Jarrod McClure's
Snowshoe GNCC Pro ATV Race Report
GNCC ATV Racing - Round
9 - Snowshoe, West Virginia
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Jarrod Mcclure &
XC Bob's Mike Lucas
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(7/7/2009) -“Ten thousand
dollars at stake, this should make for an interesting
race”, was all I kept thinking to myself on
the trip down to Snowshoe, WV for round 9 of the
GNCC series. That’s right, this years snowshoe
purse was a huge $50,000 which is probably the biggest
purse ever issued at an off-road ATV or motorcycle
event! I was definitely excited about the huge cash
prize and after a podium finish there last year
I was anxious to see how I would finish on my Yamaha.
The week before the race I prepped my ATV, and
with help from Bowers Motorcycle Supplies I had
her ready to go. I made sure to check the entire
quad over, because this was definitely a race
I didn’t want to drop out due to mechanical
failure. I got some tips from a new sponsor I
picked up XCBob.com, who really helped me out,
and I also mounted up a set of GBC’s all
new Ground Buster tires. I knew they would hook
up excellent in the mud and rocks, and I paired
them with some Tireballs and Hiper wheels to ensure
a flat-proof day.
`I left for Snowshoe on Friday with my usual
crew, except this time we had veteran racer Matt
Smiley come with us. He decided to try and make
some cash and with help from Xcbob.com and Stone
Concepts he had a 450R ready to go! We arrived
at the track in the afternoon, and set up our
pits. The track was going to be a lot different
this year. It was going to consist of a twenty-mile
lap. And we were only going to do two laps. We
talked a little about pit stops and I had to play
with jetting due to the elevation, but by dark
we were ready to go!
Race day arrived and it was perfect conditions,
it was sunny with highs near 80. Marc Spataro
with Motoprotraining made sure I stayed hydrated
and ready to go. I headed over to the start, which
is always different at Snowshoe. Instead of the
traditional “Dead Engine” start it
was a live start in rows of five, jut like the
old Blackwater race. Then the whole race went
off of time adjustments. I would be in the second
row so I had a 10-second time adjustment off of
row one.
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Jarrod Mcclure had
a great jump and was the first out of
five into the woods
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With the first row gone I revved my engine ad awaited
the flag! The flag waved, and I had a great jump,
being the first out of the five of us going into
the woods. We immediately caught the first group
of riders and fell into line. The track was very
technical in spots, and in the fast open stuff it
was very dusty. I passed Bill Ballance early on
when he clipped a tree and slowly worked my way
forward. I finally caught Taylor Kiser, and we hooked
up and started moving. We passed Borich and Mcgil
who went the wrong way, and when we crossed the
finish for lap one, Taylor was in first and I was
second!
So far into the race everything was going well,
I was making some smart decisions, and my EXIT
suspension was working awesome. The track was
worse on the second lap, but there were really
only two or three very bad mud sections. Going
into the first mudhole I heard Borich on my tires,
him and I rolled along for half that lap at a
steady pace, that was until we hit the mud-hole
at the seven mile-marker and got separated when
I got stuck. A bump from Chris Bithell got me
moving again, but I fell back a few spots and
once I got going, I was behind Bill Ballance.
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Jarrod Mcclure had
a great jump and was the first out of
five into the woods
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I just kept riding smart and pitted for fuel
on the last lap, I was somewhere around fifth.
I stayed smooth most of the lap, and was able
to make a pass on Donald Ockerman on a line I
was using all day. Next thing you know Brain Wolf
passed me, a pro am rider who was moving! I hung
with him, and he was pulling off some awesome
lines! Around the 7th mile he got hung up on a
root and I gave him a bump off, then I got stuck.
That was the last I saw him! I got going and had
Bryan Cook and Brandon Sommers on my tail. I held
Sommers off until the last 200 yards of the track.
It consisted of an all out drag race up one of
the ski slopes I heard him coming, but with my
clutch slipping I couldn’t edge him out.
I crossed the finish line in 4th place right
on Brandon’s tires! I was happy with the
finish, it was my best so far this year! I made
some smart choices on he track and it paid off
in the end. It is nice to go into the summer break
with a solid finish.
Over the break I plan on hitting another WORCS
race in August, and also a New England harescramble
if I can. I will be attending MotoProTraining
Summer Camp, which is July 17th-19th, for info
on that check out Motoprotraining.com. Work hard
over the summer, and I will see you at Unadilla!
I’d also like to
thank my sponsors: Motoworks,
Bowers Motorcycle Supplies, Atvriders.com, Motoprotraining,
GBC Tires, Motoworks, Exit Shocks, Ars-fx, Tireballs,
Pro Armor, Hiper, Shift, Powermadd, Pro Taper,
Yamaha, Precision, DP Brakes, Graphic Creations,
friends and family, also Mike Cafro Racing.
www.gnccracing.com
122 Vista Del Rio Drive,
Morgantown, WV 26508
304-284-0084
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