2008 GNCC Racing - Round #10 "Snowshoe" ATV Race Coverage

[Pappy]

The summer break seemed like it lasted only a few short weeks for some, but for others it was non stop work as constant racing and training would pass the time until we would once again be visiting the GNCC series for round#10 of the 2008 season.

This round was held at the SnowShoe ski resort in the heart of West Virginia and is a location you either love or hate it seems! Rider turn out was low with 432 ATV entries this round. The plush and expensive accomodations found at that resort set the stage for the series to step out of its usual racing conditions as high rise hotels took the place of tents and campers.

Ofcourse, saturday morning's weather had all the beautiful scenary hidden as dense cloud cover encompassed the mountain top facility. From the base of the mountain looking up showed what we would be in store for as race time approached.

[Pappy]

The 6 mile journey to the summit is usually filled with awesome views, but not this day. Once reaching the top it was difficult to see much of anything! The Pro pit area was a wash in a thick dense cloud canopy but it could have been much worse! Rain had fallen the night before but wasnt scheduled to affect the event during the race, however in the bottoms, what rain had fallen would make for some seriously muddy sections.

[Pappy]

The 10 am start time was closing in as the riders began heading to the line. Starting row numbers were assigned by points position and a draw during registration.

Traci Cecco and Angel Atwell are locked in a tight points battle as the racing resume's here at SnowShoe. I know Traci loves competition, but I bet you she would like to have some breathing room:p

[Pappy]

With the riders being assembled, I took up a vantage point at the first turn, which everyone figured would be pretty exciting as the morning dew had the road surface pretty slick!

[Pappy]

Angel Atwell got the jump as Traci Cecco remains on her grab bar through turn 1. The first lap of the race would be 14 miles long, and it was at the discetion of track officials to shorten the track if needed.

[Pappy]

Lexie Coulter,Kara Merritt and Shanna Bradshaw use caution as the first row of the event was now on the course.

[Pappy]

John Gallagher Sr pilots his Polaris through the first turn as Super Senior heads out.

[Pappy]

Rath Racing joined the GNCC Series after the cancelation of the WPSA Series, and they have been busy learning the ropes of how to keep themselves and their machines together for the 2 hour events.

Rath has also been a pivital player in the newly released Polaris Sportsman 850 and it is still up in the air if the new machine will be allowed in competition for the 2009 season.

[Pappy]

Joe Borich, father of famed XC1 Pro Chris Borich is a very accomplished ATV racer himself. Many outside the GNCC Series have no idea that there are two Borich's that know how to make an ATV sing and Joe did not pick an easy class to compete in aboard his Suzuki King Quad! Joe would be running in the highly coveted 4x4 Open class amongst some serious competition!

[Pappy]

Big John and other course workers had their hands full directing racers through the fog!

[Pappy]

Rick Cecco dropped the hammer on his Can Am Renegade and was looking to do well. Rick has been battling his machine this season as testing and set up just havent come together the way he would have liked it. If anyone can make it work, Rick can!

[Pappy]

I had a feeling we could get through the Womens class and the 4x4 Classes without to many problems at the first turn. I do have to admit, I was pretty apprehensive though as these big machines can do some wild things when it all goes wrong and you have to run from 700 pounds of machine bearing down on you!

Anthony Voignt and Jamie Bougher put their machines in a perfect slide and were off!!!

[Pappy]

Once the riders hit the first turn, the made a full throttle run to the top of the hill where they would finally encounter dirt!

[Pappy]

Greg Condon kept his Grizzly in the groove as he powers out of the first turn as Nathaniel Miner hits the turn just a bit on the hot side!

[Pappy]

Miner used EVERY bit of track as he cleared the corner!

[Pappy]

Frank Batista drops the hammer on his Rath Racing Polaris. Batista has been working hard to run up front, and this race would show he has what it takes!

[Pappy]

Ok, can you tell we were getting into classes that tend to go balls out :eek2:

[Pappy]

It was time to earn my paycheck as they kept sliding around as they entered the turn:p I figured I was plenty safe, and I sure did not want anyone using me as a bowling pin:D

[Pappy]

It was exciting for the fans and I am sure a few racers got a chuckle out of it!

[Pappy]

A few riders set up well before the first turn:devil:

[Pappy]

The fans faces always crack me up!

[Pappy]

This is where my wife started reminding me I dont have health insurance:blah: I had all the confidence in the world you guys wouldnt take me out;) :chinese:

[Pappy]

Great job of backing it in:p

[Pappy]

I figured I had best head up to get a few shots of the rows launching(and to calm my wifes nerves:devil: )

[Pappy]

With lower entry numbers, the starts were flowing very quickly, and with track conditions soon to be an issue, the lower number probably helped this event run alot smoother then if it were a packed house!

