2009 GNCC Racing Series - Round #10 - Unadilla - ATV Race Coverage

[Pappy]

Round #10 would mark the end of the summer break for the GNCC season and would once again find the series on histoic grounds as we headed to the world reknowned motorsports park at Unadilla!

The weather here is always a what if, and usually you can depend on seeing some wet fall from the sky. This year would be no exception , however mother nature dealt the racers an even hand this year as the impact on the course would be minimal.

There would be some new faces at this round as several of the worlds fastest MX racers would be on hand to give the trees a go!

Harold Goodman is locked in a fierce battle in the EDT series as he battles for another Pro class championship. Goodman is an amazing racer and has talents that run the gamut as he has competed in just about every type of ATV racing there is.

[Pappy]

I was on a hurried pace as I did not arrive at the track until 9 am...and by the time I got parked and geared up the morning racers were lining up! I hate not getting to the race until saturday morning but scheduling had me covering several events this week and I flat run out of time:p


Kyle Riley looked primed to turn it loose as he sat on the very last row in Schoolboy.

[Pappy]

Watching these guys go from the 90 class to the 300 class sure makes me feel old:p Hearing about these kids getting ready to get their learners permit to drive a car doesnt help:blah:

The Schoolboy class remains one of the most competitive classes of the day and is stocked with great riders.

[Pappy]

Brody Livengood looks pretty mean as he gets his game face on:D A few of these guys will be moving up next season and will have several years of expierence that should propel them to the front of the classes they decide to run.

[Pappy]

I needed to get some pretty faces on film before checking on some of the more onry riders found further up the starting lanes:devil:

Thanks for holding one of my cameras!!

[Pappy]

David Hunsacker made me take his picture:o

David has been slugging it out in the series for several seasons and is always a pleasure to chat with.

[Pappy]

I tried sneaking past these guys but they wouldnt have it:p

Can Am and Warnert Racing have a stable of talent that just loves to race and win.

[Pappy]

You wouldnt believe what I have to say to get some of these racers to look my way:( :devil:

Lexie Coulter would race naked this round......more on that later:eek:

[Pappy]

My mom used to give me that look:chinese:

Traci Cecco has a heart as big as Texas, but hasnt had a run away season this year.....well when you think of it she is always battling to the wire:p This round would be a big one for her quest to capture another championship as she is still in a heated battle with Angel Atwell.

[Pappy]

Atwell is all smiles as she is poised to take that championship away from Cecco. No matter who ends up with it, both ladies have given us fans round after round of great racing!

[Pappy]

Jeremi Dudding sporting his GQ pose.

Dudding is a cut up and one of the guys who makes the series fun.

[Pappy]

Glen Pritchard has been smoking fast all season, coming out swinging at round and has shown no signs of slowing down.

[Pappy]

Harold Goodmans dad and Jen Rath share a hug for the camera before the start.

The Goodmans have been in this sport forever and are the go to people if you need a hand. Other then Harolds race face, you can always count on a friendly smile from their entire family

[Pappy]

Thats all the spectacular people I could find on the way to the first turn:o ;)

[Pappy]

The 10 seconds call echoed across the valley and we were racin'!

Micheal Swift dropped the hammer on his Can Am and pulled the holeshot in 4x4 Limited

[Pappy]

Kristen Atwell would lead the charge to the first turn in the Womens class!

[Pappy]

Lexie racin naked:p They had planned on installing her new graphics but the wet conditions werent ideal for making that happen so her fenders would be plain jane this round.

Now what did you think I meant:D Its always about the quads....:blah:

[Pappy]

Rick Cecco became the meat in a Dudding/Benson sandwich!

[Pappy]

Luckily they just banged bars and were off! Dudding would grab the holeshot.

[Pappy]

Glen Pritchard would have the holeshot honors as he leads out Super Senior

[Pappy]

Scott Kilby pours on the power as he grabs the holeshot in 4x4 Open!

