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View Full Version : 2004 GNCC Round #4 Steele Creek PM Race



Admin
03-22-2004, 05:13 PM
The fourth round of the GNCC Series was held at the popular Steele Creek Campground, which is known for it Creek crossing and course going under the bridge, but this year they didn't route the course to the otherside of the river, which was disappointing for some racers.

Admin
03-22-2004, 05:16 PM
It had rained the Thursday before the race, but it wasn't enough to muddy up the river and the course maintained just enough moisture to keep the dust down for both the AM and PM races.

Admin
03-22-2004, 05:30 PM
snowgasm & Quadnice made the long trip down for MN for another GNCC race! It is great to see even more members making the trips to the races :)

Admin
03-22-2004, 05:37 PM
Bill Neidlinger, as usual, was making last minutes preps on his Sean's 250R. I think it is great that Sean's parents and many others,including my own, get involved in the racing because it makes it a much nicer weekend being out with the family.

Admin
03-22-2004, 05:47 PM
Elka's Ethan was assisting Elka Rider #9 Todd Knippenberg with his suspension at the track to make sure everything was setup and working properly.

Admin
03-22-2004, 05:52 PM
The Pro Pits looked a little strange with several Pro Riders having to move their Easy Ups Back because of a huge Mud hole in front of their Pit Area :(

Admin
03-22-2004, 05:54 PM
Bill Ballance had his entire family along for the race, and he couldn't be happier to walk around with his daughter.

Admin
03-22-2004, 05:55 PM
Bill Ballance's YFZ Quad! (Nice Stickers)

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:03 PM
#40 Pro Am rider Tim Gale was showing off his "New" Carbon Fiber hood for the TRX 450R from Carbon Man. The hoods are ofcourse available in Carbon Fiber for $169.00, but they are also available in several plastic colors for only $73.00 - $83.00 which I thought was a great price. He will be bringing some to the next race, so you better hurry if you are interested in one. Give Dan a Call at 248 255-5216.

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:07 PM
#16 Jeremy Rice made the switch to his 450R even after being highly successful on his 250R. Jeremy Won the General by over five minutes and yet he choose to switch to the new Honda with the help of Baldwin Motorsports (http://www.baldwinmotorsports.com/), PEP Suspension, and JB Racing.

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:14 PM
Amazingly, I was finally able to convince Pappy(Kenny) to come to a GNCC this year and help with the pictures. Also, Tommy17 made his first trip to a GNCC race and was extremely excited about the experience.

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:17 PM
I finally broke out the 450R to use to take some pictures after my race!

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:19 PM
#15 Andy Lagzdins (Dirt First Racing) also showed up with his 450R and left his Yamaha at home and he didn't look like he could be happier, but would his smile be their after the race?

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:21 PM
Brad Paige also made the switch from his KFX to the 450R, and the Pro Row is slowly but surely becoming a sea of red again.

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:24 PM
#23 Frank Grimplin

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:25 PM
#10 Brandon Ballance ripping it up on his Yamaha YFZ

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:26 PM
#1 Bill Ballance was also tearing it up for the photographers! (I think he did that on purpose) lol

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:29 PM
Bill didn't hold back either! Needless to say, do you think he saved it? ;)

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:34 PM
Rob Zimmerman is one of the very few that still are racing the 400EX in the Pro Class

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:39 PM
Racer Productions were checking to make sure that the tether cords were attached to the riders before the race and not just wrapped around the handlebars.

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:41 PM
#9 Todd Knippenberg, #8 Santo Derisi, and #22 Kim Kuhnle on the line:macho

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:42 PM
The Ballance Team on the Line!

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:44 PM
Shortly after everyone lined up the everyone prayed for the safety of the riders and we honored our Country!

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:46 PM
William Yokley & Greg Trew honoring our Country!

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:47 PM
There was also a fly over by an old War Plane!

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:54 PM
Before you knew it, the Pros were heading down the straight away for the first turn of the two hour plus race!

William Yokley and Chris Borich rounded the turn first with Bill Ballance right behind them

Admin
03-22-2004, 06:56 PM
#2 Chris Borich on his (East Coast ATV, Sparks Racing, Axis, Maxxis, Hiper) YFZ edged out Yokley for the Holeshot :macho

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:01 PM
The first one out of the Woods heading for the high speed whoops along the river was Chris Borich!

