KTM's David Knight
to Race ATV for GNCC Finale at Ironman
GNCC Bike Champion will try four
wheels, opens opportunity for two-wheeled stars
Crawfordsville, IN (10/20/2008) -
The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country community
is bracing for an unprecedented showdown when Can-Am
Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) dirt bike Champion
David Knight lines up on an ATV to compete against
the series' best four-wheeled pilots this weekend
at the Klotz Ironman GNCC here.
"I'm really looking forward to competing
in the quad race at the final GNCC of the year,"
says Knight, a member of Team Red Bull KTM. "I'm
not expecting any great results; it's just a bit
of fun. I've only raced a quad at Weston Beach
Race, and that's a lot different than a GNCC course.
I'm just hoping to finish and have some fun doing
the race. Then, on Sunday, I'll get some time
to say goodbye to all the friends I've made during
the last two years."
At the Ironman, ATVs will race on Saturday, October
25, and dirt bikes on Sunday, October 26.
After claiming the 2007 and 2008 GNCC Championship
on bikes, and winning 14 out of the 24 races in
which he competed, next season Knight will return
home to compete in Europe's World Enduro Championship.
This weekend's race may be the last opportunity
to see the Isle of Man native compete in the U.S.
The top ATV stars look forward to a friendly
challenge from Knight, who recently finished fourth
out of 374 entries racing in the ATV portion of
the Weston Beach Race in England.
"No matter where he finishes, I would like
to see him put his full heart into it and push
hard for the whole two hours," says GNCC
ATV Champion Bill Ballance. "That way he'll
really get the full experience and know what we
do."
"Win or lose, it's great exposure for us,"
says veteran ATV pro Johnny Gallagher.
Barry Hawk is the king of the GNCC crossover,
having notched seven-straight GNCC ATV titles
before switching to bikes and then claiming that
championship in 2003.
"If he goes out there to have fun, it will
be good for him," says Hawk, who rides for
the Am-Pro Yamaha bike team. "If he expects
to run in the top ten and prove a point, it will
be tough, because he doesn't have enough time
on the machine to do that. I mean, if I were to
race Indiana on an ATV, with all the experience
I have, I'm not sure I could get a top ten, just
having a few weeks to get ready."
GNCC rules do not allow a pro bike racer to compete
in Saturday's ATV event, so Knight will skip Sunday's
bike race. That makes FMF Suzuki's Paul Whibley
the favorite after winning the previous GNCC in
Ohio while Knight competed at Weston. Whibley
has three wins this season and sits second in
the GNCC standings. His young Australian teammate
Josh Strang, however, is hungry for his second
win of the season.
"I refuse to finish off of the podium,"
says Strang. "If it comes down to it on the
last few laps, I'm going all in."
Suzuki packs two other contenders in Charlie
Mullins and Jimmy Jarrett, who were third and
fourth, respectively, at the previous GNCC event
in Ohio. Red Bull KTM's Nathan Kanney is still
hungry for his first win of the season, and the
orange team will also send AMA National Enduro
Champion Mike Lafferty to Indiana to replace Knight
on Sunday. Lafferty competed in the GNCC Series
full time for years and has won GNCCs before.
Hawk is a contender as well, and he will race
a YZ450F four-stroke for the first time this season
after spending years on two-stroke equipment.
Hawk's young teammate Thad DuVall will race XC1
for the second time in his career. After clinching
the XC2 Lites Championship for 250F class, DuVall
made his XC1 debut on a 450 at the previous GNCC
race and ran in second place before running into
clutch troubles.
In the ATV class, Ballance clinched his record
ninth-straight GNCC ATV Title at the previous
event. He'll race just for fun in Indiana. Expect
competition from FRE KTM's Adam McGill, who sits
second in points. There are three riders fighting
for third in the final standings: Yoshimura Rockstar
Suzuki's Chris Borich, Team Excell Motorsports'
Bryan Cook, and GT Thunder Yamaha's Brandon Sommers.
Also look out for XC2 Champion Don Ockerman, who
finished second in his XC1 pro debut in Ohio.
The ATV division packs a championship showdown
in the 10 a.m. Saturday morning race as well,
with women's racers Traci Cecco and Angel Atwell
tied in points coming into the last round.
The Ironman will host the final round of the
first-ever GNCC UTV Series as well, with Yamaha
Rhinos and Polaris RZRs competing.
The Klotz Ironman GNCC finale packs a variety
of special events, including free ATV demo rides
from Can-Am, Yamaha and KTM, and free demo rides
of KTM bikes. Yamaha plans a GNCC Championship
party for Ballance. A pair of onster trucks will
put on a demo run on the track also.
Spectator passes are $15 for the full weekend,
with pro pit access and pro autographs included
at no additional charge. On both Saturday and
Sunday, youth riders race at 8 a.m., amateur riders
race at 10 a.m., and the pro and pro am classes
compete at 1 p.m. For more information on the
racing series, check out the official series web
site at www.GNCCRacing.com.
About
GNCC Racing:
The
AMA/ATVA-sanctioned Grand National Cross Country
series is America’s premier off-road racing
series. The 13-round series is produced exclusively
by Racer Productions. Cross-country racing is
one of the most physically demanding sports in
the world. The nearly three-hour long GNCC races
lead as many as 1800 riders through tracks ranging
from eight to twelve miles in length. With varied
terrain including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks
and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests
of both survival and speed. GNCC Racing airs weekly
television shows on Versus (formerly Outdoor Life
Network) every Saturday at 3 p.m. and Thursday
at 4 p.m. beginning on April 14. GNCC featured
sponsors include Parts Unlimited, Moose, Maxxis,
Pirelli, Wiseco, Acerbis, Elka, Geico, Klotz,
FMF, ITP and Tire Balls, and riders compete for
over $3 million in series prizes and contingency
money. Associate sponsors include Alpinestars,
Cometic, EK Chain, HiPer Technology, Laegers,
Motion Pro, Moose Utility Division, Powersport
Grafx, Pro Clean, Race Tools, REM, Scott, Thor,
Twin Air, Weekend Warrior, and MotoTee’s.
Media Sponsors include Racer X Illustrated, ATV
Rider, ATV Sport, www.ATVRiders.com,
Dirt Rider and ATV Insider. For more information
log on to www.GNCCRacing.com.
www.gnccracing.com
122 Vista Del Rio Drive,
Morgantown, WV 26508
304-284-0084
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