2008 GNCC Series-Round #9-Geico Mountain Ridge- ATV - Race Coverage

[Pappy]

Round #9 of the Can AM GNCC Series was held at the Mountain Ridge riding facility located in Somerset Pennslyvania over the 4th of July holiday weekend. The region is well known for its stunning scenary and vast trail network that allowed Racer Productions to lay out one mean course tht would fit in all the racing for the weekend. This round would also hold the second UTV / Side by Side race and the turn out was awesome.


Complete results, reports and photo galleries (http://www.atvriders.com/atvracing/gncc-xc-atv-racing-2008.html#9)

[Pappy]

KTM's presence is growing at each round as the bike and quad support teams are starting to fill the pit area. KTM and it's loyal riders are banding together for one goal, to get the now familiar orange and black colors up front!

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Series sponsors that offer trackside support were busy all afternoon getting machines and parts readied for the racing action that would soon follow.

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AMA MX Womans racer Angela Butler switched gears this season and set her sights on the WORCS series out west, however with the back to back racing action in Pennslyvania she would be out fitting her Polaris Outlaw to compete in this event. Butler will also be running next weekend at Pleasure Valley MX at the AMA MX National as she raps up her double header here on the east coast!

[Pappy]

XC1 Pro rider Jeff Pickens was in good spirits even though his thumb and wrist resides in a cast. Pickens injured himself at Yadkinville on the creek jump and stated he was just going to do the best he could for as long as he could. Pickens started out this season on fire, climbing inside the top 10 and then ran into some troubles. The talented young riderwill be back in full force soon and we wish him a speedy recovery and the best of luck!

[Pappy]

The dreary day faded into a beautiful evening as fans and racers all settled in to their pits for the evening. Fireworks were keeping many entertained as the last few rays of light blended into the high mountains surrounding the facility.

I had a little fun with the Stracham family as Jodi and Jessi give their dad a big hug as I called it a day.

[Pappy]

The 10 am race was on the line as the weather decided to show us a little bit of everything throughout the day.

[Pappy]

Dustin Brocato made the long journey to this event from his home in the south. "Scro" is his user name online and he does pretty well when he can keep his machine out of the trees. he has been labled a quad killer as he is personally responsible for send several machines to teh scrap heap after pounding them without mercy:devil:

[Pappy]

Greg Condon is having some successes this season, even though he has been battling his machine at each round. Greg pushes his Grizzly hard in the 4x4 Open class and is learning what works, what doesnt, and finishing the event with all the control arms intact means alot! Condon did well here last year and was eager to go after the big boys in the class.

[Pappy]

Jennifer Albright is all smiles before the start as her Geico lizard keeps an eye on things! Albright has hit the top 3 in the Womens class 3 times thus far in 2008 an currently holds the 3rd spot in class points

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Bryan Buckhannon is a machine, claiming wins in every round of competition so far in 2008. Complete domination of the 4x4 Open class is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to describing his results.

[Pappy]

Page two of the perfect season belongs to Clifton Beasley. The Can AM crew has selected quite a group of riders to show the racing community what its machines can do and Beasley does not disappoint as he follows in his teammates footsteps with a complete wrap in the 4x4 Lites class.

[Pappy]

I am sure if Micheal Swift could, he would erase round #2 from the history books as it is the only round so far that he hasnt claimed victory in the 4x4 Limited class.

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Traci Cecco goes through the steps needed to tuck all that hair into her helmet:p

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Don Sturdivant and Jerime Dudding get ready for the start.

Don is one of those guys that will help anyone, anytime and anywhere. Keeping his son Brandons machine ready, turning wrenches on the LTE team machines and offering his help and knowledge to ANYONE who needs it make him a pretty special feller. I've seen him dead tired after a long day, only to grab some tools and head off to wrench on a quad for someone he doesnt even know. Your a winner in my book!

Dudding claims he is only there to lend his good looks and country charm to the LTE pit:devil:

[Pappy]

Good old Aleve:p

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Daryl Raths machine sits idle as the start time closed in. This track can be a beast on equipment, and would be a test for the Polaris team

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John Gallagher has been wanting some competition and he has it this season, even though he holds a solid lead in points. I hope im in 1/2 the shape he is at his age, the man just keeps rollin!

[Pappy]

Super Senior:


John Kenney was the first rider to launch off the line as round #9 was underway!

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The Women were turned loose next and it was Traci cecco grabbing the holeshot

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Angela Butler was last off the line, but was looking at picking riders off after the first few turns were complete

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4x4 Open

Bryan Buckhannon swung through the middle of the first turn as teammate Scott Kilby dove to the inside. Buckhannon poured on the power as he swept the turn

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Exiting turn one, it was a drag race between the pair, with Buckhannon taking the lead and never looking back!