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:03 PM
By the 8 mile marker,before the bridge, Chris Borich was out front with Yokley and Ballance close behind!

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:05 PM
#5 Matt Smiley (Team Safari) was on the charge in 4th Place! (As he looks up and thinks "Him AGAIN!! :) ")

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:08 PM
Another East Coast ATV rider #6 Greg Trew was on the hunt in 5th Place

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:10 PM
#12 Bryan Cook (Four Stroke Tech) was in 6th Place

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:13 PM
#9 Todd Knippenberg (HMF & ELKA) dropped back to 7th after Bryan Cook passed him.

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:15 PM
Santo Derisi lead Brad Paige and Chad Duvall down the straight away, but Paige & Duvall passed Santo shortly afterwords to round out the top 10

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:17 PM
#11 Johnny Gallagher (HMF & GT Thunder) was in 12th, but dropped out of the race after one lap from an injury to his thumb.

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:21 PM
By the 4 mile marker of the 2nd lap, Chris Borich was still out front with William Yokley in his shadow!

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:24 PM
Bill Ballance was in third, with Smiley and Greg Trew close behind.

Greg Trew :)

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:28 PM
Bryan Cook was in 6th with Brad Paige Close Behind.

Chad Duvall was back to 8th place but was on the charge with his new style ITP Front Prototype Tires.

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:29 PM
#8 Santo Derisi was in 10th with Brandon Ballance behind him in 11th.

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:30 PM
By the seven mile marker, Bill Ballance emerged from the shadows behind William Yokley in the lead! What happened to Chris?

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:32 PM
#12 Bryan Cook also picked up several spots and was in third Place!

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:35 PM
Chris Borich Emerged in 9th Place :(

Chris unfortunately tried an alternative line up hill and a grape vine got wrapped up around his axle which brought him to a halt, and then he ran into battery troubles with his YFZ.

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:38 PM
#14 Jeff Stoess (Quadshop, Kenda, Hiper) was running strong in 13th

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:39 PM
By the 9 mile Marker on the 2nd lap, William Yokley was still in the lead ahead of Ballance, but before the end of the lap, Bill Ballance made his move and took over the lead!

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:45 PM
For the third lap, I waited at the 3 mile marker with Seal Communications who were filming for this years TV Coverage. The camera man received the call that Pros were 15 seconds out, but after over a minute no one showed up:confused: We both looked at each other and wondered what happened.

Several seconds later Bill Ballance was spotted heading through the woods. He starting yelling at me if he was in 1st place??? I thought he was screaming remove the tree stuck under his quad, so I ran out after him, but he was too fast for me.

Bill Ballance made bold move making his own line straight up the side of the hill which was extremely steep to get around the bottleneck!

(Notice the tree branches shooting out the back of his YFZ)

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:52 PM
Moments later, #5 Matt Smiley appeared in 2nd Place

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:53 PM
#4 Chad Duvall took advantage of the bottleneck and worked his way up to 3rd with Brad Paige close behind in 4th

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:54 PM
#9 Todd Knippenberg was up to 5th with #10 Brandon Ballance was in 6th

Admin
03-22-2004, 07:58 PM
William Yokley quickly dropped from the lead back to 10th Place in only 1/2 lap and was several minutes behind the leaders.

With only two complete laps finished two leaders (Borich & Yokley) were claimed by the quickly eroding Carolina soil.

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:00 PM
By the 7.5 mile Marker, Matt Smiley was now out Front with Bill Ballance & Chad Duvall close behind taking different lines trying to catch Matt!

This was truely and incredible moment in the race to see!

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:03 PM
#7 Brad Paige looke like he had been riding the 450R for years the way he handled the machine during the race! I was truly impressed with his performance after semi retiring. It is always great to see "Bad" Brad Paige! He was running a strong 4th Place!!

Check out the deep ruts that formed during the race.

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:06 PM
Andy Lagzdins had a slow start on his 450R, but quickly moved up from 16th place to 11th by the end of the 3rd lap.