[Pappy]

No my hearing is really bad these days, but I am pretty sure Rodney stated we had over 300 riders entered in the morning race. Thats pretty good considering the economy sucks! All I have been hearing is how folks cant make it to the races anymore and its getting tough! I was happy to see a solid turn out!

[Pappy]

Jerry Welch claims the holeshot in Sport 15+

[Pappy]

I figured on a few wrecks at the start seeing you all might have been a little rusty coming off the break:p For the most part, ya'll was lookin' good!!

[Pappy]

For the most part I said:p

Johnny Racer decided to show everyone his new line of skid plates!

It actually looked mean through the lens but he was up and running in no time!

[Pappy]

Glad to see my hunch still works...:D

[Pappy]

Full classes mean good things!

[Pappy]

That blue Raptor hugging the inside line is BJ Naugle....not getting the holeshot:p

C'mon BJ....I want a good shot of you out front! Put the juice on that thang:devil:

[Pappy]

Womens Novice laid it out and the start was excellent! The right mix of slick dirt, the proper application of throttle and body position...the makings of a great start!

[Pappy]

The First Year Racer class was off and running, and I was almost tearful as I saw my friend coming around the first turn. Bill Ingersoll was never much into XC racing, but in the past few months had developed an interest.

Bill was a die hard MX racer until an accident took the use of his legs from him. Infact the last time I had seen Bill was at the National MX at Unadilla just a few months before his wreck and injury.

After alot of gut checking and support from his friends and family, here he was trying to challenge himself to finish one of the toughest forms of racing in the world.

[Pappy]

The competitor still thrives in him, and he asked me several times what he should expect and how I thought he might do.

I tried explaining that GNCC racing is rough, its tougha nd the terrain shows no mercy on anyone, much less a person who had no use of their legs. Just finishing was a goal most new racers to this sport can expect in their first race but Bill said he thought he could do more.

So off he went into the great unknown. Having never seen a true GNCC course, never having ever raced XC at all, and having no real idea of what to expect....a hero was being born to alot of folks in his condition. I said a prayer to keep him safe and watched him ride out of sight.

[Pappy]

Ol Bill was gonna see how it felt to get passed pretty quick as the Schoolboy class tore off the line!

[Pappy]

Lap one was about to be scored and it was Traci Cecco out front follwed by Kristen and Angel Atwell

[Pappy]

The class championship locked up, Clifton Beasley would be riding for himself as he pulled away once again in the 4x4 Lites class

[Pappy]

Rick Cecco and Jeremi Dudding had a good battle going as the first lap came to a close

[Pappy]

Cody Anderson was charged up and was wanting a good showing here in NY

[Pappy]

Scott Kilby was fending off a hard charging Daryl rath. Rath and crew have been busy during the break and had made some changes they hoped would give them what they needed to clinch a win

[Pappy]

Bryan Buckhannon was back in action even though he wasnt at 100%. Bryan suffered a broken leg before the break and held a solid lead in the 4x4 open class. He had dropped a few positions from having to miss a few rounds but was eager to get back in teh game and salvage some points

[Pappy]

Garon Davis takes a face full of roost as he works on tracking down the leader in the Sport class

[Pappy]

Dave Simmons is so badazz he doesnt need a quad to race:eek:

[Pappy]

BJ Naugle looked to be running strong as he is shown here making a pass on a Schoolboy racer

[Pappy]

Angel Atwell had taken control of the lead in the Womens class as lap 2 was almost in the books

Atwell, Cecco and K.Atwell now were the running order as the trio worked past me

[Pappy]

Kyle Riley would be the last rider to take the track after his machine wouldnt fire off the line. He was making up ground in a big way!

[Pappy]

Swift looks back to see who is on his six, and it was Lexie Coulter

[Pappy]

Glen Pritchard was riding like he owed someone money!

