The Steele Creek
GNCC Race Report by William Yokley
Morganton, NC - March 21,
2009
Frankfurt, KY (3/23/2009) -
William Yokley finished 14th Overall and 11th
in the XC1 Pro Class today in the beautiful North
Carolina mountains. There were 247 total entries
with 19 XC1 Pro Riders. Team Rider Mark Notman
finished 42nd Overall and 20th in the 30 rider
XC2 Pro Am Class.
GNCC ATV Race Summary:
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National Guard Polaris
ATV blasting out of a turn
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Steele Creek always makes for a rough event with
all the creek crossings, rutted terrain and elevation
changes. This year, the weather was perfect for
racing with the temps in the low 60’s. Week
by week, I’m continuing to learn more about
the Polaris Outlaw and make it fit my style. I
am getting closer and more competitive with each
ride.
I got a pretty good start and entered the woods
in 8th place. Everybody in the pro class is on
good equipment and on top of their game, which
makes for some great racing. The first lap was
a freight train of the top 14 riders only separated
by 10 seconds. I was in 10th as we headed out
on the 2nd lap, and had a pretty good battle with
Chris Bithell. He decided to try to make a pass
in a tight place, and we got hung up together.
I got the short end of the situation and was back
among the Pro Am riders by the time I got unstuck.
I made it back to 14th going into lap 4, and was
only able to make it up to 11th by the finish.
The bike worked well in the rough and muddy conditions.
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Mark Notman
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My teammate Mark got a mid-pack start and finished
lap 1 in 14th place. He was having problems with
his suspension settings, and decided to come in
the pits and try to adjust things. Usually this
is a last resort because you can’t afford
to give up time like that. But, he was losing
so much time in the rough sections he had to try
something. He soldiered on to finish 20th and
found out some areas where he can make improvements
in his set up. Like I said before, we are discovering
improvements as we race these machines, and can’t
wait to get out there and dice it out with the
front runners at the next race.
We have a 2 week break before the next race in
South Carolina. We will use that time to get prepared
and test some new things. We also are also preparing
the Polaris RZR for the UTV races there as well.
Should be a busy but fun weekend; see you there!
Yokley Racing Team Sponsors:
Yokley Racing Team Sponsors are
The Army National Guard, Polaris Industries, Kenda
Tires, Elka Suspension, Roll Design, HMF Exhaust
Systems, IMS/Roll, PURE Polaris Lubricants &
Fuels, Intense Fabrication & Design, Douglas
Wheel Technology, Moto Pro Training, Tire Balls,
Andrews Cycle, Tsubaki Chains, IMS, Four Apparel,
ASV Levers, CV4 Hoses, Hygh Octane Design, PIER
Graphics, Universal Handlebars, Scott Goggles,
ATVRiders.com, Hetrick Motorsports, Powermadd,
and Rekluse Clutches.
www.YokleyRacing.com
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