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:08 PM
Shortly after the four mile marker on the final lap, Bill Ballance was back out front with Matt Smiley & Chad Duvall close behind

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:13 PM
Bryan Cook fell victim to a lapper that got stuck right in front of him which caused him to lose his momentum and also become stuck :(

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:14 PM
Another rider quickly stopped and tried to assist Bryan out of the rut!

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:17 PM
Unfortunately for Bryan, he lost enough time to allow a freight train of Pros to catch up to him ( Santo Derisi, William Yokley, and Andy lagzdins)

Santo Derisi was able to make the pass (scared me to death in the process:eek: ) Bryan was able to break free and hold off William Yokleys Outside attempt!

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:19 PM
Andy lagzdins Charged after them up the hill in 11th only thirty seconds behind Chris Borich in 7th Place

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:34 PM
Near the End of the final lap, #1 Bill Ballance was again out front when it counted the most as he charged toward the deep whoops in the course.

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:38 PM
Matt Smiley went on to finish in 2nd place after an incredible performance!

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:40 PM
#4 Chad Duvall finally put his demons behind him and finished two races in a row on the Podium after early season problems

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:45 PM
#10 Brandon Ballance is quickly becoming as big of a threat as his older brother! Brandon worked his way up to a 4th place finish.

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:48 PM
#7 Brad Paige looked incredible on a virtually stock TRX450R. Yes, Virtually stock. He was running stock A-arms, swingarm, and axle on 450R and still managed 5th Place. His biggest mod was Elka Suspension and Duncan Exhaust system. Way to Go Brad!!!

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:50 PM
#9 Todd Knippenberg finally managed to tame his YFZ with (Elka) Ethan's help before the race and had his best finish yet this year on his YFZ with a 6th place, which was one better than he did with his 400EX in Texas.

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:53 PM
Chris Borich was again plaqued with unfortunate problems and finished 7th after battling with Yokley at the end of the lap, but I expect him back on the Podium soon enough! Hang in there Chris :)

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:57 PM
William Yokley Finished 8th on his Z400. (Notice the compression of his Rear tire). I really have my doubts about some of the pros not running any air in their tires with tire balls. I think tire balls are awesome, but I think tires still require side wall pressure that can only be applied with the use of air in the tires, especially in the fronts for turning.

Admin
03-22-2004, 08:58 PM
Santo Derisi also finally was able to get things together and finished 9th :)

Admin
03-22-2004, 09:02 PM
Bryan Cooks early top three run was also claimed by the course and he dropped back to 10th

Admin
03-22-2004, 09:05 PM
Andy Lagzdins finished 11th and was so close to being in the top ten.

Admin
03-22-2004, 09:07 PM
Michael Houston had another great finish on his TRX450R in 12th

Admin
03-22-2004, 09:10 PM
Jeff Stoess was off his usual blistering pace, but still finished 14th.

Admin
03-22-2004, 09:11 PM
#18 Jared Gruca finished 17th on his YfZ

Admin
03-22-2004, 09:13 PM
Greg Trew dropped back to19th after running into problems and only finished three laps.

Admin
03-22-2004, 09:15 PM
Bill Ballance has already developed a 30 point lead over 2nd place, and he looks determined to maintain his #1 Plate!

Admin
03-22-2004, 09:16 PM
Bill Ballance displays his third 1st Place trophy in a row:eek:

Admin
03-22-2004, 09:18 PM
Matt Smiley was glad to be back on the Podium in 2nd Place! He showed his appreciation for his sponsors Tire Balls & Klotz Fuel!

Admin
03-22-2004, 09:19 PM
#4 Chad Duvall once again was on the Podium

Admin
03-22-2004, 09:19 PM
Podium Celebration

Admin
03-22-2004, 09:22 PM
Well, once the race was finally over, Andy Lagzdins was still smiling and gave me thumbs up on his new TRX450R race quad. I don't think we will see Andy on the Yamaha again.

Admin
03-22-2004, 09:24 PM
Bill Ballance obviously isn't having any problems with his YFZ, and he even had a little fun after the race as he had his own celebration at his pits. For those that don't know Bill, he can be a real funny guy and is a great champion!

Admin
03-22-2004, 09:30 PM
Pro Am and Amatuers should be up by the end of the week! I know, I know, why not tomorrow. I need to get the Monster Mountain NQRA, Florida GNC & Georgia GNC Posted, but I will get the Photo Gallery Up for Steele Creek Tomorrow Night!