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4x4 Lites

Jordan Phillips was all out of shape as he hits the first turn.

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Dudding would make the pass on Phillips and take the lead

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4x4 Limited

Micheal Swift and Mke Penland battle for the lead

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U2

Denny Jesse was out front of a hard charging pack of riders in U2

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Sportsman

Glenn McConnel grabbed the holeshot in Sportsman!

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24+ C Class

Todd Scott was out front as the class cleared turn one

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Brian Mills zigged when he should have zagged

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Next stop.....Terrafirma

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30+ C

Robin Seitz was dong all he could to stay in the lead as David barton was would soon be wheel to wheel with him heading towards turn 2

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36+ C

Rodney Baker grabs the holeshot

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16-19 C

Kolton Burd grabbeed the holeshot and remained out front until the checkers flew, taking the class win!

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Womens's Novice

Jessi Stracham came railing around the outside of turn 1 but wouldnt take the holeshot this round.

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First Year Racer 25+

Louis Milliard takes the early lead

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First Year Racer 16-24

Zachery Schaffer leads out this class, which seemed might small compared to other rounds

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Schoolboy 13-15

The start got interesteing as Cody Parmerter gets sideways as Hunter Dalrymple gets on the brakes to keep from T-boning him

[Pappy]

This track kind of has it all, and is so vast that track workers could have given us any type of course they wanted! Tight woods, mega rock scetions, hills, mud and fields all faced teh riders a they dropped the hammer on the first lap.

Traci Cecco held the lead at the mid point on lap 1

[Pappy]

Angel Atwell wasnt wasting any time trying to keep Cecco in her sights

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Lexie Coulter was hard on the throttle as she ran in the 3rd spot. Coulter would drop off the pace and finish the race in the 6th position

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Frank Batista would be his teams only hope as Darly Rath ran into problems and would not score a lap

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Angela Butler was wided eye'd as she passed me on lap 1. She looked to be holding her own and had 2 hours to see what this GNCC stuff was all aboout!

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Kara Merritt running strong in the womens class.

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I made a change in position just in time as rain started to fall. Mathew Close came through, running 10th in Schoolboy

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John Gallagher put his 6th win on the board this round, as he rolls to yet another victory in Super Senior!

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Atwell secure the lead on the second lap, and put a few lappers between her and Traci

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Cecco was only seconds off the leader, and we had another race that would come down to the wire

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Kriten Atwell was only a ew quad lengths off Traci as or the 2nd race in a row, she worked her way to the front!

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Greg Condon was sitting in 4th in 4x4 Open as the second lap was under way. Condon would take over teh 3rd spot and hold it till the finish!

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Many racers described the track as to fast, and that there wasnt much one could do to make up time.

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Scott Kilby on his way to a second place finish in 4x4 Open

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Clifton Beasley took his usual laid back approach at the start, and by the 2nd lap was in the lead and heading to the checkers to claim his 9th straight class win

[Pappy]

Atwell continued to lead as the rain subsided. There were many field sections that allowed full throttle runs and Atwell had her machine running fast all day!



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Cecco and Kristen Atwell were running together just seconds of the leader


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U2 racer Micheal Benson would run into problems this round, and finish 7th in class


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Rick Cecco would be off the pace and finish 5th in class, allowing the chase for the class championship to tighen up...way up


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Ron Dernoski would put in 3 laps before having problems. Ron (Derno) finished in 8th in U2


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Glenn Pritchard was on fire, running ultra smooth and fast. Pritchard would win the overall, by time adjustment from the 7th row! Awesome race Glenn!!!!!


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Schoolboy class race Alex Semande powers his 300ex up one of the many hills on his way to a 14th place class finish.


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[Pappy]

Dan McConnaughey limps his machine in as the damage is easily seen.



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[Pappy]

The morning racers had the benefit of not having the large rock sections to race through, however there were still plenty of obstacles to tackle.

[Pappy]

Flat tires were everywhere, and running this track with a flat really hurts:p

[Pappy]

Back in the woods, riders had to choose wisely as passes could be made if one knew the lines to take, but I watched many attempts that resulted in lost positions!

[Pappy]

With 6 laps of intense racing, in the end it was once again Angel Atwell coming across the checkers to secure the win! Atwell has been benefiting from every mistake her competitors have made, while making few of her own and the points chase seems to be coming down to the wire yet again for the front runners!


Atwell also walked away with some cash in her pocket as she secured the $100 ATVriders.com overall award!


