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The Mountain Ridge
GNCC ATV & UTV Race Report by William Yokley
Round 9: Somerset, PA -
July 5, 2008
Somerset, PA (7/8/2008) -
William Yokley finished 1st overall today in Round
2 of the GNCC UTV Race. There were 42 total entries
with 14 Open Modified Teams. Team Rider Mark Notman
was the mandatory passenger in the machine today.
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William and Mark
on the starting line in their National
Guard Polaris RZR UTV
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This year, the GNCC is running a 4 race series
to determine the National Champion with the increasingly
popular UTV machines. This series is drawing more
and more competitors because it’s different
and everyone is having a blast. The GNCC folks
make this 45 minute race more spectator friendly
by having a shorter 2 mile course where everybody
can see most of the track from one vantage point.
The machines are side by side configuration such
as Polaris RZRs, Yamaha Rhinos, and Kawasakis
Teryx. Each machine must have a driver and a passenger,
and full safety equipment. Today, my passenger
was my National Guard ATV Teammate Mark Notman.
Mark had never ridden in a UTV before, so he had
no idea what to expect.
My machine is a Polaris RZR, which is the most
popular choice simply because it is the fastest,
lightest, best handling UTV on the market. I run
in the Open Modified Class which basically allows
almost any modifications. We run ours basically
stock, changing only tires, wheels, shocks, exhaust
system, and 5 point safety harness. We also added
some side panels to better showcase our sponsors,
and front and rear bumpers for added protection
as well as a battering ram. The motor is showroom
stock. Polaris is one of our sponsors, and they
told us not to worry, the motor is reliable and
plenty fast, and they were right!
The UTV Race is run right after the 2 hour ATV
Pro Race, so I pounded down some Gatorade and
ate some nutritious track food. The GNCC TV Team
installed a camera on our RZR to use the footage
in future TV broadcasts, and they had a gut feeling
that I might be involved in some excitement during
the race. We got Mark situated in the cockpit
and showed him how to work the 5 way safety harness,
and headed over to the starting area. Other than
me forgetting to sign up for the race and delaying
the start, everything was set for some fun!
As the flag dropped, our Polaris fired right
up and we were leading heading down into the valley.
We set a good pace as we learned the lines for
the first lap or so. My cousin Jarrett Stephens
and his passenger Shane Turner were right on our
tail in another Polaris. Jarrett and Shane are
lifelong friends from my hometown of Tompkinsville,
KY, so we have been banging into each other all
our lives! Mark and I led the first 4 laps when
we came upon a lapper; I did not want to wait
to pass so I took a questionable line through
some pine trees to get around. Bad decision. We
nailed some trees that threw us on our side. I
had the RZR pinned in forward and reverse, and
we finally got back on 4 wheels and under way.
I yelled at Mark to hang on because we had to
catch back up, and I think it was then that he
thought this ride might not have been such a good
idea after all. Jarrett led for the next 3 laps,
and we finally caught them. We were able to get
by and lead the final 3 laps. It was a blast to
race these machines and the spectators loved watching
all the beating and banging.
I am leading the points with 2 races left to
run. Every time I ride that Polaris, I get the
biggest smile on my face! We are going to get
COL Turner from the KY National Guard to ride
with me in one of the last races; he’s done
everything such as jumping out of planes, survival
training, and been all over the world keeping
us safe, but riding with the Yoke will be a new
experience for him! The next UTV Race is in St.
Clairsville, OH on October 11. See you there.
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