[Pappy]

Rick Cecco was riding smooth and was now putting some distance between him and Dudding

[Pappy]

Micheal Benson would run into mechanical issues and would only complete 2 laps. Tough break Mike

[Pappy]

Daryl Rath was looking pretty good out there

[Pappy]

Bryan Buckhannon was looking dang fast!! He was charging through lappers and moving up!

[Pappy]

Garon Davis would keep it pinned and would soon find himself leading the Sport class!

[Pappy]

Every once in awhile, someone would yell "Bottlenecks" as they raced past. I couldnt tell where things were getting bad but the mix of riders was telling me some had to be pretty bad.

Jennifer Albright was doing her best to run down the leaders

[Pappy]

Rick Cecco slides out of a corner and was gone. It appeared he had alot of speed left but was only using what he needed. Winning that championship is is only goal!

[Pappy]

Jessi Stracham was shoing the signs of a hard fought battle. She is learning a ton, and it wont be long before we see her battling for a top 3 spot at each round

[Pappy]

Beasley waiting for the right spot to get past a lapper

[Pappy]

Dude, get your own toys!:D

[Pappy]

Penland, Kilby and Buckhannon form a yellow train of Can Am power as they head in for the 3rd lap

[Pappy]

Atwell gets some support as she heads out for the final lap!

[Pappy]

Brayden Henthorn would ride to the Schoolboy win!

[Pappy]

Glen Pritchard would ride to his 8th win of the season in Super Senior!

[Pappy]

Riley would put in one heck of a come back as he rode from dead last to finish 2nd in Schoolboy and 73rd overall, quite an impressive ride Kyle!

[Pappy]

Traci Cecco was running good but there did not appear to be any ground where she could find a better line or make up time

[Pappy]

Swift would ride to another class win in 4x4 Limited

He would also tag a tree with his head and have some serious neck pain during and after the race. Hopefully a few asprin will take care of it! The tree will be used as firewood:cool:

[Pappy]

Rick Cecco would ride into scoring inchallenged as he took the U2 win. One more win in any of the remaining races locks the class championship up!

[Pappy]

Dudding would have a solid race but couldnt get close enough to give Rick some pressure. Watch out next season....the Hot Rod will be even meaner!

[Pappy]

Bryan Buckhannon would mark his return to the series with nailing 2nd in 4x4 Open behind his team mate Scott Kilby! Great to have you back Bryan!

[Pappy]

Bill Ingersoll was heading out for his last lap! 1 more lap and he would make his goal!!

[Pappy]

Angel Atwell had met her goal as she rips across the finishline taking the win!

[Pappy]

Angel had a confident smile as she stood tall on the podium......one more race, one more win and one step closer to the championship!

[Pappy]

Glen Pritchard would find himself on the podium as with time adjustment , Pritchards efforts netted him second overall!

[Pappy]

Kristen Atwell would claim the final podium spot as well as second in the Womens class!

[Pappy]

Here is your morning podium folks!! Great racing guys!!

[Pappy]

Swift rode to the win and was immediatley checked out for injury. The last I spoke with him he was sore but did not think there was any real issue.

[Pappy]

Rick Cecco kicks back after a near flawless race. It has to feel good having the win, the points lead and just about everything going your way to get that class championship!!

[Pappy]

While everyone else was getting ready for teh afternoon race, I kept my eyes open for Bill, and sure enough he came motoring in..finishing his first ever GNCC!

Thats quite an acomplishment Bill, it took alot of heart and determination and you are an inspiration to many of us!!

Bill finished 7th out of 13 in First Year Racer 16-24

[Pappy]

Chris Bithell spends a few seconds limbering up before heading to the line. Bithell claimed a win here last season and was hoping for another good day

[Pappy]

Adam gets the cold shoulder from his main squeeze:D

I could fill a book with McGill's expressions!

