RaptorRacer45
05-18-2009, 08:58 AM
Heres a report of my weekends action at The Mountian Ridge GNCC, Enjoy
As the month of May reached its halfway point It was time to continue my quest for a GNCC National number and make the drive West to the small town of Reels Corner, PA and to the Mountain Ridge ATV Park for this years Mountain Ridge GNCC. After waiting for a friend to get off from school I arrived at the track about 7:30pm Friday and set up camp with Chris Holtry and his Dad who was nice enough to supply us with a Camper to sleep in insted of the usual tent. After Signup and Tech I spent some time at the QZ cookout which seemed like a great success and I gotta thank them for all they do for the sport of GNCC. Some time to relax and it was lights out for my group about 10:00pm.
After minimal sleep as usual due to a racing mind (the dang baseball game on the radio till 1am didnt help either lol) I gladly welcomed the morning and was anxious to get the day underway. A quick bite to eat for breakfast and I made my way over the the starting area for the Youth event and to see how the 1st few turns would work out for them, then it was back to camp for some final Quad prep and to meet my parents who would be attending their 1st GNCC and came to watch why I put all my money and effort into this Quad during the week, lol My lovely girlfriend was also there so i had some eyes watching me this time. My Parents arrived at the track about 9:15am in nothing other than Dads Dodge Viper! I told him he was nuts for bringing that to a GNCC but it didnt fair 2 bad just alittle dusty. After seeing the youth riders alittle muddy i decided to throw some tape on the front end just 2 be safe, that prooved to be a good choice. I went and took my starting spot and prepeared myself for a Fast and possibly rough 2 hours in the Pennsylvania Hills. The Pre Race ceremonies had been completed and with the sun shining the riders began hitting the 1st few turns and the 7th Round of the 2009 GNCC Season was underway!
Chris Holtry was off to a solid start in the 16-19 Class then my eyes were locked on Ricky Towery as the call was made. 10 SECONDS! the silent count to 9 was made and the key and fuel pump were kicked on, not more than a second later the flag was up and 700ccs (well 686 i guess) of power lit up under me and I was shooting towards turn #1. I cleared Turn 1 incident free and made my way through the starting area settling in about 7th place as we hit the feilds and began what would be a fast paced race. The motor was running great and I quickly just settled in and watched riders ahead incase there was a hiddin kicker of bump that could cause an issue to an unsuspecting rider. Into the 1st set of woods and up the hillclimb i held my own and moved up close to the top 5, as I neared mile marker 2 towards the road I spotted my pit for the 1st time for reference later in the race. As we hit the 1st set of Rocky woods about halfway through lap 1 i heard a rider yelling like crazy coming up on me, when i gave him the room to go on I was shocked to see it was Traci Cecco, thinking "there was no way I was gettin lapped already" I quickly began wondering how fast this track really was, I learned later she had had issues off the start and had dropped way back in the Overall standings. About the 10.5 mile marker I hit the section of woods that would proove to be the tough stuff and as I closed in on Mile marker 11 I hit a bottleneck, Riders were spun sideways and with no where to go I was forced to wait till my line broke free. Luckly for me it wasnt more than 5 mins but those precious minutes is what would seperate me from the front runners of my class. I made it back to scoring and checked in 15th after Lap 1. I set out on lap #2 and already noticed the feild had strung out a good bit, with clear sight in front of me I made quick work of the fast feild sections and used every bit of of the power my Quad had to offer, a quick thumbs up to my parents and friends in my pit as I cruised by and I was off to try and catch back up after my time lost, I slowly began catching riders from other classes and managed to pick off a class competitor here and there when i headed up the muddy stream section i noticed womens rider Stef Verkade off to the side of the track with equipment failure, I dont know what happened but she had to be dissapointed after a short day. As i approached the final woods section and the big rocks the bottleneck had cleared and there were plenety of fans to point out the best lines, thanks as always to the fans! I completed lap 2 and checked in 10th. I toke the 2 lap sign and set out on lap 3 by my lonesome and basically just myself to race againt and try to make up as much time as possible. I made my 1st stop of the day for Fuel and a quick gulp of gatorade and it was back to business, the occasional rider here and there kept me aware of my speed, but no Teal stickers were in sight (Teal is 20+ C in the AM) I made my way around the fast paced Track without incident, reached over the bars and pulled some tape off the grill to cool the Quad down a bit after some of the muddier parts took their toll on the radiator flow but with alot of open space airflow was ample. Through the rocks and some more encouragement from the Fans and Lap 3 had been completed in 10th once again. I was still feeling pretty good but knew my body would soon start fade away at the pace i was going, I backed it off alittle bit but still knew there was a slight chance I may catch some fellow class riders. Another quick stop for a drink (which was a waste cause my gatorade was gone, lol) and I continued on. I was catching some other riders as i closed in the woods section about the 3 mile marker and noticed a new line to the left, I made my mind up to try it but decided a split second too late and ended up stuck, bumper 1st into a pile of dirt facing downhill. A few choice words and self critizism and I now had an issue, how to get this 450lb machine back on track. With time ticking away I was thinking my race was shot but them just for the heck of it I flagged a rider on a KTM down as he came through and asked for a hand, he gladly stopped and helped me free my Quad and get back in the race after another minute clicked by. I thanked him countless times and still think if it wasnt for him my Race could easly have ended there. Thanks again to whoever you were, my 115lb self can only do so much moving a Raptor around, If you happen to read this I 100% Thank You for your help! I cleared my head and got back in the zone as i set out to once again try and make up time. I passed back by most of the riders that had gotten passed me and hit the Big rocks 1 more time as i neared the end of the section only about 1 mile from the finish a high revving motor was heard as Glen Pritchard make quick work of me on his LTR and headed for his shot at the overall win, I knew this would be my final lap now and gave it all i had to run to the checkers only about 1/2 mile from the finish i managed to clip a tree and pull a flying 180 spin, A quick correction and I knew i was pushing my luck now. As i made it down the feild and through the final turns I saw the checkerd flag and willingly looked at the scoring moniter to see what my mistakes cost me, to my suprise it still read 10th and after my mistakes I was sastisfied with my top 10 run and headed back to the camp where a cold Mountain Dew awaited me. Chris would return to the truck not long after me and he would capture 7th in the 16-19 class his GNCC Career best and 122nd overall and he was thrilled! It was than time to clean up and get ready for the rest of the day.
