2005 GNCC "Power Line Park" Round #12 Afternoon ATV Racing Coverage

St. Clairsville, OH (10/8/05) – Since the summer break it has been dry and fairly dusty especially at Yadkinville, but dust wouldn’t be a problem at Powerline Park as the remains of tropical storm Tammy marched up the east coast dropping several inches of rain along the way, which set the stage for yet another Ohio mud race.

The rain and high gas prices didn’t seem to deter many ATV racers from attending as over 500 hundred riders signed up excluding the 58 youth riders, which was a record attendance for ATVs at Powerline Park.

The Hillside was packed with vehicles and by Saturday Morning many were having trouble finding a spot to park on the slippery grass.

This unlucky driver tried to swing a right off the main road on an off chamber hillside and found vehicle sliding sideways down the hill jack knifing his trailer. Throughout the day, several other vehicles also jack knifed before they taped off the section and cars parked right along the road.

While many adults were stressing over the rain and the mud, this little guy didn’t have a care in the world as he sat fire side relaxing Saturday morning.

The Pro Class had the largest signup of the season with 22 riders as Adam McGill made his Pro Class debut with both Rob Zimmerman and John Natalie Jr. signing up as well. Yes, I said, John Natalie Jr, which is probably no surprise to some because he has attended several GNCC races over the years in his off season.

John was his usual self smiling ear to ear most of the day, and he had plenty to smile about since he just signed a new deal with Roll Design & Elka for 2006, and of course he will remain with Blingstar with his signature line of products.

The Afternoon Race had exactly 220 riders signed up for the race and as they made there way to the starting rows, it began to drizzle, which had umbrellas popping up everywhere.

#66 Adam McGill finally completed the 11 races to wrap-up his Pro Am Championship, so he was excited to finally be on Pro Row in hopes of making his way back to the podium before the end of the year.

#13 Todd Knippenberg was lined up and ready to race, but sadly it was rumored that this may be his last season of racing and if it is true, he will be missed. Also, Chad Duvall announced that he would be retiring from racing as well, but he could still be found at the track supporting the career of his son, Thad Duvall on the motorcycle.

John Natalie Jr wasn’t his normal #13 and was assigned the guest Pro #167, and his biggest sponsor this weekend was the Borich Family as they provided him everything he needed to race this weekend except for the Blingstar front bumper which Natalie Jr provided.

The Championship remains up for grabs in 4 Stroke A between Todd Rothermel and Taylor Kiser, but with Kiser’s win at Unadilla and Rothermel finishing in fifth, it give Kiser a significant advantage heading into Powerline Park.

Kiser unfortunately would only finish two laps at Powerline Park this weekend, with Rothermel finishing in third, which really tightened it up for the Ironman with only a few points separating them. Kiser still has the advantage, but if Rothermel can finish in the in first of second and Kiser doesn’t finish any better than 6th, the Championship would go to Rothermel.

The points game, we have to love it.

Craig Reed has the title wrapped up in Open A, but he second spot is still up for grabs between Ryan Lane and Brian Shaw

Mike Benson has had an up and down season with some great races and some bad luck along the way, so he decided to finish out the season on the GasGas for some testing.