[Pappy]

The last few rows prepare to start, and you can see how the fog enveloped the first turn!

[Pappy]

Traci Cecco was holding the lead and kept it that way until lap 6.

The track was shortened by track officials after the first lap and set up a 10 lap run on a 4 mile course(could have been 5 miles but i did not walk it all!) The leaders had a real advantage as many sat stuck in bottlenecks amid the 14 mile 1st lap. By the time many cleared lap one, the leaders were ready to start working through lappers!

[Pappy]

The riders were showing the conditions as they headed in to complete the first lap

[Pappy]

Scott Kilby was running hard as he heads in to score another lap. Kilby garnered his first class win at this round!

[Pappy]

With bottlenecks causing issues, open track was well recieved as opening up some time would be the key to finishing well. Every second counts with the type of start at this event and riders were pushing harder then ever

[Pappy]

Joe Borich was riding well, and would find himself in the 4th position at the end in 4x4 Open! He sure looked like he was having a ton of fun!

[Pappy]

As the racers worked the upper section, the ski lift can be seen in the background, which was awesome for fans to get to ride free to the bottom and back up again getting a birds eye few of some of the action!

[Pappy]

Atwell would hold the lead from lap 6 to lap 9 as Traci cecco would regain the top spot as the two to go card came out.

[Pappy]

Kristen Atwell would be hard on the throttle yet again as she powered her way to the 3rd spot in the Womens class!

[Pappy]

Jennifer Albright has been riding teh wheels off her Geico sponsored Yamaha this season, as she currently holds the 3rd position in class points.

Albright gives her crew a quick look as she keeps on the gas and completes the race in the 4th spot.

[Pappy]

Sam Williams rode to a strong 3rd place finish in the U2 class!

[Pappy]

Rick Cecco gets pitted as his crew hurriedly goes about attending to his machine. Rick ran a good race until lap 9, where he ran into problems effectivley ending his day.

[Pappy]

Micheal Benson was doing what he does best, make his V-Force go fast! Benson claimed his 5th class victory this round and would find the podium taking the 3rd overall spot!

[Pappy]

Frank Batista would score his best finish thus far in the 2009 season taking 3rd in 4x4 Open!

[Pappy]

Bryan Buckhannon came into this round with 9 straight class wins! His winning streak would come to an end unfortunatley as he finished 3rd. I was really hoping to see him go the distance and have the perfect season!

[Pappy]

Jerime Dudding would be racing on his home states turf and you just know he wanted a good race. Dudding found that good finish as he put his hot rod out front and claimed his first GNCC class win! Great job Jerime!!!

[Pappy]

With so many laps being run so quickly, it was very hard to keep track of who was where and to a point even what lap they were on!

[Pappy]

As a photographer...I was just wishing for that confounded fog to get out of there:p

[Pappy]

Even with the shortened course, the terrain varied. Passing room was there for the taking if you could out run the slower rider before braking for some single line track

[Pappy]

Jamie Bougher heads in to score another lap.

[Pappy]

Quad magazines own Nick Nelson was in competition and claimed the 7th spot in Sportsman!

[Pappy]

Walker Fowler would once again dominate the Schoolboy class and finish 45th overall.

[Pappy]

Micheal Swift picked up right where he left off at the break, by claiming another class win in 4x4 Limited.

[Pappy]

Evidence of the bottlenecks could be seen as strings of riders would flow through at certain sections

[Pappy]

Schoolboy class racer Mathew Close riding his way to a 6th place class finish.

[Pappy]

Douglas Robey pilots his Kymco to a 9th place finish in Schoolboy.

[Pappy]

The new Honda 700 in action at Snowshoe!

[Pappy]

When the fog finally lifted, Traci cecco would stand tall and proud of her overall win!

[Pappy]

Mere seconds is all that stood between Cecco and Atwell, and the war now moves to Unadilla at round #11 as 1 point seperates the two

[Pappy]

Micheal Benson found his way to the podium yet again as he accepts his accolades!

[Pappy]

The top 3 riders pose for photographs as the morning race drew to a close!

[Pappy]

The afternoon racers would face the full 14 miles as teh sun finally whisked away the fog. The summer break at the Pro level is no break at all, and most all of them raced every chance they could to stay razor sharp and to continually improve their set up.

Matt Smiley would beone to watch as he is usually a great rider when the conditions get rough.