[Pappy]

Adam is chasing the championship like every other racers on the track, and even if he falls short of his goal, what he has learned this season could help him obtain it next year, or even the year after that. I dont think you have to wory about him giving up!

[Pappy]

Chris Borich doing his best politician imitation ...the whole shake hands and kiss the baby thing:D

Borich and the other Pro's are very approachable and for the fans, this really adds to their memories as they get to meet and chat with the top riders in teh world.

[Pappy]

Brandon Sommers goofin off ....but notice his hands. They may seem jovial, but the days work is always being thought of. These guys mean business when that flag drops!

[Pappy]

I heard the Pro's chipped in and paid Brian Wolfs son $50 to chew up his dads kill switch cord:eek: :D

That might be what it takes to slow Wolf down!!!

[Pappy]

Pro AMA MX racer pat Brown was geared up and ready to give this XC thing a go!

[Pappy]

Don Ockerman gloves up as he too prepares for the two hour long battle that lay ahead.

[Pappy]

Josh Kirkland gives me a thumbs up as he heads to the line. Kirkland is having a great season and is a threat to win at any event!

[Pappy]

Tim Farr challenges McGill to an arm wrestling contest......

[Pappy]

Bryan Cook has had an up and down year but is always looking ahead.

[Pappy]

Bonnie Cook is handling her pregnancy well and looked as beautiful as ever! Its such a pleasure watching the families grow at the track!

[Pappy]

Duane Johnson looking pretty rugged and fit as gets ready to go after the win here at Unadilla! Duana put together a team for the Heartland Challenge race over the summer break and grabbed himself the win along with his team!

[Pappy]

William Yokely always is cheerful and I was hoping he would have a good race

[Pappy]

Brent Sturdivant gets some words from one of his team members prior to the race.

[Pappy]

Jeff Pickens spends his last few minutes prior to the race shooting the breeze with his friends. Jeff's time will come.....

[Pappy]

Ryan Lane and Duane Johnson discuss the first turn....

[Pappy]

Bill Ballance gets some race advice from one of the Youth racers!

[Pappy]

Johnny G was snubbing me ...so I threatned to beat him up:o That got a two thumbs up from him:p ;)

[Pappy]

Dustin Wimmer sits quietly waiting for his call to the line. Dustin was planning on racing teh remaining rounds but will have to miss Yadkinville and Powerline as he gets his screws taken out of his shoulder during that time.

[Pappy]

Taylor Kiser sits second in points in the Xc1 class and would love nothing more then to grab a win here

[Pappy]

The start was exciting as ever and it would be Yamaha mounted Bill Ballance grabbing the holeshot!

[Pappy]

Ballance scoots through turn two with everyone on his grab bar!

[Pappy]

Borich did not get a godo start and would be at the tail end of midpack

[Pappy]

XC2 fired off the line and the first turn would prove to be slick enough to take out the first few riders

[Pappy]

The first turn claimed several, and that opened the door for Gabe Phillips to take the holeshot!

[Pappy]

College A

Zach Strong would be out front early as he takes the holeshot!

[Pappy]

Rob Oakley powered his Honda to the front as he gets the holeshot in Junior A!

[Pappy]

Micheal Lucas put his Yamaha out front in Vet A

[Pappy]

Tom Wright and Dave Simmons battle fright from the start in Senior A

[Pappy]

Dustin Kirchhoff does the honors in College B

[Pappy]

Kevin Gills leads out Junior B

[Pappy]

Vet B rider Ryan Reed would cliam the holeshot

[Pappy]

Senior B had Jeff Stover grabbing the holeshot!

[Pappy]

With all teh racers now on teh course, I took up a spot and waited for them to work the lap. Brandon Sommers held the lead and was riding smoooootthhh!!!

[Pappy]

Ballance was literally at the edge of Sommers roost!