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[Pappy]

For Traci Cecco, 2 seconds is all that kept her from the win. Problems in the pits may have hurt her, but thats why they call it racing not winning!

[Pappy]

I think it is safe to say that Kristen Atwell has found her groove as she visited the podium for the second time in as many races! Great ride Kristen!


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[Pappy]

Angela Butler completed the race, finishing 6th in class and 19th overall! A great ride for her!

[Pappy]

There you have it folks, your morning podium! Without throw aways and such, the race to the Womens class championship is only seperated by 1 point! The riders have some time off as the summer break begins, to regroup and train even harder for the run to seasons end!

Another big congrats to Glen Pritchard on the overall, quite a ride!!!

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[Pappy]

Angela Butler would not be the only Worcs series racer in attendence this round, as Team Motoworks made the trek from the west coast to participate

[Pappy]

Bryan Cook has been on a roll, more like a steam roller as he has been tearing up the XC1 class this season. Being a privateer seems to have set things in motion for him to start the year off with a goal and he has worked non stop to achieve it. I chatted with him before the event and he stated that in his home area they havent been able to ride much due to dust (Yadkinville type dust)

I dont think it mattered much, Cook is on top of his game right now and there isnt much that will slow him down!


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[Pappy]

William Yokely is another rider that is having a reat season aboard his National Gaurd backed 450R. Twice the Tompkinsville KY resident has visited the podium in 2008 and has only finished outside the top 10 once in 8 rounds. It is great to see William excell after a few seasons out of the mix.

[Pappy]

After 8 rounds of racing, Adam McGill finds himself 3rd in points and looking back on a season that so far as seen highs and lows. This is still a young team and has a bright future, even if the bite isnt as sharp as it was early in the season. Sometimes seeing how a rider and team bounce back from adversity can tell us more then finish results.

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[Pappy]

Taylor Kiser hasnt put one in the win column, but he isnt far off. He has remained pretty consitant thus far and looks to round out the first half in a points position that will set him up for another solid season.


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[Pappy]

Chris Jenks is among several Can Am riders that have their hands full each round as they try to sort out what works and what doesnt on these new machines.

[Pappy]

Brandon Sommers is another rider that has been knocking on the door to score his first XC1 win. A wreck at yadkinville ruined his chance, but this was a new day.


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[Pappy]

Taylor Kiser hasnt put one in the win column, but he isnt far off. He has remained pretty consitant thus far and looks to round out the first half in a points position that will set him up for another solid season.

[Pappy]

Bryan Baker is always a good sport, and is a solid rider in his own right with his best finish thsi season coming at the Penton where he finished 7th


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[Pappy]

Johnny Gallagher is one of those riders who is faster then the race results show. With solid top 10 finished in many rounds this season, JG has shown he has skills that extend beyond the mud specialist he is known for! KTM's Shane Hitt chats with Johnny before the race.


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[Pappy]

Jarod McClure gives Harlen a big thumbs up as he awaits the start. McClure has stepped up his game off the track with regards to his training and it is paying off big time. McClure found the podium at Yadkinville, and wanst to get back up there as often as possible:p

[Pappy]

Brock Lyons can usully be found at the MX nationals, competing in the Pro class. he does however have a want to go fast in the trees and this would be his second GNCC event of the season.


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Chris Bithell is all smiles as he waits his call to the line. Bithell's season has been plaqued with equipment problems as he to faces the new machine pitfalls.

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Santo Derisi and family sit in the sunshine as the starting procedures commenced. Its hard to believe how fast his son is growing!

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[Pappy]

Matt Smiley showed up this round sporting a new stash:p He said all he needed was a cowboy hat and he would be set!

Matt would be running in his home state, and he has a knack for getting through the nasty stuff so I was looking for him to do well today!

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[Pappy]

Chris Borich had an ace in the hole this round...Harlen Foley. Each race this season that Harlen had attended, also had Chris on the podium at the end of the day. Im sure if that could be proven Harlen would have to attend more:p

[Pappy]

Ballance- can you say #9:devil:

[Pappy]

I could hear the national anthem from my position WAY WAY WAY down in the woods:p I wanted a spot that showed a few ofthe rocks and I found it but had to trek quite a ways seeing Foley swiped my ride:grr:

Listening to the hushed sounds of the woods and catching the familiar song had me ready for the race to get underway!

[Pappy]

I havent really had to many races this season where I wasnt in the first few turns, but man let me tell you that when the XC1 class sets off, the ground shakes! I know I was roughly 3/4 of a mile from them and the sound made the hair stand up on the back of my neck! I had no idea who had the holeshot, i there had been any wrecks, all I knew is that we were racin!


Bill Ballance grabbed the lead in his usual fashion and was off!!