[Pappy]

Johnny Gallagher is one rider who has been working on himself more then his machine this season. Gallagher knew his equipment was Pro level and that if he wanted to start finishing better, he would have to get himself in better shape to stay with the leaders and on their pace for the grueling two hour events.

His hard work is paying off, as his finishes have been improving and he is only a chip shot away from finding that podium on a regular basis!

[Pappy]

Bryan Cook is having the best season of his XC1 Pro career, and the pressure has to be immense.

[Pappy]

When I last spoke to Adam McGill at the Somerset round, he had intended on a few weeks vacation and then back to racing and training during the summer break. Adam got in some racing alright, by joining his FRE KTM team in France for the Pont de Vaux endurance race in France! The team took an outstanding 2nd place at this event and gave Adam a taste of what Europe has to offer. More can be found on this event here: http://www.atvriders.com/atvnews/ktm2008-pont-de-vaux-atv-race-team-report.html

McGill would have his shot at glory on his home states soil as race time closed in.

[Pappy]

The afternoon race turnout was on par with last years event as quads began setting up on their assigned starting row.

[Pappy]

William Yokley had big news coming into this event with the announcement of a factory deal with Polaris for 2009. Yokely was very upbeat about the deal and said he is looking forward to his newest sponsor's support for the 2009 season.

[Pappy]

Ryan Lane is certainly becoming a well know rider in the XC1 ranks as he continues to run inside the top 10 in the XC1 Pro class.

[Pappy]

With the ending of all the major MX National events, MX Pro Pat Brown narrowed up his Yamaha YFZ450 and has set his sights on the GNCC series as he intends to try and run out the remaining schedule bashing trees! Pat is an excellent racer and it is great to see him at the series!

[Pappy]

Spectators all grabbed a spot along the roadway as the last few minutes ticked away before the start.

[Pappy]

Brandon Sommers would be the first XC1 rider to fill my lens as he came screaming into the first turn

[Pappy]

Getting a little out of shape, Sommers slides on 2 wheels as Ballance dives to the inside and Borich pours on the power as the first row heads out.

Bill Ballance would be racing in alot of pain as he had broken two ribs just days before this event. You coulnt tell by the way he was riding, it was business as usual!

[Pappy]

Borich pulled hard and took the lead as the front row hit the dirt

[Pappy]

McGill, Sommers and Cook would now have 2 two hours to make something happen

[Pappy]

Taylor Kiser leads out the second row

[Pappy]

Jarrod McClure has been on fire the past few races, attributing his success to his training. McClure should have been right at home on this rough track and the next two hours would see him climb position by position as he kept pushing as hard as he could.

[Pappy]

XC2 riders would fill row 3 as the dry pavement was now showing signs of abuse:devil:

[Pappy]

The drier road surface was helping to keep things much more controlled in the afternoon race, and noone I know would want to smack asphalt. It still kept the fans glued to the action as the sound of howling tires and the smell of burnt rubber added a new element to this race.

[Pappy]

Pat Brown was out front as he leads his row to the dirt. 14 miles of track lay ahead of him, and he would end up not seeing all of it! Brown failed to score a lap after finding some problems. His dad and I joked that he had enough time to build a nice tree fort out in the woods as he did not make it back to his pit during the 2 hour event!Better luck next race Pat!

[Pappy]

Chris Jenks and Kaleb Nicholson go bar to bar as the pair heads off

[Pappy]

Brent Sturdivant leads his row out and he was hoping to have a solid race.

[Pappy]

Johnny Gallagher grabs the lead in his row and wasted no time in getting in the mix. The long course combined with some very techincal sections and mud was a set up that Gallagher could do extremely well in.

[Pappy]

Shawn Hess exits turn one as the straw bales were about to get a little nudge!

[Pappy]

Sean Neidlinger made the switch to a Honda this round. Sean is a great rider and I hope the switch will bring him some better luck!

[Pappy]

#22 Jeff Pickens gets a bit out of shape at the first turn. Pickens had some bad luck heading into round#9 and raced with a cast on his hand. The injury healed for the most part, Pickens was wanting to get out there and get back in the mix of things!

[Pappy]

Rob Hertz would take advantage of Pickens mistake and battle Bryan baker to the dirt. Hertz went on to have his best finish of the season thus far by taking 5th in XC2!

[Pappy]

Gabe Phillips shadows Chris Bithel into the first turn.

[Pappy]

Phillips crossed up and was going down!

[Pappy]

Luckily he wasnt hurt however his steering stem was trashed and he was unable to complete a lap. Tough break Gabe, just glad it was a part tweaked and not you!