[Pappy]

Borich had worked his way to 3rd after a mid pack start

[Pappy]

Bryan Cook was running 4th

[Pappy]

McGill rounded out the top 5 in XC1

[Pappy]

A bottleneck not withstanding, usually on the first lap the XC1 class will be pretty tight in running order

[Pappy]

Dustin Wimmer ducks some roost being thrown by Brent Sturdivant as the pair head in to score lap 1

[Pappy]

Support from your crew or from fans always helps!

[Pappy]

Kirkland was already moving up as lap 1 was complete

[Pappy]

Parker Jones was looking solid and was in the top 5 in XC2 at this point

[Pappy]

With the heavy overcast, the woods was perty dark! I was planning on making a trek into the woods to see if I could find a spot that offered enough light to shoot but I figured I would pick an open field section for one more lap

[Pappy]

Lou Russo gives me a thumbs up as he heads out for another lap

[Pappy]

McGill came ripping past me with the lead!

[Pappy]

Kiser now held 2nd

[Pappy]

Borich was now up to 3rd as he looks over at his Dad who had made his way out to keep tabs on Chris

[Pappy]

Ballance looked to be riding well and his Yamaha seemed to be pulling pretty good. There was alot of racing yet to go!

[Pappy]

Johnson had moved up a spot or two and Johnny G can be seen giving chase

[Pappy]

Goodman was out after a lap, and Wimmer was running just ahead of a hard charging Pat Brown as the MX cross overs were given it hell!

[Pappy]

Brian Wolf was riding like a man possesed!

[Pappy]

I had to check to make sure I didnt have something funny on my face...everyone was checkin me out as they went past:D

What, you never seen the funky chicken while takin pics:confused: :devil:

[Pappy]

Phillips had dropped back a few spots but was running strong!

[Pappy]

Matt Pomeroy can usually be found high in the air as he races in the NEATV Series. Here is pounding his Can Am to a 7th place finish in Junior A!

[Pappy]

Rob Oakley would have a solid day, finishing 2nd in Junior A

[Pappy]

Dave Simmons and another racer pound the rutted Unadilla course. Make that 10 wins in a row for Simmons!

[Pappy]

The ruts were getting brutal all over the place

[Pappy]

Shawn Javens on his way to another win in Senior B!

[Pappy]

McGill popped out of the woods first and it was hard to tell who was on him as I clicked away. The purple gave away Borich!

[Pappy]

The riders were running so close it was imposible to catch them in the frame with the lens I was using!

McGill, Borich, Ballance, Kiser, Sommers and Cook were nose to tail!

[Pappy]

Wimmer was holding his own as he passes a Ballance replica. I wonder if he thought he had just put the wammy on Bill:D

[Pappy]

Josh Kirkland had been digging in and moving up the order in XC2 and looked to have more in speed in reserve!

[Pappy]

There were alot of lines at many sections, but none seemed to offer a huge adantage. This rider looks at an uphil line before making his decision.

[Pappy]

Sommers came into view with the lead!

[Pappy]

Borich, Ballance and Kiser still all right with each other

[Pappy]

McGilla nd Ockerman both tried the new line but it did not shave any time.

[Pappy]

Brian Wolf was deep into the XC1 running order and would find himself leading the Xc2 class as he headed in for the checkered flag

[Pappy]

Pickens gives another line a try

[Pappy]

Walker Fowler running unchallenged in College A. Fowler would win the class and finish 13th overall!

Ladies and gents...I think young Fowler will be a threat to the XC1 riders from his XC2 class debut :p

[Pappy]

The race ended with Chris Borich clearing the checkered flag! Borich had made his move on the last lap to get around Sommers and added another win to his quest for the championship!

[Pappy]

The battle for second was tight as Sommers and Ballance come in together

[Pappy]

The yamaha crew had made it to the podium, but the top spot was for suzuki!

Borich needs another win to seal the deal and you know he will be giving it 100% at powerline!

[Pappy]

thats about all I have for you from this round! Looking forward to Yadkinville and not being sick:p Be safe...and we will see you in 2 weeks!