Stay Tuned!!!!

Also, I am always looking for members willing to help out with covering races that I can't attend, so please contact me and let me know if you want to help out even if it is a local event.

I feel every race no matter how large should have some exposure, so get out there and start taking some pictures and the results. I am sure everyone would enjoy seeing them!

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:03 PM
Elka Suspension's "Martin" was on hand during the gncc race and raced his bike on sunday! I beleive he said the race was a bit ruff as compared to the races in Canada. Yokely Duvall and Page were his pit crew:)

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:04 PM
Hertz and Jenks waiting for the show to begin:macho

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:08 PM
Pro Am start #166 Adam Ferrel #366 Jeffry Mahoney

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:10 PM
jeremy Rice nailed the overall for Pro Am

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:12 PM
#25 Brian Schmid was 2nd in class and 20th overall

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:14 PM
Jason Lewis walked away with 3rd in class:)

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:19 PM
Adam Mcgill finished 4th in class and 23rd overall

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:20 PM
Glen Coriell finished 4th on a 400ex!!

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:21 PM
Rob Hertz made his presence known to this group of riders and they made a hole for him to fly right thru!! Hertz finished 5th

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:24 PM
Chris Jenks was able to stay inside the top ten with a solid 10th place finish. I say solid because on for the first 3 laps he was the man to catch until he broke a tie rod:(

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:26 PM
Here Chris limps his yamaha back to the checkered flag. last lap time was 42 minutes, tuff break Chris:(

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:28 PM
Rick Cecco running his ALBA YFZ hard to earn him a 11th place finish!!

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:29 PM
James Wahl was running 3rd until the last lap. he finished 15th

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:31 PM
Eric Conner finished 23rd

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:35 PM
4 Stroke A start

#49 Justin Buss created a game of soccer out of the Corner Barrel and was heading for the Goal!!

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:36 PM
Greg Stewart and Brian Notman work at getting thier quads seperated after being tangled at the start

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:39 PM
Derek Litterini claimed the class win and finish 13th overall!! He was the overall top amatuer...great ride Derek!!

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:40 PM
Cory Vickerd finished 9th in class and 32nd overall

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:41 PM
Ronnie Earley shown here flying to a 11th place finish in 4 st A

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:43 PM
Adam Howell giving a big thumbs up and an ear to ear grin just waiting to turn it on!!

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:47 PM
Scott Fleischhauer and Sean Neidlinger

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:51 PM
When the chance presented itself passes were made...or atleast attempted:p

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:53 PM
Only 3 seconds seperated the top 3 riders !!! Josh Whitehead rides hard keeping the action intense!!

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:57 PM
Mike benson just seconds behind the leader taking 3rd

Pappy
03-25-2004, 09:58 PM
9th place went to Mark Thompson

Pappy
03-25-2004, 10:00 PM
Tom Hertz riding hard to earn 14th in open A

Pappy
03-25-2004, 10:02 PM
265 A 1st place finisher Sean Neidlinger, overall he placed 19th!!

Pappy
03-25-2004, 10:03 PM
Blain Shick #50 and #91 Kevin Wall bring out the vet class

Pappy
03-25-2004, 10:05 PM
Gary Belbeck (popo) suffered electrical problems and was only able to complete one lap.

Pappy
03-25-2004, 10:06 PM
We arent sure what the motorcycle said to the quad before the race, but the quad did its best to **** the bike. the fence was injured but will recover:D

Pappy
03-25-2004, 10:07 PM
Scott Smalley finished 9th in the Vet class

Pappy
03-25-2004, 10:09 PM
The junior class start had #57 Jared Huffman and #345 Chad Wallace leading the field into turn 1

Pappy
03-25-2004, 10:14 PM
Ryan Wuebbeling took 2nd in the Junior class

Pappy
03-25-2004, 10:15 PM
Chad Wallace finished 3rd

Pappy
03-25-2004, 10:17 PM
Peter Statdmueller placed 8th

Pappy
03-25-2004, 10:19 PM
Benjamin Hott took 18th

Pappy
03-25-2004, 10:20 PM
Senior Class 5th place finisher John Cunningham Jr showing some style

Pappy
03-25-2004, 10:22 PM
Senior class start had #86 Jin E Yanlookie grabbing the holeshot with #285 Kevin Carroll in hot pursuit!!