[Pappy]

Thomas Wright leads out his row. Wright would ride to a 2nd place finish in Senior A 40+

[Pappy]

Matt Parker was off to an early lead as his row takes to the track

[Pappy]

The Grand Prix style start was pretty exciting to watch, some slow speed video would have been killer to have!

[Pappy]

The starts were being run quickly, and if you blinked, another row would be coming around the turn!

[Pappy]

I was wishing I had about 10 cameras at differing spots all over the turn:p

[Pappy]

Some rows just lent themselves to poetry in motion as they appeared through my lens to ride in unison. Awesome sight to witness!

[Pappy]

You never knew when things would get ugly, but for the most part, everyone kept things under control on the pavement

[Pappy]

I dont know if you all will be able to see the smoke coming off the tires in the resized images, but it was pretty damn cool to see it as I clicked away:p

[Pappy]

Vet B 30+ rider Brian Spencer heads out on his KFX!

[Pappy]

Nick Regalia heads out for another round of racing. Nick has been battling engine issues all season and I sure was hoping he could get in a solid race! Nick takes me down to eastern shore of maryland to hunt for Sika deer, so him doing good and me getting a good shot of him might help him put me on a nice buck this year:devil:

[Pappy]

The starts had just finished when Chris Jenks came riding backwards through the starting area. He had broken off his shifter and damaged the transmission from what I was told.

[Pappy]

With the racers well into the course, I scurried around to find a vantage point to catch the leaders. I love and hate this facility for pictures, but atleast the sun was out:p Fans were taking full use of the ski lift!

[Pappy]

I could barely make out the info being sent over the loudspeaker, but I did hear McGills name, and when He came out of this corner, it was a full throttle battle as Chris Borich was doing everything he could to take the lead away!

Ryan Lane had control of the lead on the first lap, but would fall back to 5th as McGill and Borich battled for the top spot.

[Pappy]

Bill Ballance was not far behind the battling pair, and I figured he was keeping them in check and letting them either wear on one another or wreck out at the pace they were setting. Even injured, Ballance is a threat as he has proved in the past he can push through pain to stay up front.

[Pappy]

Brandon Sommers had clocked in on the first lap in 11th, then set his sights on moving up!

[Pappy]

Taylor Kiser looked to be riding well, however after the 3rd lap he would run into problems that ended his race.

[Pappy]

Bryan Cook was running 6th on lap 1, then fell back each lap, finishing his day in the 13th position. The points battle will be having a new look after this race as several riders moved up and down in the ranks.

[Pappy]

The asphalt sections were mainly near the pro pit area, and riders seemed to be able to manage going fast even when coated in slick mud while their tires were full of grip on the pavement!

[Pappy]

Pit stops were happening everywhere you looked as goggles, gloves and gas were needed

[Pappy]

Ballance had moved into the number 2 spot on lap 3, a testement to how hard core he is. Broken ribs arent any fun, and i cant imagine how he raced that hard for two hours!

[Pappy]

Jarrod McClure had worked his way to teh front, and was now holding the #3 position!

[Pappy]

Senior A 40+ rider Dave Simmons gets pitted as he was on his way to another class victory!

[Pappy]

Keeping track of everything feel to the scoring system, and time was of the utmost importance. Tyler Lenig at one point was within striking distance of the podium! Lenig won the XC2 class and finished 7th overall, a spectacular performance!

[Pappy]

Reports were coming in that in the bottoms, the course was breaking down bad. Mudholes with no bottoms , rocks and steep slick hillclimbs were claiming many riders.

[Pappy]

Four 14 mile laps would set the stage for several racers downfall as a good position could be lost with the slightest mistake.

[Pappy]

The upper sections were typical gncc, and if there goal was to set a brutal course for the racers, they accomplished it in the lowland portions!

[Pappy]

Racing in the shadows of luxury!

[Pappy]

Thomas Koontz riding to a 4th place finish in College A 16-21

[Pappy]

The race was minutes away from being completed as everyone took up a position near the finish linne to see who woudl come out on top

[Pappy]

Adam McGill would be the first rider to take the checkered flag and the win! McGill rode wide open until he was scored!

[Pappy]

Ballance would follow McGill in, taking the second spot. Jarrod McClure had worked his way to the front and claimed the final podium spot with his 3rd place finish!


McGill was stoked to garner another win, and to brush away a few finishes in the past few rounds that had him going the wrong direction. WV is proud of ya boy!

[Pappy]

Whats a win without a big ol' burnout on the podium!

[Pappy]

A well deserved win for Adam and a big boost to his confidence as we head to Unadilla!