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[Pappy]

Borich swung wide through turn 2 with Gallagher running behind him and McGill to the inside


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The course was wide enougha nd fast enough that the Xc1 class wasnt seperating as they worked in and out of teh woods at the start of the lap


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[Pappy]

Borich hod gotten a better start, but had some fast riders ahead of him. I had remembered what he stated in an interview a while back, about wanting a fast track where he could run and here he had that!

Borich just comes into view as the group of riders gets on teh gas hard

[Pappy]

From my spot, I figured we had about 24 minutes give or take before the first riders would come past. The noise from the other classes starting drowned out the pro's locations as they worked the course.

I could hear the first rider approaching but had no way of seeing who it was. Infact, when that rider did hit my spot all I could see was a blue blur that turned out to be Bill Ballance. He attacked these rocks and offered his machine no mercy!

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Within seconds the area was filled with machines being held at full throttle as the rocks highcentered machines and teh riders did all they could to keep pushing forward!


William Yokley and Brandon Sommers work the rocks

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Borich was on a mission and would soon make the pass on Brandon Ballance

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There seemed to be almost no break in the action as the XC1 class worked this section.

Ryan Lane gets pitched sideways in the rocks

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Josh Frederick soon found out what nasty rocks are all about!

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Bryan Baker was just ahead of some very hungry Can AM riders

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One split second of slow down meant an oppertunity, and chaos! Getting in the way here could send you home with some tread marks!

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Skidplates would get quite a workout!

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Jeff Pickens would be doing everything he could, as a broken thumb would keep him from giving 110%

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Brock Lyons running his secnd GNCC evemt, and this would be a rough one for him!

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Mark Nottman was holding 2nd, with Tyler Lenig running a close 3rd in XC2

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Battles were intense, and being in a bad section added to the excitement!

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Donald Ockerman may not have been upfront at the start, but he would charge hard and take the XC2 class win!

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Joshua Kirkland gets kicked around in the rocks

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The faster line apperared to me to be to the inside of the corner, although it looked much more rough coming at the corner from a riders view point

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One wrong bounce and you were out of shape!

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Dillon Zimmerman (Motoworks) had his hands full as he competed in XC2

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Having your kill switch pull out isnt a good thing

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One mistake and you lose many positions:p

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Shawn Collins makes a pass and was blitzing this section at warp speed!

[Pappy]

During the race, it is kind of hard (read damn dangerous) to get to close to the action and show you how big these rocks were:p

[Pappy]

I would say taking a few seconds and maybe picking your way through it, but they tell me to hammer down is how to get through it:p

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I am pretty sure I could send one of my kids through college if I collected all the scrap aluminum left in the rock sections:huh

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I knew we were getting close to the end of the line of riders on the 1st lap, and was wondering how the pro's were making out as they started their second lap

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Getting a helping hand sure means alot!

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Bryan Baker was getting a tow back to his pits, ending his day without scoring a lap


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Bryan Cook assumed the lead as Bill Ballance was forced to pit with a steering problem

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Borich took command of the 2nd spot, with Kiser pulling up in 3rd


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Gallagher leads Smiley at the 10 mile marker


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Cook would hold the lead for a lap however Borich would assume the number one spot on lap 3!

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The top 5 or 6 riders had a clean run to score another lap as lappers had thinned out.

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Breaking out of the rock section allowed passes to be made

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Riders in the afternoon are at the point where most of them go all out for the entire two hours, a testement to how much training is involved to be competitive.

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Keeping it pinned for two hours in roughc onditions...well you boys have my respect!

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Borich had wide open track infront of him as he retained the lead heading into the last lap


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Cook and Sommers were now locked in battle as they gave chase to Borich


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Just seconds seperated the group of riders!


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Ballance's problems had set him back, and he was running out of time


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McGill had run in the 8th spot for the first 2 laps, but would drop to 14th to finish the last two. A bent shifter was the reason he dropped back, another unfortunate race for Adam!


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Bithell and Jenks were having their best races of the season. Brent Sturdivant had ripped his swingarm skid plate clean off, mounts and all and kept throwing his chain in the rocks.


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Josh Frederick would complete the race, taking the 16th spot in XC1


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Matt Smiley really poured it on as the races wore on, running in 7th with 1 to go! He would keep pushing and come out in the 3rd position when the checkers flew!!


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[Pappy]

A few miles is all that seperated Borich from victory !

[Pappy]

Alot would change on the last lap, and as Borich, Cook and Sommers passed me for the last time I was sure we were looking at the podium as they raced away from me.

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Ballance went from 1st, to 11th, then 9th and would end the day in the 7th spot. Not the day he would have prefered, but you cant win them all!

