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GNCC ATV Racing
Round 5 "Loretta Lynn's" |
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Hurricane Mills - Loretta Lynn's Ranch
race facility in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee only comes
to life three times a year for the AMA Amateur National
Motocross Championships, ATVA Motocross Nationals, and
Grand National Cross Country Series. This venue has
hosted a GNCC every year since the early 1980's, and
is always one of the most attended and most enjoyable
races in the series. My first race at the ranch was
the 1989 GNCC where I finished fifth in 250C! The start
back then was in the field across the road from the
entrance, and the racers went through the deep stream
underneath Rt. 13 before blazing through the wooded
area that now has cabins built on it.
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Chris Borich & Bill Ballance are once again
battling for the Championship with Borich currently
leading the points over the Six Time GNCC Champion |
In addition to the vast history behind this event,
new history was being made as Bill Ballance continued
his fight for a seventh GNCC championship to tie the
record set by Barry Hawk in the 1990's, but Chris
Borich has proven to be the thorn in Bill's side as
he has posted two wins and held the points lead going
into Loretta's. William Yokley sits in third in the
championship, and has switched to the new Suzuki LTR450
full-time. In the two races that William has raced
the LTR450 he has finished on the podium, and one
can only think that as the machine is developed he
will continue rising to the top of podium. Mike Houston,
who claimed his first career podium and overall win
at the previous round in South Carolina, will try
to keep the momentum going and pull off another great
finish. Chris Jenks and Chris Bithell are looking
to get back on the podium, and Duane Johnson is looking
for his first top three finish after coming so close
the last few rounds. Bryan Cook returned to action
after suffering a broken collarbone in Florida, and
both he and Matt Smiley were looking to get their
seasons started and mount a charge back into the points
race.
The rains on Friday before the event caused some
concern as the pits once again started to fill up
with water similar to last year's mud bath, but come
race day, the sun shined and the conditions were excellent.
The worst mud bog was the pro pit straight, which
resembled an ATV hog waller. We were forced to pit
in a small fresh water pond that we affectionately
referred to as "Big John Lake", but once
the race started most of the lake ended up in Bryan
Baker's pit area. The woods were in prime race condition,
and Buren Hamrick once again laid out a 14 mile long
loop that contained a perfect mix of terrain. Unfortunately
we would not be using the motocross track, which had
been a great spectator vantage point and also an exciting
section of the track for the racers. The start was
done on the motocross track, and 23 pro riders lined
up on the front row ready to tackle the historic course.
Bill Ballance grabbed the lead around the first turn
and also the ITP Holeshot Award. Duane Johnson and
Chris Borich flanked the champ with Jeremy Rice putting
his LTR450 near the front in fourth followed by William
Yokley. Adam McGill and Chris Bithell tangled in the
first turn and started near the back of the pack.
The course meandered through the sparsely wooded areas
around the pits before crossing the paved road into
the deep woods. As we worked our way into the trees,
the traction proved to be good and there were numerous
challenging hillclimbs. Many alternate lines were
already established during the morning race, creating
passing opportunities.
Bill Ballance remained at the front after the first
lap with Chris Borich, Chris Jenks and Duane Johnson
in the lead group. Bryan Cook held onto 5th, putting
in a great comeback ride after his injury. William
Yokley had a tree wedge up through his a-arm all the
way back to his rear axle, and had to take time to
remove it. Johnny Gallagher found some barbed wire
that ended his day on the first lap.
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#1
Bill Ballance was determined to take the win
this weekend for his newborn daughter, Leah
Gail Ballance. She was born the Wednesday before
Big Buck, and Bill just fell short of the win
he promised her at Big Buck, so Loretta's was
a must win situation for the Champion. |
#8
Andy Lagzdins has been near the back of the
pack off the line the last two races, but this
weekend, he was able to make up ground while
battling back and forth with Brandon Ballance
for most of the race before pulling away to
finish behind Polaris mounted, Matt Smiley.
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On lap two we ran on some virgin trails that Buren
had saved for us. There were just arrows to go by
with no visible tire tracks. It made for some free-for-all
dashes through the trees, a real rarity in the last
few years of the series. Brandon Ballance passed me
on the second lap, and he turned left up a hillclimb.