[Pappy]

Bill Ballance once again dug deep and came out on top, and with his 2nd place finish he is squarely in control of the points and on his way to his 9th GNCC XC1 Championship! His pain was evident in his voice, and we all wish him a speedy recover and the best of luck!

[Pappy]

Jarrod McClure is on everyones radar now, and barring any unforeseen issues, he will remain a contender. The 2009 season should get real interesting! Good job Jarrod!

[Pappy]

There you have it folks, round #10 is history. In 2 weeks we will all meet again at the Unadilla round and I am expecting an all out war as the 3 remaining rounds will make or break several riders chances for the season.

Be safe, and I look forward to seeing everyone in NY!

[RaptorRacer45]

Great Job and thanks for the coverage! Im glad to have my program back running strong and ill be more than ready for Unadilla:D

[05Z400rdr]

Hey Pappy, do you take pics of the bikes, too? If so, do you have any of LeeAnn Bange #727 in womens class...got 1st?


Landon

[Pappy]

No sir, the only bikes I usually shoot at the GNCC's are in Florida and if Cody races a bike.



A shout out to Kyle Riley who dodged a bullet when he hit a water-break. He was unharmed in the wreck, but his atv went for a long downhill end over end ride,landing in some trees:eek2:

[Pappy]

Snapped frame

[Pappy]

I am sending him some parts so he can be ready for Dilla!

[Pappy]

And a big get well soon to all that left with some bumps and bruises!

[JackA450r]

Hey Pappy, I thought you said that was going on ebay? The shoulder should be good in six weeks!!! Cant wait. As always amazing pics.

[Pappy]

Originally posted by JackA450r
Hey Pappy, I thought you said that was going on ebay? The shoulder should be good in six weeks!!! Cant wait. As always amazing pics.


Sorry to hear the 6 weeks part, but glad it wasnt worse!!!

[DRIVER8]

Great Pictures! I was there and here are a few that I took.

http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p328/PhifePhoto/BorichMcGill.jpg

http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p328/PhifePhoto/ChrisBorich1.jpg

http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p328/PhifePhoto/Racer3.jpg

http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p328/PhifePhoto/SpeedBlurrrr.jpg

http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p328/PhifePhoto/firstcorner.jpg

http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p328/PhifePhoto/Morningstart1.jpg

http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p328/PhifePhoto/MoneyShot.jpg

[yoshz400rider]

Thanx 4 the pics the second to last one is a pic of the U2 line with my brother 221 Rob Smith sweet pic of them guys. He had the lead in U2 for 7 laps until he couldnt hold off benson but still ended up 4th overall.

[Pappy]

How those guys ride those big machines is beyond me...the short course had to wear on them bad!!! Congrats to your brother, looks like that was his best overall finish to date?

[QuadJunkies]

VERY cool to see McClure made the podium!!
Nice job !!:cool: :macho

[GNCC Laeger 250]

Any Youth coverage???

[Pappy]

Originally posted by GNCC Laeger 250
Any Youth coverage???

Sorry, no. I did not arrive at the track until 8 am ...and could hear them but not see them:p I talked to several youth riders throughout the day and they all said the track was easier then last year and several said it was just as fast.

[fastredrider44]

Originally posted by Pappy
Sorry, no. I did not arrive at the track until 8 am ...and could hear them but not see them:p I talked to several youth riders throughout the day and they all said the track was easier then last year and several said it was just as fast.

It was a wee-bit foggy at 8am. We stayed at a hotel 60 miles from the track. It took nearly 2 hours to drive that 60 miles. I normally run 20+C. We just didn't show up in enough time for that so I had to run College B. Those guys are a bit faster. I liked the track, and did pretty well, with the exception of getting stuck so much. I look to racing afternoon again, maybe when everythings not so slick.

[cletusEX]

That picture and finish is only worth an average size sika buck. Now if you can make me look like a pro with the body of an underwear model maybe we can put you on something decent!:p Haha I guess that is asking a little too much. I saw you at the start of the am race but you were gone as soon as they started flirting with the hay bales and spectator fencing.:p

Heading down to the shore this weekend so we'll see what's there for you to shoot this year.:) I'm thinking a nice 6-point in the 65 inch range, should put you in the MD record books. But we'll see if he stays tied up till gun season!:cool:

[Pappy]

Kevlar rope Nick.......and I hope your right.......it would really make them MD boys mad if a WV hick gets in the book:devil: (And good luck, I will be hitting the farm saturday for some freezer meat ..or a decent buck if one so happens to find its way within 30 yards of me or Cody:p )

[kawiracerj]

i also was at snowshoe and i have coverage of morning minnies on youtube.com just search keyword kawiracerj.happy viewing,also check out the rest of my racing videos.!