The PM Action got over just before the skies opened up and it was Pennsylvanias own Chris Borich claiming his 3rd consecutive win at this course with a hard charging Adam Mcgill on his grab bar, almost 3 minutes back Yamaha's Brandon Sommers claimed 3rd and got atleast 1 Yamaha on the podium. Another friend Josh Helm would equal his best 2009 finish in the College B Class finishing 14th. My crew loaded up and headed out as the PM podium concluded and the rains came down, We were gonna watch some of the UTV event but with the weather turning sour we decided to make the 1.5hr trip home and relax. With ourselves and Quads in 1 peice we all had something to smile about and even my parents had a good time and hopefully i can get them to another GNCC someday. My 10th place run moved me to 8th in class points and got me 1 race closer to my goal of earning my 1st GNCC National number. Ill continue my quest in 2 weeks at the John Penton in Ohio and ill also try my luck at Double duty that weekend racing the PA State event at Foot of the Mountain the very next day! Till then i got some practice and maybe alittle work to do on the Quad. Keep Havin fun out there and ill cya in Ohio!
Till next time, keep the rubber side down.
BJ Naugle
RaptorRacer45
Thanks to Amy McConnell and Kenny Hill for the Pictures:D
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/Naugle45/PAGNCC096.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/Naugle45/PAGNCC092.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/Naugle45/PAGNCC093.jpg
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As the month of May reached its halfway point It was time to continue my quest for a GNCC National number and make the drive West to the small town of Reels Corner, PA and to the Mountain Ridge ATV Park for this years Mountain Ridge GNCC. After waiting for a friend to get off from school I arrived at the track about 7:30pm Friday and set up camp with Chris Holtry and his Dad who was nice enough to supply us with a Camper to sleep in insted of the usual tent. After Signup and Tech I spent some time at the QZ cookout which seemed like a great success and I gotta thank them for all they do for the sport of GNCC. Some time to relax and it was lights out for my group about 10:00pm.
After minimal sleep as usual due to a racing mind (the dang baseball game on the radio till 1am didnt help either lol) I gladly welcomed the morning and was anxious to get the day underway. A quick bite to eat for breakfast and I made my way over the the starting area for the Youth event and to see how the 1st few turns would work out for them, then it was back to camp for some final Quad prep and to meet my parents who would be attending their 1st GNCC and came to watch why I put all my money and effort into this Quad during the week, lol My lovely girlfriend was also there so i had some eyes watching me this time. My Parents arrived at the track about 9:15am in nothing other than Dads Dodge Viper! I told him he was nuts for bringing that to a GNCC but it didnt fair 2 bad just alittle dusty. After seeing the youth riders alittle muddy i decided to throw some tape on the front end just 2 be safe, that prooved to be a good choice. I went and took my starting spot and prepeared myself for a Fast and possibly rough 2 hours in the Pennsylvania Hills. The Pre Race ceremonies had been completed and with the sun shining the riders began hitting the 1st few turns and the 7th Round of the 2009 GNCC Season was underway!
