Our crew is tanned, but certainly not rested, as the annual Florida/Georgia trip jacks everyone up. You may have had fun in the sun, but were you loving life back at work on Monday morning?
The Georgia GNCC saw some familiar winners of the overalls-last year's number 2s, Josh Strang and Taylor Kiser, grabbed the wins. Strang now establishes himself as the man to beat this season, but I would have to think Paul Whibley is going to get better as he gets more familiar with his new blue ride.
Suzuki also won the morning bike race overall with Rodney Smith. Awesome to see Rodney back on the track. Former Arenacross standout Shawn Clark took second. Layne Michael won the Youth overall, should be a good battle between he and Aaron Plessinger for that title this year.
Photo By: David Scearce
"Bad" Thad had some crazy speed in Georgia.
Or maybe Thad DuVall, who showed classic Bad Thad speed by checking out early. He was gone, but then he crashed out. Should be okay in the long run, though.
Defending GNCC Women's bike champ Mandi Mastin bounced back for a win in Georgia, she is ready to fight for her title this year.
So is Kailub Russell in XC2, apparently. It was a rough day for KR in Florida where he took third, but he snagged a win in Georgia. KR was talking of arm pump in the first two races, that's the kind of thing that usually goes away after the early season. But Jason Thomas and Jesse Robinson are going to be right there challenging KR every week.
In ATVs, Kiser put to rest any "13-0" ideas for Borich with the win. And I know people are going to say we're biased here because Can-Am sponsors our series, but the Warnert Can-Am duo of McGill and Bithell have been on it this year. Bithell led a lot of the ATV race before tagging a tree. Seems like Bithell leads Georgia every year only to have stupid things like that happen.
Photo By: David Scearce
Typical super pumped Kailub Russell look.
And little guy Hunter Heart won the Youth Overall. Hunter likes to say, "I have the same last name as my birthday, Valentines Day." Well, belated Happy Birthday to Hunter, and congrats on the win!
Two news crews came down to GA to check out the action:
Click HERE and HERE to check it out.
And FYI:Charlie Welch needs to borrow/rent a 65 dirtbike for the Steele Creek youth race. Is there anyway you can get this word out?
Thanks
We've got reports from our group covering the whole gamut the series. Let's start with our new reporter, Shan Moore:
After the rough and whooped-out course at the opening round in Florida, most of the riders I spoke to were glad to be moving on to the Maxxis General to ride in that rich Georgia clay. Of course, with clay comes mud, and with mud comes mud holes, and the Georgia course had its share of deep ones. If you made it down to the four-mile mark then you got to see what an advantage the factory boys have over the "Regular Joes" when it comes to getting help in these kinds of situations. I saw factory mechanics walking ankle-deep through the muddy ruts, looking for the best lines to direct their riders through. The "Amateur" guys just had to guess, and a lot of the times they would guess wrong - and guess what? They got stuck. I'm thinking KTM had the best setup at the "four-mile" mud hole. Bart Hayes positioned himself at the top of the hill leading down to the bog, and he would point the riders in the direction of KTM mechanic Chad Garrett, who was actually standing in the mud. This was good for the KTM riders like Chris Bach, Nate Kanney, Kailub Russell, Russell Bobbitt and Cory Buttrick, because there was absolutely no guessing when it came to finding the best line. It was also good for Bart, since he was able to keep his shoes clean while poor Chad probably had to throw his away before he could fly back home to Tennessee. Bart did such a good job of picking lines that Jason Thomas thanked him on the podium after the race.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Hillbilly mechanic skills come in handy in GNCC Racing.
Everyone knows that Josh Strang took his second win in Georgia, but few people know that Josh hit something near the end of the race (probably a tree) and his left radiator was spewing fluid when he crossed the line. Lucky for Josh, it happened near the finish, or he might have been pushing to the finish like Whibley had to do in Florida.
