Hurricane Mills, TN - Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Borich was the first repeat winner on the ATV side of the 2009 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country series, taking the lead in the points race and perhaps locking down a bright championship future going into round five, the Acerbis Loretta Lynn GNCC. That is, if FRE KTM's Adam McGill and Yamaha's Taylor Kiser don't catch up to him.
McGill is fast behind with only eight points separating him from Borich and Yamaha's Taylor Kiser behind McGill by just three points. The three have been trading in and out of the lead during the course of the season. Houser Racing's Bryan Cook is fourth in points and with defending GNCC Champion Bill Ballance recovering from an injury, the door is open to any of the four top riders as they prepare for round five at the historic Loretta Lynn Ranch this weekend.
The soil of the track is sandy, so the track gets whooped out. Some sections are covered in small, shale rock, probably not tire-cutting stuff, but enough to ruin traction. The whoops and the heat and humidity indigenous to this area can sap a rider's strength. That, combined with the trio's command of the points race, makes it hard for any rider to move up and become a viable contender.
Ballance struggled at the first two rounds of the season but made it up to the podium at Steele Creek and Big Buck, putting him fifth in the series, behind Cook, who won the Steele Creek race. Cook is now fourth in points, 21 points behind Kiser. Yamaha's Donald Ockerman and Brandon Sommers are behind Ballance in points, but have yet to make it onto the podium this year.
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