[tim colston]

Originally posted by Pappy
While everyone else was getting ready for teh afternoon race, I kept my eyes open for Bill, and sure enough he came motoring in..finishing his first ever GNCC!

Thats quite an acomplishment Bill, it took alot of heart and determination and you are an inspiration to many of us!!

Bill finished 7th out of 13 in First Year Racer 16-24

What an inspiration. Good luck to him and keep racing. Great pics Pappy as always.

[RaptorRacer45]

Awesome Job as always!

I got 3 more chances to get my Tank to the top this season, im gonna give it my best!:D

[Ginxd00]

Originally posted by Pappy
Borich needs another win to seal the deal and you know he will be giving it 100% at powerline!

You mean Yadkinville Pappy.

[speednut3]

Great pics as always........

[Pappy]

Originally posted by Ginxd00
You mean Yadkinville Pappy.

A win at Yadkinville wont seal the deal.....but a solid finish and a win at Powerline will:p

[Pappy]

Afternoon Gallery is up

http://kenhill.smugmug.com/?preview=1

[yoshz400rider]

The last pic of Wolf he was not in the lead until the last lap. He is following Kevin Yoho in that pic in the yellow and green gear who was leading all day until the last lap just making sure Kevin gets his dues.

[Pappy]

Originally posted by yoshz400rider
The last pic of Wolf he was not in the lead until the last lap. He is following Kevin Yoho in that pic in the yellow and green gear who was leading all day until the last lap just making sure Kevin gets his dues.

Yoho had a good race, I couldnt ID the rider in front of Wolf by his gear color and I couldnt make out the numbers on his class sticker
:p

[Simon MX49]

congrats to Borich and Wolf, soon to be XC1 and XC2 class champions I hope.

And I agree that Fowler is looking like he'll be a threat to the XC1 riders from the XC2 class, I have a feeling we'll see Snowshoe repeat itself at least once next year

[Pappy]

3 more rounds then we can start looking at 2010:p

The XC1 class will have some shake ups, that might get some names back into the mix

Not sure about any big changes in XC2 other then some fast riders moving up and a few riders that should have a better season if luck rolls their way.

[gpd005]

Great pictures as always pappy! And thanks for props!

[OutlawEX]

Kno any details on What happend to goodman?

[Pappy]

Not personally. I never saw him after the first lap. I was hoping for a call on his day but havent heard a peep due to folks being on the road or tied up

[Simon MX49]

XC1 will definitely be interesting. I hope Wolf is offered a deal with Yamaha, he's definitely got the speed to run up front, would be a shame to see that much talent go to waste, but I would understand why if he had to give it up

As for Walker, I have a feeling in 2 or 3 years time he's gonna be knocking more than a few top pros down a notch.

But as for the remaining rounds
LETS GO BORICH!!!!!!!! :D

[Pappy]

Well I asked a few questions about when Borich could wrap it up and he could do it at Yadkinville if he has a good day and Kiser finishes I think 2 positions or more below him. Thats contrary to what I was told at Dilla but I am no numbers person

:D

[Simon MX49]

I hope he has a good race at Yadkinville, but Id rather him seal the deal at St. Clairsville so I can see the podium presentation of the #1 plate to him:blah:

[Pappy]

Thats pretty much what Harlen wants as well so he can be there and witness it. Its been a long road for Chris. I dont mind, I am a grunt and get dirty ...he can suck the glory from the podium shots haha:p

[mbteinert]

I apologize, in advance, if I'm posting this in the wrong forum. I would like to plan a family vacation but cannot until I know the 2010 GNCC race schedule. Is it posted?

[Pappy]

Not that I am aware of......but they should be finalizing it soon I would expect.

[Simon MX49]

I'd love to be in NC, but they'd probably fire me if I took that weekend off work too. haha. The pictures are good, but I'd much rather be there in person