It was cool that several national enduro guys rode the Maxxis General this year. Three-time Enduro champ Russell Bobbitt made the short drive from his home in Fayetteville, Georgia, and wound up getting the holeshot on his two-stroke KTM 250XC. Bobbitt ran up front for a good part of the first lap but told me that he suffered arm pump on the second lap and fell off the pace. He also said that he probably could have used a different setup from the one he used. Bobbitt ended up with seventh overall, while Ohio Husaberg rider Nick Fahrainger was 11th.
Chris Bach told me that his phone has been ringing off the wall (that phrase probably dates me, since cell phones don't hang on walls) since he finished second in Florida. A second-straight podium in Georgia proved Florida was no fluke. Everyone I've talked to tells me that Chris is a hard worker and it's certain that his off-season work is paying off right now. It will be interesting to see what kind of support might get thrown his way in the near future. It's a shame the economy is in the shape it's in right now, or more guys like Bach would have factory rides.
Now over to Rachel "Finally fixed up my hair" Fluharty.
This week's Tuesday Toolbox was with Jesse Robinson if you haven't checked it out. The last time we talked to Jesse was when he got his factory ride with Husaberg, and then over Christmas Husaberg had their budget cut, and Jesse was left without a ride. Thanks to a rule change in the XC2 class allowing the 2-stroke, Jesse was able to ride. So he moved to the XC2 class and is riding a KTM this year. Although Jesse said this is his "farewell tour" I'm hoping he'll change his mind, especially if he keeps getting on the podium.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Strang's smashed radiator.
Enter Chris Bach. Ooooh Chris. Chris told me back in August that he was too good to quit race. I was a little skeptical, I'll admit that he was moving up to the XC1 class, which is tough, but I'm proud of the guy for working so hard to work his way up to the podium, especially as a privateer. Those are my favorite stories about GNCC racing, guys that work really hard, with little support all for the love of racing. We'll talk to Chris next week for Tuesday Toolbox so get ready! I hope he throws out some good stories like last time, when he said he took an energy gel and had an allergic reaction to it mid-race.
In other news, I'm fourth in the Off-road Fantasy League on the bike side. Considering I didn't know GNCC Racing existed a year ago, I think everyone else needs to step it up.
https://www.offroadfantasy.com/league/standings/2
Photo By: Shan Moore
Follow the line to follow the line.
After two weeks on the road I'm back in my home office with a pile of work to do about a mile high. At least the warm weather followed us back North for a few days! I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm still trying to catch up on sleep. There's nothing like 2 GNCC races in a week to get wear you out, and I wasn't even racing! Anyway, since I'm tired and this mountain of work isn't getting any smaller, I'll keep this week's contribution short and sweet, and do a little bit of spamming for my site. Last week I started a feature on digitaloffroad.com, taking a page from the Racer X Online playbook with their Sign of the Lap Times, and analyzing the fastest lap times from each race. It's pretty interesting to see how the "fastest" guys end up finishing (so far this year it hasn't been first place!). Check out the Stopwatch and see the lap times of the pros. http://www.digitaloffroad.com/2010/03/09/the-stopwatch-gncc-round-2/
If you're wanting to kill some time checking out some cool photos, take a look at part time photographer and part time GNCC TV pit reporter Krista Shaw's photos from Georgia: http://www.digitaloffroad.com/2010/03/08/georgia-gncc-photo-gallery/
Wonder what's going through the head of XC1 Pro Lites points leader Josh Strang? Check out this interview with him: http://www.digitaloffroad.com/2010/03/11/racechat-with-josh-strang/
Speaking of Strang, I'd really like to give him props for literally stopping in the middle of the General GNCC to let me know that Thad DuVall had a gnarly crash a little ways back. Bad Thad was able to get up under his own power and limp back to the pits, but his crash was pretty bad. I've heard he has two black eyes and a pretty stiff neck. It shows a lot about Strang's character for him to stop in the middle of a race and let someone know about a downed rider. It's for sure the "right" thing to do, but I wonder how many people would actually do the same. Would you?