I was following right behind him, but I got the feeling
that we were off the course. I turned around before
him and went back, only to see 3 or 4 riders passing
me down at the bottom of the hill. Later I found out
that some other riders had gone the same way, including
William Yokley. Bryan Cook’s impressive charge
was brought to a stop when his chain derailed in the
second lap. Chris Jenks took over the lead halfway
through the second lap, with Ballance, Borich, and
Johnson battling for position right behind him.
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#149 Brent Sturdivant jumped out to the early
lead in the Pro Am Class and never looked back
as he worked his way through the Pro Class to
finish 4th Overall for a career best finish |
Brent Sturdivant was walking away with the Pro-Am
class win, and had worked his way up into the top
five overall. Yokley came back from his first lap
misfortune to move into fifth place with Bithell,
McGill, and Baker going at it behind him. At the checkpoint
I saw the white flag, meaning that the scheduled four
lap race was now only going to be three laps. I was
considering to not pit for fuel, when I came onto
the pit straight and saw Mike Houston and Brandon
Ballance in the pits. Using the experience I've gained
from racing these events since just after the wheel
was invented, I immediately calculated that I could
run the rest of the race without taking on fuel and
just edged out Brandon as he was leaving his pit.
He passed me after a few miles, but once again he
took the hillclimb to nowhere and never caught me
again. I thought for sure Mike Houston would come
up to pressure me, but he had a rock get caught in
his front caliper, which locked up his front wheel
until he could break it free.
Bill Ballance regained the lead on the last lap and
won the race with Chris Borich and Chris Jenks close
behind. Duane Johnson was held up on a hillclimb which
allowed Brent Sturdivant to sneak into fourth overall,
an excellent result for the young West Virginia rider.
Finishing just behind Johnson was William Yokley.
Rookie sensation Chris Bithell continued his consistency
with a seventh overall in front of veteran racer Bryan
Baker, who was happy to once again be well within
the top ten. Adam McGill had the misfortune of getting
hung up in ruts just before the finish, but still
finished a respectable ninth. I followed Matt Smiley
for most of the final lap, but he was riding hard
and I had to settle in behind him as we finished tenth
and eleventh.
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Top Three Overall
(left to Right)
Chris Borich, Bill Ballance, Chris Jenks
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The Loretta Lynn's event was once again one to remember,
and everyone in attendance can say they witnessed
more history in the making with some new talent coming
through the pro ranks and perennial favorites continuing
their championship battles to secure a place in the
GNCC record books. Many thanks to Racer Productions
for a fine event, and let’s show our support
for the series by attending the inaugural Missouri
GNCC in two weeks.
| GNCC
ATV Top 10 Overall in Point Standings |
| Position |
Rider Name |
Machine |
Total
Points |
| 1. |
Chris Borich |
Honda |
128 |
| 2. |
Bill Ballance |
Yamaha |
123 |
| 3. |
William Yokley |
Suzuki |
95 |
| 4. |
Chris Jenks |
Honda |
90 |
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5. |
Duane Johnson |
Honda |
79 |
| 6. |
Chris Bithell |
Honda |
77 |
| 7. |
Michael Houston |
Honda |
58 |
| 8. |
Brandon Ballance |
Yamaha |
54 |
| 9. |
Andy Lagzdins |
Honda |
48 |
| 10. |
Adam McGill |
Honda |
46 |
GNCC
ATV Race Interviews - Video Clip |
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By: Harlen Foley |
The
AMA-sanctioned Suzuki 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, trees,
mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events
are tests of both survival and speed. GNCC featured
sponsors include Parts Unlimited, Moose, Maxxis, Pirelli,
Wiseco, Klotz, FMF and ITP, and riders compete for
over $2.8 million in series prizes and contingency
money. Associate sponsors include Moose Utility Division,
Scott, Acerbis, Alpinestars, Cometic, Outerwears,
Twin Air, Polisport Plastics, Thor, Motion Pro, Hyper
Wheels, Elka Suspension, MotoTee's, Weekend Warrior,
Owens Motorsports, Tom's Marina Polaris, EK Chain
and Laeger's. Media Sponsors include Dirt Rider Magazine,
ATV Sport Magazine, www.ATVRiders.com
and Racer X Illustrated. For more information log
on to www.GNCCRacing.com.
www.gnccracing.com
122 Vista Del Rio Drive,
Morgantown, WV 26508
304-284-0084
ATVriders.com
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