PDA

View Full Version : 2008 GNCC Series -Round #12- Powerline Park - ATV and UTV Race Coverage



Pappy
10-13-2008, 11:27 AM
Powerline Park, one of the most well known tracks on the circuit once again played host to the Can Am GNCC Series. This marked the 12th round of competition for the 2008 season and would have a full schedule of racing from the Youth atv's to the growing UTV race.

Two main battles remained at the forefront of the series and that would be the Womens class Championship and the XC1 Pro class points battle. Today would see the end of one and the other reaching a boiling point as they will have to slug it out at the final round at the Ironman!

The day starts early for most, and at the crack of dawn, things were getting geared up for such a full day!

Morning Photo gallery (http://kenhill.smugmug.com/gallery/6237029_cC4yW)

Afternoon Photo Gallery (http://kenhill.smugmug.com/gallery/6238414_EtYjE#393843856_MxYpQ)

UTV Photo Gallery (http://kenhill.smugmug.com/gallery/6239533_nrbzz#393939815_uqdc8)

Bill Ballance Interview (http://www.atvriders.com/interviews/bill-ballance-2008-gncc-pro-atv-racing-9th-championship.html)

Pappy
10-13-2008, 11:31 AM
Rick Cecco gets his goggles ready as he prepares to compete. Ricks season has been a roller coaster and I was hoping he would see a solid finish this round.

Pappy
10-13-2008, 11:32 AM
For everyone it seems, work is non stop at these events. The amount of work the track crews, racers and their support people and for everyone involved is tremendous.

Pappy
10-13-2008, 11:39 AM
I asked Dave Simmons how he was doing with regards to his injury and in his typical fashion he proclaimed "doing fine, plates and pins and stuff but good":p

I'm sure I speak for everyone that we wish Dave a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on his Yamaha soon!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 11:41 AM
With this round being one that holds the UTV race, fans were treated to seeing some tricked out UTV's including William Yokelys Razr

Pappy
10-13-2008, 11:44 AM
I get a chuckle everytime I see one of the ladies getting their hair ready to fit in their helmet:p Jennifer Albright sure has some work ahead of her! I think I would have to go crew cut if it were me, but then again I know nothing about women:D

Pappy
10-13-2008, 11:47 AM
Brandon Sommers steals a hug from Traci before she dons her helmet and prepares to fend off a very determined Angel Atwell as the pair remains locked in the points battle.

Pappy
10-13-2008, 11:51 AM
Stephanie Verkade is all smiles before the start. Steph has seen the podium twice thus far in 2008 and she sure seems to like the view from up there!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 11:53 AM
Jerime Dudding has had a season full of 2nd place finishes, but after some serious testing during the break, Dudding came out swinging and claimed two wins in a row in 4x4 Lites.

Pappy
10-13-2008, 11:54 AM
Bryan Buckhannon is shown some love! Buckhannon is an animal aboard his Can Am and finding 1st place finishes seems to be his specialty!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 11:56 AM
Joe Borich had enough of watching the action, and after the summer break came out to compete in the 4x4 Open class.

Pappy
10-13-2008, 11:58 AM
Walker Fowler heads to the line to try his best to finish up this season with another class championship in Schoolboy!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 12:14 PM
Clifton Beasley would grab the holeshot in 4x4 Lites as they kicked off this event from the front row!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 12:16 PM
The Kymco boys were hard on the gas as they give chase to Beasley!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 12:19 PM
Micheal Swift and Mike Penland battle through turn 1 as 4x4 Limited heads out.

Pappy
10-13-2008, 12:34 PM
Traci Cecco grabs the holeshot in the Womens class.