Chris Holtry was off to a solid start in the 16-19 Class then my eyes were locked on Ricky Towery as the call was made. 10 SECONDS! the silent count to 9 was made and the key and fuel pump were kicked on, not more than a second later the flag was up and 700ccs (well 686 i guess) of power lit up under me and I was shooting towards turn #1. I cleared Turn 1 incident free and made my way through the starting area settling in about 7th place as we hit the feilds and began what would be a fast paced race. The motor was running great and I quickly just settled in and watched riders ahead incase there was a hiddin kicker of bump that could cause an issue to an unsuspecting rider. Into the 1st set of woods and up the hillclimb i held my own and moved up close to the top 5, as I neared mile marker 2 towards the road I spotted my pit for the 1st time for reference later in the race. As we hit the 1st set of Rocky woods about halfway through lap 1 i heard a rider yelling like crazy coming up on me, when i gave him the room to go on I was shocked to see it was Traci Cecco, thinking "there was no way I was gettin lapped already" I quickly began wondering how fast this track really was, I learned later she had had issues off the start and had dropped way back in the Overall standings. About the 10.5 mile marker I hit the section of woods that would proove to be the tough stuff and as I closed in on Mile marker 11 I hit a bottleneck, Riders were spun sideways and with no where to go I was forced to wait till my line broke free. Luckly for me it wasnt more than 5 mins but those precious minutes is what would seperate me from the front runners of my class. I made it back to scoring and checked in 15th after Lap 1. I set out on lap #2 and already noticed the feild had strung out a good bit, with clear sight in front of me I made quick work of the fast feild sections and used every bit of of the power my Quad had to offer, a quick thumbs up to my parents and friends in my pit as I cruised by and I was off to try and catch back up after my time lost, I slowly began catching riders from other classes and managed to pick off a class competitor here and there when i headed up the muddy stream section i noticed womens rider Stef Verkade off to the side of the track with equipment failure, I dont know what happened but she had to be dissapointed after a short day. As i approached the final woods section and the big rocks the bottleneck had cleared and there were plenety of fans to point out the best lines, thanks as always to the fans! I completed lap 2 and checked in 10th. I toke the 2 lap sign and set out on lap 3 by my lonesome and basically just myself to race againt and try to make up as much time as possible. I made my 1st stop of the day for Fuel and a quick gulp of gatorade and it was back to business, the occasional rider here and there kept me aware of my speed, but no Teal stickers were in sight (Teal is 20+ C in the AM) I made my way around the fast paced Track without incident, reached over the bars and pulled some tape off the grill to cool the Quad down a bit after some of the muddier parts took their toll on the radiator flow but with alot of open space airflow was ample. Through the rocks and some more encouragement from the Fans and Lap 3 had been completed in 10th once again. I was still feeling pretty good but knew my body would soon start fade away at the pace i was going, I backed it off alittle bit but still knew there was a slight chance I may catch some fellow class riders. Another quick stop for a drink (which was a waste cause my gatorade was gone, lol) and I continued on. I was catching some other riders as i closed in the woods section about the 3 mile marker and noticed a new line to the left, I made my mind up to try it but decided a split second too late and ended up stuck, bumper 1st into a pile of dirt facing downhill. A few choice words and self critizism and I now had an issue, how to get this 450lb machine back on track. With time ticking away I was thinking my race was shot but them just for the heck of it I flagged a rider on a KTM down as he came through and asked for a hand, he gladly stopped and helped me free my Quad and get back in the race after another minute clicked by. I thanked him countless times and still think if it wasnt for him my Race could easly have ended there. Thanks again to whoever you were, my 115lb self can only do so much moving a Raptor around, If you happen to read this I 100% Thank You for your help! I cleared my head and got back in the zone as i set out to once again try and make up time. I passed back by most of the riders that had gotten passed me and hit the Big rocks 1 more time as i neared the end of the section only about 1 mile from the finish a high revving motor was heard as Glen Pritchard make quick work of me on his LTR and headed for his shot at the overall win, I knew this would be my final lap now and gave it all i had to run to the checkers only about 1/2 mile from the finish i managed to clip a tree and pull a flying 180 spin, A quick correction and I knew i was pushing my luck now. As i made it down the feild and through the final turns I saw the checkerd flag and willingly looked at the scoring moniter to see what my mistakes cost me, to my suprise it still read 10th and after my mistakes I was sastisfied with my top 10 run and headed back to the camp where a cold Mountain Dew awaited me. Chris would return to the truck not long after me and he would capture 7th in the 16-19 class his GNCC Career best and 122nd overall and he was thrilled! It was than time to clean up and get ready for the rest of the day.
The PM Action got over just before the skies opened up and it was Pennsylvanias own Chris Borich claiming his 3rd consecutive win at this course with a hard charging Adam Mcgill on his grab bar, almost 3 minutes back Yamaha's Brandon Sommers claimed 3rd and got atleast 1 Yamaha on the podium. Another friend Josh Helm would equal his best 2009 finish in the College B Class finishing 14th. My crew loaded up and headed out as the PM podium concluded and the rains came down, We were gonna watch some of the UTV event but with the weather turning sour we decided to make the 1.5hr trip home and relax. With ourselves and Quads in 1 peice we all had something to smile about and even my parents had a good time and hopefully i can get them to another GNCC someday. My 10th place run moved me to 8th in class points and got me 1 race closer to my goal of earning my 1st GNCC National number. Ill continue my quest in 2 weeks at the John Penton in Ohio and ill also try my luck at Double duty that weekend racing the PA State event at Foot of the Mountain the very next day! Till then i got some practice and maybe alittle work to do on the Quad. Keep Havin fun out there and ill cya in Ohio!
Till next time, keep the rubber side down.
BJ Naugle
RaptorRacer45
Thanks to Amy McConnell and Kenny Hill for the Pictures:D
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/Naugle45/PAGNCC096.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/Naugle45/PAGNCC092.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/Naugle45/PAGNCC093.jpg
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