2009 GNCC Racing Series - Round #12- ITP Powerline Park- ATV-Afternoon Race Coverage

[Pappy]

The wind had kicked back up for the start of the afternoon race as the riders began to set up on the line. What was once mud and slick course, was now tacky and or dry setting up a different track for the afternoon race.

[Pappy]

Before we head into the racing, I wanted to personally congradulate Brent Sturdivant and his soon to be wife!!! The engagement is official folks!

[Pappy]

We would also like to thank her for looking after Brent and for accepting the responsibilty of dealing with him. His friends have had that immense pressure for so many years they are glad to be rid of him:devil:

And remember darlin'.....check out the hunting schedule for October when its released next year to schedule the wedding or you will be left with aunt Brenda and uncle Bob and their 110 cameras to cover this wedding:eek: :D I ofcourse am kidding, as long as it isnt opening day deer or bear you know I will be there along with 98% of his friends and family:blah:

[Pappy]

From snuggling newbies to an old married guy like Bryan Cook.....:D

Cook has been running hard this season but hasnt been able to mount a charge against the front runners since Steele Creek. Cook was looking like he was ready to roll this round.

[Pappy]

Harold Goodman was back in the mix this weekend as he awaits his turn to get on the line. Its interesting to see the MX guys show up and give this series a go, and it wouldnt surprise me to see even moe join the series, some fulltime:chinese:

[Pappy]

Pat Brown is another crossover racer who seems right at home in the woods. Brown has been in and out of the series over the years and I bet with a little support and some nudges in the right direction , he could easily be swayed to become a treebasher!!

[Pappy]

McClure has been having a mixed season as well and knows he has the speed to run upfront....its getting the breaks during the race to move up he is having trouble with.

[Pappy]

Jeff Pickens joins McClure in the bad luck club this season. Super fast, good head on his shoulders but just cant seem to catch a break either.

[Pappy]

Chris Bithell sits poised next to his woman as he gets ready to go. I was digging the day glo pink!!!

Bithell has been working hard with his Can Am team mates to keep things moving forward as they continue to have issues here and there that have kept Chris from running where we know he can. With only 1 top 3 to his credit this season, Bithell needs some luck and a good run to get him back up front.

[Pappy]

Taylor Kiser was focused as we were not far from getting this race started. Kiser has been in the hunt all year and with Borich wrapping up the title, will have to fend off Adam McGill for the #2 plate.

[Pappy]

Speaking of McGill, if not for a few rounds that he would like to re-run, we could be looking at a final round battle between Kiser, Borich and himself. This has indeed been a good season to watch as they have all worked hard to get here !

[Pappy]

Brandon Sommers as well has atleast 2 rounds he would like to forget, but the young racer has been putting in consistant races and will remain a threat at every round for the win.

[Pappy]

Love him or hate him, Bill Ballance is a remarkable man. Facing some serious issues heading into this season, riding hard when he could and finally getting healed up to the point he could push it all add to his history.

Ballance hasnt fully commited to a 2010 return, but I would say he has a good shot at battling for yet another title if he does.

[Pappy]

Duane Johnson gets stretched out prior to the start. Johnson has battled back this season and could finish with a single digit number for the season as a privateer.

[Pappy]

Johnny G hasnt set the world on fire this season but has been having solid races and finishing consitantly around the top 10 mark. His results havent showed his efforts or dedication but it is easily seen off the track and we wish him the best of luck!

[Pappy]

William Yokely would be racing twice this day as he planned on giving Polaris a win in the UTV race!

[Pappy]

Cody picked his spot and I headed off to the woods as we prepared to catch the action.

Bill ballance would put his Yamaha out front yet again as he grabs the holeshot in XC1

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McGill would follow Ballance in second as Borich and Cook file in for the trun

[Pappy]

Ballance hit the woods as the class forms up for the first woods section.

[Pappy]

The beating the morning racers put on the track, combined with the bright sun and drying wind has this section dusty and as the XC1 class attacked it turned the once soaked track to flying roost!

[Pappy]

Parker Jones would put his Honda out front as he dives in to turn 3 with the lead!

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Brian Wolf digs in and the pressure was on. Wolf and Kirkland have been in a tight battle for the class points

[Pappy]

Walker Fowler leads Scottie Rich as they hit a section of dual line course. This would mark Fowlers second race as an XC2 rider and he was looking for better results then he found at Yadkinville.

[Pappy]

Kirkland did not get a great start and would have to work his way to the front if he wanted to keep Wolf in check

[Pappy]

The start is so important as there is always some form of bottleneck or traffic jam right off the start

[Pappy]

Dave Simmons was out front and rollin' on as he takes the holeshot!

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Fred Mudd works his way into the woods. Looks like a few riders made a jump in classes as they have locked in their positions.

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Zach Strong getting it done as he leads into turn 3

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Jamie Bithell gets hooked up off the start. Bithellw ould have to charge through the pack now if he wanted a good finish!

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Glen McConnell would be off and running and stood a good chance of the class win with Simmons running a different class this round!

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Ryan Drake was hard on the throttle as he gives chase

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Matt Hanna has the lead as he heads into turn 3

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Zac Phillips and the rest of Junior A work things out before hitting the woods

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Rob Oakley rips across the rutted track as he speeds into the woods.

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Ryan Reed rips to the lead in Vet B

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Shawn Javens is flat getting it done in this class.

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Jeff Musser has a close call but saved it

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Moto Pro Trainings Marc Spataro gets his KTM in the mix as he hits the woods!

[Pappy]

Justin Kirchhoff rolls out with the lead!

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Nathan Randolph grabs the early lead in Junior B

[Pappy]

#220 Dave Burton caught up in the single line train that formed after the start

[Pappy]

Getting in that single line is the hard part!