Pappy
10-13-2008, 12:36 PM
These Women racers are hardcore...and dont even need a quad!:p

Pappy
10-13-2008, 12:39 PM
Jesi Stracham learning the ropes of what it takes to run with teh fastest women in the country. The Stracham family is making a move from their Ohio home to North carolina so that their girls Jesi and Jodi can train year round!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 12:48 PM
Rick Cecco leads out the U2 class

Pappy
10-13-2008, 12:51 PM
#500 Micheal Benson is always a threat in this class and is usually in the hunt for a podium finish, however #221 Robert Smith has found his groove and has been posting wins!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 12:54 PM
John Ribley grabs the early lead in Super Senior

Pappy
10-13-2008, 12:56 PM
Scott Kilby has been getting the holeshot in 4x4 Open for the past few rounds, and he was out front once again at Powerline!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 01:04 PM
16-19 C was off and running!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 01:07 PM
This would be CJ;s first full race since april seeing he only did 1 lap at Unadilla:p

Pappy
10-13-2008, 01:09 PM
The racing was good in every class, and once the first few turns were cleared, it got even better!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 01:11 PM
Acommon sight in the first few turns

Pappy
10-13-2008, 01:12 PM
Power being fairly equal, it sometimes comes down to who can out brake the other in the next turn

Pappy
10-13-2008, 01:13 PM
Grabbing the holeshot will get your blood pumping!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 01:15 PM
Hunter Dahlrymple, Kyle Riley and Walker Fowler head for turn 2!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 01:31 PM
After the starts, I headed off to find a spot to catch up to the action. With a 12 mile course, I had a few minutes to relax and think about the season, which would end at this round for me. Florida seemed like it happened yesterday, and in a blink of an eye we had gone from its warm sunshine to the chilly morning air of the ohio countryside. I could finally hear the distant roar of the leaders coming into score lap 1 as I took in the last few seconds of peace:devil:

Pappy
10-13-2008, 04:57 PM
Traci Cecco would be teh first rider past me as she held the lead

Pappy
10-13-2008, 05:04 PM
Angel Atwell was slicing through the woods as she ran just seconds behind Cecco.

Pappy
10-13-2008, 05:09 PM
Clifton Beasley would battle early on with team mate Jerime Dudding, however he would ride to yet another class victory marking his 10th win of the season!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 05:25 PM
Micheal Swift ruled the 4x4 Limited class once again as he took another class win!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 05:27 PM
Rick Cecco had taken the holeshot and was leading the U2 class, but it would be Robert Smith on the charge and soon over took Cecco for the lead. Smith went on to secure his 2nd class win of the season!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 05:30 PM
Samuel Williams holds a 3 point lead over Smith as the series heads to the final round in Indiana.

Pappy
10-13-2008, 05:33 PM
John Gallagher Sr put his Polairs back in the win column at this round!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 05:52 PM
The morning racers would see the best racing conditions of teh day, some even said of the season. Dust did finally show up in the field sections and the mud holes claimed its share of victims, but the track was well recieved by most that I spoke to.

Pappy
10-13-2008, 05:53 PM
You could tell fall is here as leaves were falling everywhere!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 05:57 PM
Traci was on a mission (when is she not?) and had Atwell just seconds behind her. This was a must win for Traci if she wanted any advantage going into the last round.

Pappy
10-13-2008, 06:01 PM
Atwell would keep it interesting as she remianed close to Cecco, however on the last lap she would find herself off her quad and watched as it rode away down a hill! Her tether had torn from her gear and she was left to chase it down. Spectators were able to head off the achine and get her back on the track, but the damage was done. Cecco rode to the overall win and once again edged out her competitor.

Pappy
10-13-2008, 06:04 PM
Lexie Coulter found herself in 5th after the first lap, but would work her way to 3rd where she finished her day, claiming the final podium spot!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 06:06 PM
Rick Cecco and Robert Smith go bar to bar

Pappy
10-13-2008, 06:08 PM
For those that havent ever attended a XC event, passing in the field can be the only chance for several miles to get passed a slower rider.