Pappy
03-25-2004, 10:24 PM
Jay Poole had a late start off the line but put together a race that netted him 4th place!!

Pappy
03-25-2004, 10:28 PM
I had a great time meeting some new faces and hanging out with the regulars. Gncc racing has such a good family feeling to it that you cant help but feel at home. Ofcourse when you ride into the middle of the Ballance crew with a Elka shock problem it isnt a pretty sight:eek: luckily for me it was a skid plate issue or Mike Hallick may have offered me up to the shock gods:devil:

The racewas awesome and we couldnt have ordered better weather. ofcourse Jeff from teh Quadshop did his usual rain dance to no avail:( maybe next time jeff.

I will be looking forward to seeing everyone at the Big Buck and smile when ya go buy next time (the rocks really hurt:blah: )

Admin
03-26-2004, 05:56 AM
Johny Kenney finished 15th in the Senior Class

Admin
03-26-2004, 05:57 AM
4 Stroke B Class had over 41 Entries, which made for an interesting first turn!

Admin
03-26-2004, 05:58 AM
Marc Bailes on his YFZ grabs the Holeshot in the Open B Class

Admin
03-26-2004, 06:00 AM
Shane Benson (Four Stroke Tech) has been on a role in the Open B Class with two wins in a Row!

Admin
03-26-2004, 06:01 AM
Cory Salmon finished 7th

Admin
03-26-2004, 06:02 AM
Nathan Gogno finished 3rd in the 265B Class. Great Job Nathan!!:D

Admin
03-26-2004, 06:03 AM
Sport Class Start had #913 Dustin Pigott, #787 Joseph Margarva , and #157 Jeremy Benson battling for the lead heading into the 1st Turn!!!

Admin
03-26-2004, 06:05 AM
David McCarroll Hung back in the Beginning, but put the charge on late to finish the race in 2nd for the Quadshop!!

Admin
03-26-2004, 06:07 AM
Another Four Stroke Tech Rider, Jeremy Benson, went on to Win the Sport Class by 3 seconds over David McCarroll

Admin
03-26-2004, 06:08 AM
Brad C Morrison hung on for a 10th Place Finish on his Blaster!!!

Admin
03-26-2004, 06:10 AM
This rider gives EXriders.com the Thumbs Up!!!

Well that is all folks, and I look forward to seeing everyone in South Carolina

Ryan
03-26-2004, 10:35 AM
Originally posted by EXriders Admin
Also, I am always looking for members willing to help out with covering races that I can't attend, so please contact me and let me know if you want to help out even if it is a local event.



Harlen, Is there anything I can do at Rausch this year to help out?

Im gonna try to show up at another GNCC, also. So if theres anything I can help out with, pm me.

Admin
03-26-2004, 11:40 AM
Originally posted by Ryan
Harlen, Is there anything I can do at Rausch this year to help out?

Im gonna try to show up at another GNCC, also. So if theres anything I can help out with, pm me.

Thanks, and Yes, I can always use help!!

I want to try to keep the site updated from the races, but I can't do it by myself, so I am looking for two people to assist EXriders.com with Coverage at the GNCC races.

Ryan
03-26-2004, 12:40 PM
Ok. When the time comes, we will discuss it. :)

CatMostFeared
03-27-2004, 10:36 AM
I'm a excellent camera man yea excellent kmart sucks

foxracingpredat
03-28-2004, 12:31 PM
Originally posted by Pappy
The junior class start had #57 Jared Huffman and #345 Chad Wallace leading the field into turn 1

what r the rules to race in the junior class??

cdalejef
03-28-2004, 05:14 PM
Originally posted by foxracingpredat
what r the rules to race in the junior class?? Just need to be 25 or older.

foxracingpredat
03-28-2004, 08:48 PM
Originally posted by Jeff@QuadShop
Just need to be 25 or older.

o, well in that case i'll just have to wait another 9 years!

o by the way thanks harlen for the coverage, i look forward to it after every GNCC! exriders.com is the best place to be for race coverage for sure!!

Pappy
03-31-2004, 08:07 AM
I added a ton more pics of this race to this thread

http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=100113&perpage=20&pagenumber=1