[Pappy]

Things got worked out as they always do!

[Pappy]

Sommers clocked in with the lead and was running strong!

[Pappy]

Ballance was holding second but would soon see some pressure

[Pappy]

McGill held 3rd as he slides out of the woods and hits a small field section

[Pappy]

Ockerman was hammer down as the top riders were all running very close

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Borich was inside the top 10 at this point on lap 1

[Pappy]

Sturdivant was pushing hard but would have issues and only be able to score 2 laps

[Pappy]

Eric Hoyland was pounding through the rough stuff. Hoyland would finish the day in 6th in XC2

[Pappy]

The once wet and slick track now gave way to deep soft loam in many places. The bottoms would offer up all the mud one wanted but the upper portions were quickly becoming dry and rough!

[Pappy]

AJ Koontz leads Michael Fulton as the pair shreds this section

[Pappy]

McGill now held the lead and was looking to put as much room between him and the rest of the field as he could

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Cook was now the traget of Borich as the pair exits the woods and makes the run to scoring

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Ockerman, Ballance and Bithell all hooked up and running strong!

[Pappy]

Pat Brown leads Kiser however Kiser would soon make a pass and would be looking for more

[Pappy]

Brian Wolf would see 3 laps before running into problems. All Kirkland needed was a solid finish and I believe that would wrap up the XC2 championship!

[Pappy]

Dave burton looks at the last hill in the woods before hitting scoring. Burton would finish 11th in Junior B

[Pappy]

Ballance did not look like he was charging as hard as usual, but he was in the top 5 and we have seen him pull to the front many times.

[Pappy]

Parker jones was running well in XC2 and was looking like he could nail a podium

[Pappy]

The track was fast and many riders were showing signs of running that pace for almost two hours

[Pappy]

The mudholes and bottlenecks in the bottoms were taking their toll on many racers.....

[Pappy]

Zac Phillips would pilot his Kawi to a 10th place finish in Junior A

[Pappy]

Jeff Pickens would hit a kicker in a field section and send him over the bars at high speed. His bell was rung mighty good, but i was glad to see him after the race with no need for medical treatment.

[Pappy]

Pitstops need to be quick, and the top teams have it down to a practiced routine. McGill gets pitted as Borich zooms by!

[Pappy]

Borich exits his pit sending a face full of roost into his mechanic John. Chris had been hung up in mudhole where by fans tied a rope to his quad and pulled him out. Part of teh rope remianed which hung up and almost sent him over the bars!

It was unable to be removed during the pitstop.

That rope was removed after the race only to once again play a role in the action as it wound around the Borich's haulers tire and ripped off their exhaust!

[Pappy]

Jamie Bithell gets some encourgemnet as he is pitted. Bithell would finish the day in 2nd in College A

[Pappy]

Borich now held the lead and was 1 lap from taking another win!

[Pappy]

Josh Kirkland had taken the lead in XC2 and was now 1 lap from his own victory!

[Pappy]

Dustin Hendershot can usually be found in the AMA MX series, but today he was giving XC racing a go. I told him that trees dont move and by the looks of his front end, I would say I was correct:p

[Pappy]

Borich was only a 1/2 a lap away from victory!

[Pappy]

McGill was 2n, Cook 3rd and Sommers and Ballance are shown here running 4th and 5th respectivley

[Pappy]

Borich was just 1 turn away from the win. McGill was keeping him honest as he can be seen in 2nd coming into the frame on the inside

[Pappy]

Chris would claim the win just seconds ahead of McGill!

[Pappy]

After a solid performance, Cook would grab the final podium spot as he runs over the 100 feet of banner McGill chewed up:devil:

[Pappy]

Give that man a cigar, the prize money and the trophy!

[Pappy]

The stories immediatley after the race are classic:p McGill can make engine noises like no other:D

[Pappy]

McGill needs a hammer run at the final round and Kiser needs to fall a bit as teh battle for second has yet to be decided. You know McGill and Taylor will be in an all out war at the Ironman!!

[Pappy]

Cook doesnt have the big money support or the team to support him, but has shown he can run with them out of his own pocket. As factory support curtails in this series for 2010...could we see some new names upfront?

[Pappy]

Only 1 round left and its a big one!

Walker Fowler had one heck of a crash as well this round but was reportedly ok. XC2 hasnt been kind to Fowler so far but he will bounce back!

Thats about all I have for ya folks except for some highlights of teh UTV race. We will see you all at the Ironman!!

[hendershot106]

Originally posted by Pappy
Dustin Hendershot can usually be found in the AMA MX series, but today he was giving XC racing a go. I told him that trees dont move and by the looks of his front end, I would say I was correct:p


it was a STUMP....never even saw it coming lmao.......

i rode 3/4 a lap that way.. i just wanted to finish my first gncc.

[Pappy]

I saw a few stumps that IMO should have been better marked or cut out...

[Pappy]

The UTV races are always off the chain. I reckon its the roll cage but man things get out of hand right from the start:D

[Pappy]

Row 2 rolls out!

[Pappy]

Yokely got cornholed big time at turn 2!

[Pappy]

I was busting a gut watching this unfold!

[Pappy]

YIKES!!!

[Pappy]

Run out to help...keep the camcorder rolling and dont get hit!!

[Pappy]

Hell yeah dude....hammer it!

[Pappy]

Them suckers took a pounding!

[Pappy]

Vintage Honda

[Pappy]

Yokely was doing great until he had to back up and ran over a stump. It took a chain saw to get him free

[Pappy]

Can I get hazzard pay:p

[Pappy]

I'd race a Pilot in a heartbeat!!

[Pappy]

I bet 1/2 did not make it 2 laps:p

[Pappy]

Victory baby!!!!:D