Pappy
10-13-2008, 06:10 PM
Joe Borich was riding strong, and finished 3rd in 4x4 Open!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 06:11 PM
Greg Condon would take 4th behind Borich

Pappy
10-13-2008, 06:17 PM
Near the end of the race, the fields became dusty, but nothing like we have seen earlier in the season! BJ Naugle competes aboard his Raptor in 20+ C

Pappy
10-13-2008, 06:35 PM
Cecco slides in for the win

Pappy
10-13-2008, 06:41 PM
Traci shows her joy and picks up some pocket money to boot!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 07:35 PM
The short break between races showed that the track was changing. A quick burst of wind sent dust swirling off the exposed sections of the track. It would be a bit dusty for the afternoon racers.

Jarrod McClure would be sporting some Halloween colors as we head towards that time of year!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 07:52 PM
WORCS racer Tim Shelman made the trip from his home on the west coast to give GNCC racing a try. I had the fortune to hang out with Tim the day before the race and he is a hoot! He was so excited to have the chance to race with everyone and was looking forward to see how he would measure up. Tim was born and raised on the east coast but this would be his first ever GNCC type event away from the WORCS series.

Tim was full of questions and was very interested in the XC1 pro riders, more so then the racing. Wether many of you believe it or not, the GNCC series is the crown jewel in the eyes of racers all over the country and world for that matter and other racers look up to you even though they have never met you!It was an awesome time hanging out with Tim and I look forward to reading how he felt about his expierences after the race!

Tim would be running a Derisi built 450R for this event and his trip sponsored by MXN.

Pappy
10-13-2008, 07:59 PM
Pat Brown is still searching for a finish at this XC type of thing:p Brown and ATVInsider owner David Schloss chat before the start

Pappy
10-13-2008, 08:01 PM
Hooper and his sidekick....how come I dont get a hott sidekick:grr:

Pappy
10-13-2008, 08:02 PM
Bithell wanting to get back up front!

Pappy
10-13-2008, 08:05 PM
Borich wanting to make something happen

Pappy
10-13-2008, 08:06 PM
Brandon Sommers thinking hard about that first turn

Pappy
10-13-2008, 08:07 PM
McGill...well...being McGill:p

Pappy
10-13-2008, 08:08 PM
Matt Smiley getting ready to go to work

Pappy
10-13-2008, 08:11 PM
Bill Ballance gets a few last words in with Elliott

Pappy
10-14-2008, 02:43 AM
The green flag flew and it would be Brandon Sommers grabbing the holeshot!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 02:45 AM
McClure, Cook and the rest of XC1 try to squeeze into turn two!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 02:47 AM
Pat Brown looked to be getting used to running larger tires and heads out with Bithell hot on his grab bar

Pappy
10-14-2008, 02:50 AM
Mark Knotman gets the holeshot in XC2, and with Ockerman running XC1, the door was wide open for a new name to be crowned the winner in this class!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 02:57 AM
Brian Wolf gets hung up with another rider in turn 2

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:01 AM
Glenn McConnell gets the holeshot in Senior A 40+

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:04 AM
Joshua Sacchetta gets the holeshot in College A, but Kenneth james would recieve all the attention as the pair tackles turn two!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:06 AM
James sent himself over the bars in grand fashion!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:10 AM
Class after class was sent off the line and out to hammer the 12 mile course, which was now full of ruts, dust and kickers!

Riders take the final few seconds to ready themseleves

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:12 AM
The 10 second call goes out and the last few seconds tick away

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:14 AM
With the flag waving, racers claw their way off the line and head to the first turn!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:16 AM
The view over the shoulder from the last row as all racers were now on the track!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:23 AM
The waiting game begins as Borich's mechanic John Rowlings joins the rest of us as we wait to see who will come through with the lead on lap 1

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:28 AM
Bill Ballance would be the first rider to reach us just prior to scoring the first lap. ballance was riding super smooth, the kind of smooth that gets you were you need to be and fast!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:29 AM
Pictures and video just dont show how fast these guys run, as Ockerman leads Cook and Lane into scoring

