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Round #4 of the Can Am GNCC Series was back down south as the series headed to Union, South Carolina for yet another round of exciting racing action. Coming into this round, Adam "I am on a winning streak" McGill was the rider holding all the cards as he stacked two back to back wins in his deck. McGill has already proven that his program is working, his machine is working and the results prove that the man is now a threat to anyone wanting the championship in 2008.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is the fact that several of the series top talents are being sidelined with issues that range from simple to complex in regards to issues with thier equipment. Chris Bithell, Chris Jenks, Brandon Sturdivant, Micheal Houston, Duane Johnson and more have all suffered miserably as we entered this round. We all knew that taking on the new models would pose unforseen issues and that top finishes could be hard in the first few rounds, however with round 4 upon us, the season is looking bleake for several riders whos visions of podium finishes are disappearing lap after lap. This round I had my fingers crossed that thier luck would change.
For Chris Borich, the season may not be starting as well as he would like, but the young rider is not showing that it is affecting him. Chatting with Chris, he seemed confident and focused without showing any signs of being some how distracted by a less then perfect start to the opening rounds.
It may take a few more tweaks here or there, but Borich isn't ready to conceed anything to anyone and you can bet he will be pushing hard to get upfront.
For Matt Smiley, sticking to the basics has him well inside the top 10 so far this season. Bill Ballance may have stated this season was about fun, but I believe Matt is stealing a great deal of that fun and staying upfront while remaining his laid back self. I'm pretty sure you would have to set his boots on fire to get a rise out of him, but ladies and gents, you have someone in your sights that is a champion wether he never runs another race in his life. Without ever saying a word, Smiley shows us all what being great means by his actions.
As for William Yokely, he to has benefited from getting back to the tried and true and finds himself inside the top 10 in points after 3 rounds of competition. Yokley found the podium at round 3, and this round would have him hunting for a repeat!
If there was a surprise so far this season, it comes in the form of Bryan Cook. Cook came out swinging at round #1, backed it up with another top 5 at the second round and slipped to a 14th finish at round 3.
Cook found himself running and gunning with the top guns of the sport and liked it! Sitting second in points on top of a solid team might just prove to be the ticket to Cooks best season ever!
For Taylor Kiser, 2008 is shaping up to be a solid season for him as well. Being team mates on the FRE KTM with Adam McGill has it's perks, but one of them is not a garuntee of running upfront. Kiser has made the bite of this team feel real as he just missed the podium at round 1, found it solid at round 2 as he filled the #2 spot beside his winning teammate, but found himself slugging it out for 7th at Steele Creek among the miles of one line track.
Kiser was looking focused as the rain drops fell prior to the start
Standing in line for some trackside grub friday evening, I overheard some fans explaining that McGill had to loose weight to make room for the horseshoe he had installed:tired:
While luck always plays into racing, hard work and dedication, ability and drive all work hand in hand with lady luck. However the fact remains he has flat torn up the competition the past 2 rounds. Securing back to back convincing wins has his name on everyones lips as pre race discussions have the pits a buzz.
Bill Ballance works to get a fresh piece of ground for his tires to bite on as the rain fell steadily prior to the start. Bill suffered from a DNF at round 2, but has shown the crowds at the podium that he still knows the way there by visiting it twice this season.
Chris Bithell, to much rider for any man made machine:eek: :p
Chris burst into the limelight in 2007 and was looking for a kickazz season to back it up. While that hasn't yet materialized, Chris's spirit remained unbroken as he prepared to give it his all!