Also, congratulations to Off-Road Fantasy Round 2 winners Denny Brechbill in the ATVs and Charkie Heugel in the bikes. Your Acerbis handguards are in the mail, guys! As Rachel mentioned she's moved up to 4th in the standings, not too bad for a rookie! I think Weigandt was scared she'd beat him and maybe that's why he's not playing. If you're into fantasy leagues and winning cool prizes, check out www.offroadfantasy.com - there's still time to sign up and be eligible for year-end prizes.
If you're in the North Carolina area and looking for a tune up race for the Steele Creek GNCC, you might want to check out GNCC lieutenant trail boss Buren Hamrick's Mideast race this weekend. It's in Connelly Springs, NC near Morganton and should be a good time. I'm thinking of making my 2010 race debut on my CR125 (long live the 2 stroke!) so maybe I'll see some of you out there. For more info on the race check out the Mideast Racing website here: http://mideastracing.com/rd2sched.htm
Thanks, Hoops. We ran one of Krista's photos on the main page here for Quick Fill. How multi-talented! As for the fantasy series, I felt I would have an unfair advantage so I decided not to enter just to be fair to everyone else...
Now on to Rodney Tomblin.
Thanks Jason! I sat here at my desk only a few weeks ago looking out the window wondering what was to come for the new season of GNCC racing. A blanket of white covered the landscape and folks were beginning to question the whole idea of global warming. I wish it could've snowed even more, but it may have been easy for me to think that knowing I was about to embark on the beginning of a spectacular year of racing and it would all be kicking off in the warm southern sunshine of Florida.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Chris Bach is turning heads.
If you were able to join us this year, you may have noticed a little different ring to the PA system this year as welcome a new voice and a slightly different format for keeping the racers and race fans informed of the event activities.
First let's say welcome back and great job to Hannah Reid. Hanna has been assisting more and more with announcing duties over the past couple of years and has become a major staple of the youth racing program. She has really gotten to know these riders and their families in the process. I could tell from the first time she spoke on the microphone in Florida that Hanna was ready and had actually stepped up her delivery for the new season. This made for an even more exciting opening to the racing season.
Second, let's welcome Rachel Fluharty to the announcing team. (You did a great job, too!) She was so nervous before things got started not knowing if she would be able to fit in or even speak when the time came. She said the last time she had a microphone in her hand she was a first grader singing in the school Christmas program. She was obviously a little nervous but proved that she was up for the task. Don't forget she was a college student just beginning her internship this time a year ago and knew little if anything about GNCC racing. She has certainly come a long way and as I listened to an interview Rachel conducted with Brandon Sommers on ATV practice day in Florida, I was convinced that she was going to do just fine in her new duties.
Our goal as an announcing team this year will be to keep more information flowing all day long leading up to and through the Pro racing in the afternoon. We will be able to focus more on the youth and amateur championship battles as well as sponsors and vendors that help make the show whole. As we head into the XC1, XC2, A and B classes in the afternoon, the girls will focus on the pro pits reporting back with information and interviews they gather during the race. They will be able to keep us up to date on any changes or problems in the pits immediately as the action unfolds. This seemed to work very well at the first two rounds and should become a near staple in the announcing of each lap in the future. Someone said it was like listening to NASCAR on the radio. And with that remark, I say mission accomplished, because I was hoping it would give that kind of edge. It will only get better as teams and managers will be ready to give more and more information as this new element is introduced to the GNCC and as the Hannah and Rachel mature in their duties of announcing.
As the first two rounds are history, I must say that the new changes in the announcing format and the great racing taking place has left me excited for the FMF Steel Creek GNCC now only a little more than a week away. The Florida and Georgia races have really set the stage for what could prove to be our best year of racing in a long time if not ever. But more on those thoughts next week. So, till then I say, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.
That's it for this week's "Long Fill." Hey, we just ran two races within a week. There was a lot to talk about!
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