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Borich rolled in and took the win by 1 second over a hard charging Brandon Sommers!!

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Sommers is getting oh so close to his first win!

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The PA boys were mighty happy, and for Smiley the finish was just added fuel to his fire!


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[Pappy]

The 3 winners stood proud on the podium after a hard fought and extremely close race. Mere seconds seperated the top 10 racers at the finish!


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[Pappy]

And there she be folks, we now head off for the series summer break! I am sure alot of work remains for many, but hopefully some down time will do us all good!

[Pappy]

Being that this event was held over the 4th of July weekend, a visit to the flight 93 memorial was special.

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[Pappy]

The permanent memorial will be constructed at the temporary site, however the love that is expressed here is immense. Harlen did a great job getting these shots.

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[Pappy]

I wanted to save these shots for the end of coverage so that everyone could just take a second and reflect that our lives are short in the grand scheme of things, and that there are bigger issues that require real thought and worry, and that we can truly thank god for our freedoms and pleasures that we find together at the race events.


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[Pappy]

For those of us that cover this series and many others for this website, watching the riders and their families grow and witnessing first hand the highs and lows of competition means more to us then watching the results.


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[Pappy]

Keeping tabs on new additions to your families, seeing how everyone pulls together to succeed or watching how much an injury requires to overcome keeps us coming back year after year. We are truly thankful for all that you have given us without even knowing it.


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[Pappy]

Family support for us extends beyond the racing, as those of us charged with bringing the action to the masses rely heavily on our own families to support us with our endeavors just as much as the racers require the support from their families. As our sport grows, I hope that family involvement remains paramount over all other things associated with racing.


The Schloss family, owners of ATVinsider magazine

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[Pappy]

For us, seeing a cheezy smile after the race, or watching the frustration when things dont go as planned tells us a story with almost every picture we capture. Wether you be a pro or first year racer, we do our best to bring the world your life at these events.


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[Pappy]

This year seems to be a huge year for racers expanding their families, and watching as the joy and pride fill the parents eyes as they bring their child to their first race is priceless. Ofcourse, Shawn Collins is starting his kid out young, the energy drink supplement will help with obtaining ultra speed when toddling begins! Shawn will have the fastest kid at the playground, but I think mom may be growing tired of the rocks Shawn keeps placing in the sand box:p

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[Pappy]

And success is coming early for many racers this season, as Parker Jones clinched the class championship this round in College A 16-21

Quite an accomplishment and we wish him the best as he continues to climb the ladder!

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[Pappy]

Thats all I got for you folks, we really hope you enjoyed the coverage and it was great seeing everyone before the break. Be safe during the summer, and we will see many of you at local events as we stay sharp(well Harlen needs practice:D) covering them and keeping tabs on how things are going with many of you!

For us, there will be no break as we still have a few MX events to cover, along with non stop travel clean through december! As we grow even more, we hope you will keep on giving us the support you all have shown which has allowed us to keep bringing the action to the world! I say world, because many of you are featured in countries through our work that you have no idea about! Pretty crazy to see a picture of Matt Smiley on an Isreali website, or see our images plastered throughout Europe as the world enjoys what YOU do!!!

See ya after the break!

Complete results, reports and photo galleries (http://www.atvriders.com/atvracing/gncc-xc-atv-racing-2008.html#9)

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[LeGaCyGiAnT124]

Thanks for the awesome pictures Pappy, the trackside pics makes it feel like your their. The descriptions were great too, good job :macho

[joedirt]

Originally posted by Pappy
XC2 was being led at this point by Polaris mounted Brian Wolf, who was seeing just how tough his lower a-arm was:p

I think Brian Wolf was on a Yamaha.

[Pappy]

Originally posted by joedirt
I think Brian Wolf was on a Yamaha.

You are correct, thanks dirt

that was actually Brock Lyons and Wolf was on a honda this round

[Brauap]

Originally posted by Pappy
Jarod McClure gives Harlen a big thumbs up as he awaits the start. McClure has stepped up his game off the track with regards to his training and it is paying off big time. McClure found the podium at Yadkinville, and wanst to get back up there as often as possible:p

Awesome pictures Pappy (Like always! ;) )!!

I was wondering, where could I get those ATVRiders.com graphics? They look soo cool!

[erac4019]

Originally posted by Brauap
Awesome pictures Pappy (Like always! ;) )!!

I was wondering, where could I get those ATVRiders.com graphics? They look soo cool!

Go for it Graphics has them and you can get any color you like..click the link--- G4 Graphics (http://www.goforitgraphics.com/index.php?cPath=98_102_60_68)