Consistency back in the thick of things! Matt received a bigger cheer then anyone, and we all know what this finish means to him. His first words on the podium were "How you like me now"!

I am sure i am joined by everyone who watches these races in congratulating Matt on a job well done and we hope to see a lot more of this in the future!

Pappy
04-30-2007, 09:12 PM
That wraps up our coverage, and i look forward to seeing everyone at the next round!

Johnny & Monica
04-30-2007, 11:01 PM
Awesome coverage Ken I was also so happy for Smiley my eyes watered up with joy :D Glad to see him back , I had to rush to the podium to check it out . Going to be a great close season;)

Velocity Girl
05-01-2007, 06:08 AM
Great writeup!

Going to be an interesting season watching Ballance and Borich battle it out!

racer608
05-01-2007, 06:28 AM
Hey Pappy,

The picture of the Vet +30 A holeshot is not Michael Lucas. It's #63 Chad Wallace. Thanks

SCUDA
05-01-2007, 10:49 AM
Thanks for the mention that is a great photo !

gbcap
05-01-2007, 11:51 AM
AWESOME PICTURES. I love the clarity and color on them. what filter did you use then? anything?

Pappy
05-01-2007, 02:06 PM
Originally posted by gbcap
AWESOME PICTURES. I love the clarity and color on them. what filter did you use then? anything?

no filter other then a uv filter for lens protection.

Linda Reed
05-01-2007, 03:36 PM
Great coverage and thank you for the picture of Craig Reed.

burrows
05-01-2007, 03:44 PM
Great coverage Pappy. Great to see ya again. Probably won't see ya for awhile. We got alot of local racing to get the other boy to..mommab

Pappy
05-01-2007, 07:16 PM
Originally posted by Johnny & Monica
Awesome coverage Ken I was also so happy for Smiley my eyes watered up with joy :D Glad to see him back , I had to rush to the podium to check it out . Going to be a great close season;)

I apologize for not taking a few minutes to chat with you:( I was so swamped at the starts with covering two corners and trying to keep an eye on NOT getting run over that my mind was focused (see there is a first time for everything:p )on retaining what i was seeing etc. Next chance I get we will have a cold one and chat a bit I promise!

racer608, thanks! I fixed it!

PowerMadd789XC
05-12-2007, 10:32 AM
Awsome coverage once again, and it is awsome seeing smiley back up there, and nice to see sturdivant doin Great, welp keep the good work up , lata .