2008 GNCC-Round#6-"The John Penton"-Pro ATV Race Coverage
The John Penton sure doesnt disapoint when it comes to keeping everyone on their toes as to what type of weather we will have for the race. Dust, mud, dust, mud, but this is XC racing and everyone knows we race whatever comes along.
Now I really do hate complaining, but I am asking an entire year in advance for atleast ONE perfect weather year for this race for next year seeing we got handed a nasty one for this round
The afternoon racers would atleast have it some what better then their morning racing counterparts, as parts of the facility had dried to manageable conditions. Brandon Sommers, Taylor Kiser and Bryan Cook await their call to the line.
You just can't seem to get Chris Bithell down, no matter how bad of a day he may have had. The young racer has had his hands full this season as he deals with mechanical issues that have him currently ranked 25th in the XC1 class. I had my fingers crossed that just maybe he could put together a solid race this round and get on track for the rest of the season.
For Ryan Lane, the 2008 season is working out quite well as he has been putting in solid race after solid race. 3 top 10 finishes so far this season have him sitting inside the top 10 in points and if the things continue the way they have been, he could move up a few more spots and capture a single digit number for 2009! While others have faced problems and poor finishes, the Indiana native has been chugging along and getting better and faster each round.
Jeff Pickens came out swinging in the first 3 rounds, showing he has what it takes to compete in the XC1 class. The past 2 rounds havent had Jeff finishing where he would like, but I am sure he can figure things out and get back on track soon enough as he continues is rookie pro class season.
Jarrod McClure has been doing battle as good as anyone this season, and has proven he can run at the top of the class. With solid top 10 finishes, McClure sits n a position to dive even deeper into the ranks of the pro class as he dials in his program.
Bill Ballance never ceases to impress, whether its on a quad or dealing with the many fans that flock to him. The 8 time GNCC champ came into the 2008 season with an open mind and stated he just wanted to have fun. Well, the fun may still be there but here as we prepare for round 6 to get underway, the champ finds himself once again in a position to regain the points lead and go after an unprecedented 9th championship!
After scoring a win at Lorettas, Ballance may just be fired up enough to fend off all challenges and set his sights on yet another championship run.
Entering the 2008 season with a completely new program, Chris Borich was easily favored as the rider to win the championship. After giving everyone an incredible season in 2007, many find themselves wondering exactly what is holding him back this year as he has dealt with successes and failures to this point. By Chris's own words, its just racing but we all know he wants to be out front and it just hasn't clicked since round 1 although he was right there at Lorettas scoring 2nd. There could be an infinite amount of reasons as to why, but at the end of the day the results are finalized and we all have to settle with them.
I was hoping for a strong showing from Borich, but seeing another mud-fest on the horizon I suspected he would be just off the pace. I know many riders that would trade Chris finishing positions, but when your as good as he is, there isn't a substitute for being first!
Adam McGill is hot property these days as he has been tearing 2008 apart! McGill has a solid machine, a solid program and enough skill to make this season ultra interesting. Scoring 3 straight wins propelled him to the top of the XC1 points, however bad luck with a mechanical issue at round 5 left him defenseless as Bill Ballance took the win unchallenged by the now familiar orange blur.
The work by team FRE this season has been intense and focused as the new machine and riders are fine tuned to be a winning combination. While this may be Adams first hunt for a championship, the man behind team FRE is no stranger to this kind of pressure as Tim Farr guides his team and riders towards their ultimate goal.
McGill is ahuge fan favorite and the spectators along the course have been steering him in the right direction all year. McGill admits that this has been huge in helping him pick the right lines at bottlenecks and bad sections and never forgets his fans as he gives them praise from the podium.
The left hook in team FRE is Taylor Kiser. While not usually part of the limelight, Kiser has been running steady and true this season and has been running solidly inside the top 10 at most events. Hard work to develop the expierence in terrain not familiar to him was his goal heading into this round and seeing the track conditions, he would need all the help he could get as he faced stiff competition from riders who make riding in the mud look like a sunday stroll!
Matt Smiley gets in position as the pro row was assembled. Smiley injured his right thumb at Lorettas and was going to have to deal with the pain just to complete the race. A twist throttle was installed to help aid his efforts and his attitude prior to the start was just to take it easy and hopefully come out somewhere good. matt is a pretty humble fellow, and one only need to look back at his past results to know that the word "quit" doesnt exist in his world. Smiley has been finishing inside the top 10 all season with the exception of round 5 where his crash sent him to the 21st position. Hurt or not, I knew Matt would be giving 110% and couldnt wait to see him do his thing!
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