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:35 AM
Jarrod McClure was running 4th on lap 1, and was wanting to keep the lead pack in check

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:38 AM
McGill was 10th and on a track this fast, making up time would be extremely hard!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:44 AM
Johnny Gallagher was right there as far as lap times go, but wasnt going to have the day he wanted

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:46 AM
Bithell was on Gallagher and looking to make a pass as Traci shows Johnny he is 40 seconds off the leader

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:48 AM
Brent Sturdivant would score 2 laps before snapping a throttle cable which ended his day

Pappy
10-14-2008, 03:57 AM
Brandon Sommers went from the lead to 15th on lap 1, and I believe he had made contact with a tree:(

Pappy
10-14-2008, 04:00 AM
Pat Brown would score his first full GNCC race this round! Brown went on to finish in the 14th position and it had to feel good to get in a full race.

Pappy
10-14-2008, 04:03 AM
Tim Shelman heads in to score his first lap ever in a GNCC event. he wasnt setting the world on fire but I bet you he was having fun!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 04:06 AM
Matt Smiley had checked in on the first lap in 7th, but would run into problems and drop to 23rd.

Pappy
10-14-2008, 04:08 AM
Some people can sleep through anything:p

Pappy
10-14-2008, 04:20 AM
Ballance rolled through on lap 2 still in control

Pappy
10-14-2008, 04:22 AM
Ockerman was making the most of his Pro debut and was holding down the 2nd spot

Pappy
10-14-2008, 04:41 AM
Following close behind Ockerman was McClure and Ryan lane, with Borich now taking over the 5th spot

Pappy
10-14-2008, 04:44 AM
Jeff Pickens would have a long day, finishing in the 23rd spot:(

Pappy
10-14-2008, 04:46 AM
Bryan Cook holding the 6th spot on lap 3

Pappy
10-14-2008, 04:49 AM
McGill was moving up. coming from 10th to 7th on lap 3, eventually finishing in the 4th spot as the race ended.

Pappy
10-14-2008, 04:51 AM
Bithell was doing his best to get upfront as well, shown here in the 8th position. He would continue to push and finish the race in 6th.

Pappy
10-14-2008, 04:53 AM
Josh Kirkland would ride his way to the Xc2 win!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 04:57 AM
Borich and McGill battle on the final lap

Pappy
10-14-2008, 04:58 AM
Chris Jenks and Brandon Sommers with 2 miles to go. They would finish 10th and 11th respectivley

Pappy
10-14-2008, 05:02 AM
The race ended with little fan fare as the top 3 took the podium. Don Ockerman had put himself squarley in 2nd place and had one heck of a memorable pro class debut!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 05:05 AM
Borich- reflecting on the race or thinking ahead to Ironman:confused: :p 3rd place was a solid finish, and he needs to get back up tehre at the final round to hopefully climb another notch in the points

Pappy
10-14-2008, 05:09 AM
Bill gets his first look at his number 1 plate for 2009. While this makes #9, it has to be incredibly satisfying to pull it off after dealing with his injuries and the onslaught of talent that graces the XC1 class.

Congrats Bill, you earned it!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 08:33 AM
The UTV racing would soon follow the afternoon racing, and it was a long walk for some to get to the field where they were held. It did not deter the fans from making the walk!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 08:35 AM
54 entries were staged in 5 different classes

Pappy
10-14-2008, 08:42 AM
William Yokely would be hard on the gas as he secured the holeshot

Pappy
10-14-2008, 08:43 AM
Going across the middle can get tough....

