By the end of the first lap, Bill had moved into
the top spot, Followed by Brandon and Chris Bithell.
Chris Borich worked up to fourth at the end of lap
one after having a multi-kick start. The course layout
kept the racing tight, with the riders circulating
within sight of one another.
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| #2
Chris Borich chasing down #6 Chris Bithell |
Chris Bithell and Chris Borich moved past BJ and
rode together, working their way up to Bill, who had
half a minute lead. Meanwhile, BJ tried in vain to
hold off the advances of XC1 rookie Taylor Kiser,
who was up into fourth by the third lap. Bryan Cook
was having a great race, running in sixth place with
William Yokley and Matt Smiley working up into the
top ten after getting a slow starts. The track was
holding up great, with many additional lines developing
throughout the race. The motocross track was the only
section that had any dust, and it favored those who
had the force with them to power past other riders
in the dirt haze. The combination of hard-edge braking
bumps, gnarly roots coming through the surface, and
jolting ditch and crevice jumps made this a rough
course for many. Suspension setup played a large part
in the race, with many riders experiencing difficulties
with shock adjustments. With so many riders concentrating
on setting their quads up for the opening race in
Florida, some were caught unprepared for the completely
different playing field in Georgia. Bryan Baker fought
with setup on his Polaris Outlaw, and Adam McGill
was having a tough time on his Honda. On the fourth
lap I came up on Tyler Lenig, who was stopped and
reaching over the front of his quad adjusting his
shocks!
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Once again, William Yokley was plaqued off the
line, but he charged his way from 19th to a
7th place finish |
#17
Taylor Kiser proved his podium finish in Florida
was no fluke as he just missed his 2nd podium
finish with a 4th Overall |
The battle up front between Ballance and Borich
escalated to the point where they were making contact
and using some creative hand signals through the pro
pits going into the last lap. They had opened up a
small gap on Chris Bithell, who was putting in a great
ride after not feeling well in Florida. Taylor Kiser
was holding his own in front of Brandon Ballance.
Bryan Cook, who was running in sixth all day and closing
in on BJ, hit some kickers on the last lap that sent
him tumbling off the track. He remounted but had lost
positions to Matt Smiley and William Yokley.
Ballance proved once again to have the Georgia track
under control, and led Borich through the checkers.
Bill had won this race many times before and seems
to really favor the terrain there. This is the best
start to the season that I can remember for Bill,
and he seems very determined and focused on making
history with a record eight championships. Chris Borich
is not one to be counted out, and I'm sure he is working
on a plan to dethrone Ballance as we speak. Chris
Bithell made his way onto the podium in third, showing
great potential for a championship run in the future.
Taylor Kiser held on for fourth, earning the top XC1
Pro rookie honors. Brandon Ballance took fifth, starting
his 2007 season with two consistent finishes. Matt
Smiley put in his best race in a while, and I'm sure
it won't be long before he gets his Honda dialed in
and runs with the leaders. William Yokley edged out
Chris Jenks for the seventh spot, his Kawasaki still
in development mode. Bryan Cook fell to ninth on the
last lap after his get off, and Jerrod McClure put
the ATVRiders.com Honda in the top ten.
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#19 Matt Smiley had the bugs worked out of his
Honda and secured a 6th place finish, which
was his best finish in over a year. |
#14
Bryan Cook is off to a good consistent start
with back to back top 10 finishes. Unfortunately,
Santo Derisi hasn't had the same good luck. |
Look for the championship battle to continue in North
Carolina at Steele Creek, where Ballance and Borich
have had close finishes in the past. See you there!
|
Afternoon
Top Three Overall (left to Right)
Chris Borich, Bill Ballance, Chris Bithell |