Pappy
10-14-2008, 08:45 AM
The carnage was about to get real:eek2:

Pappy
10-14-2008, 08:48 AM
Wrong side up, it's not only a jeep thing:p

Pappy
10-14-2008, 08:51 AM
For the Stephens /Turner team, it wasnt looking like a good start:huh :p

Pappy
10-14-2008, 08:53 AM
They had the machine back on all 4 before the dust even settled and they were back in the race!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 08:55 AM
Open Limited was next off the line

Pappy
10-14-2008, 08:57 AM
3 wide through the first turn

Pappy
10-14-2008, 08:58 AM
Going uphill did not stop the excitement!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:01 AM
Lites Modified only had 3 entries, and with fewer machines it meant more speed into the 1st turn:macho

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:03 AM
12 entries in Lites Limited head for turn 1

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:06 AM
Open Single Seat -Exhibition had 8 entries, and for many, this was their first look at the classic Honda pilot!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:13 AM
The Honda Pilot is still a blast to operate and incredibly fun to watch race! The strong 2 stroke power easily got them up hills and out of corners!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:15 AM
Safety is the biggest concern when these machines take the track, and at this round , fans gave them a much wider berth then at previous rounds. I am usually one to dive right in and get close but with the UTV's, I keep my butt back!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:17 AM
Thankfully a good breeze kept the dust moving out of the area as it kicked up in teh field sections

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:19 AM
William Yokely and his wife were hammer down as they held the lead

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:21 AM
The Stephens/Turner team may have been upside down at the start, but they wasted no time moving through the entire class and were now following Yokelys dust trail!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:23 AM
The Anthony /Leadbeater team's machine was showing signs of contact!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:25 AM
The Harvey/Kabay team goes all out to make a pass

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:26 AM
Jim Carte keeps it pinned as he prepares to climb a hill

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:28 AM
The Hagel/Clapp team was competing with the new Polaris Razr S model!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:30 AM
Appoaching the scoring area should have been a spot to take a breather....NOT!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:32 AM
Powering out of the corners and holding speed was crutial for some machines to keep up their momentum

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:34 AM
The nimble and quick Pilots were making things happen

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:37 AM
The team Oh Hitt /Hitt ran into problems right at the start and would not score a lap

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:39 AM
William Yokely would take the win in Open Modified

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:47 AM
All the racers seemed to have a blast and the winners had just that much more to smile about!

Pappy
10-14-2008, 09:50 AM
It sure was a busy day, and I know many people were just looking for a cold drink and some rest!


I wish everyone the best of luck for a safe and successful race at the final round, and I will see many of you at the Heartland Challenge race in November. For the rest of you, it was an pleasure hanging out with everyone this season and I look forward to seeing everyone at round 1 in Florida for the 2009 season!

RaptorRacer45
10-14-2008, 11:43 AM
I 2 have enjoyed every second or every Round I made this Year...... Ill be more than pumped for 2009 and I thank everyone who makes each race happen!

Good luck to everyone at Ironman and Ill see everyone again sometime soon!

Brauap
10-14-2008, 05:50 PM
Thank you soo much for putting these pictures up! They where amazing! I wanted to go so badly that weekend, but dad had other plans. (We live about 2 hours away)

It looked like so much fun! And it looks like it would be even MORE fun to race in one of those Pilots! WOW!

Thanks Again! ...Maybe Next Year...

xcountry
10-14-2008, 09:08 PM
AWESOME Shots and coverage!!

Your da man!!

haleymcgill
10-16-2008, 05:52 PM
Hey Everyone! I caught this really awesome shot of my brother, Adam McGill, so let me know if you like it! I kinda do :p

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y110/xLdyDogBball25o/DSCN3118.jpg

RaptorRacer45
10-16-2008, 07:02 PM
Its hard 2 not like any pic of Adam McGill......The Kid is always Camera Happy, lol

Pappy
10-16-2008, 08:53 PM
Haley, good for you! I for one wont get on my knees around Adam for a low angle shot!!!!:devil:

haleymcgill
10-17-2008, 10:59 AM
haha..that's true! But thank you for the comment!
I guess the only reason I got the shot was because im supa' fast! and because i'm family :p