JT Bennett
389-3801
For Immediate Release
JG Off Road's Crouch, Watkins Finish Strong at Yadkin Valley Stomp GNCC
Yadkinville, NC (May 9, 2010) -- The GEICO/JG Off Road/ Monster Energy Kawasaki team traveled to Yadkinville, N.C., for round six of the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series, the Motorcycle-USA.com Yadkin Valley Stomp.
Womens rider Ashley Crouch, battled from a dead last start to third, while JT Bennett barely missed the podium to finish in fourth in the AM race. In the Pro race, Scott Watkins and Jimmy Jarrett battled the elements. Jarrett unfortunately crashed in the second lap, landing on his previously injured shoulder. Watkins forged on to finish 5th for the day.
"We're bummed to see Jimmy go down and take a shot on his shoulder," said Bennett. " He's working so hard to get healthy. It was a little bit of a letdown but it was nice to see Scott hang in for 5th place in those conditions and Ashley got 3rd. We've got to do our homework. We're doing well when conditions are wet and technical and it seems like everyone else can go just as fast in the dry. We need to work on our setup for the dry stuff."
Crouch's bike fired last off the start line, but quickly began catching riders as she moved up the pack. She caught up to Defending Champion Mandi Mastin, Shelby Rolen and Leeann Bange, then settled into fourth behind Kelly Hall, until Hall crashed in a tight wooded section, and she was able to take over third. Crouch finished the day in third behind KTM's Maria Forsberg and Mastin.
"I'm really happy with my finish," Crouch said. "I need to pick it up a little more but I'll get up there soon."
Bennett, meanwhile, battled for 3rd after a rough start, but thought he was battling for 5th or 6th when he crossed the finish line just seven seconds behind third place to finish fourth.
"It was a hard fought battle," Bennett said. "I had a bad start, and I got caught up in some of the dust, so I came around in 5th or 6th on the first lap. Then, everything started working. I hooked up with the guy who finished third, and we worked up to third place. I didn't realize we had caught some people in front. I thought we were battling out for 5th or 6th. I felt strong on the bike. It took me a lap to get going, but those last 3 laps were great. The Racer Productions crew threw in a mile of enduro section that was awesome. It was handlebar tight for a mile. That was right up my alley. We want to thank the Racer Productions crew for doing a nice mix of trail and technical stuff out there. It was fun. The dust out on the open was ridiculous, but hard to prevent it when it was so dry out there."
Watkins was fourth going into the woods off the start, but crashed early in the lap and fell to 6th. Watkins worked his way up to 5th place to finish out the day.
"I never really felt really comfortable today," Watkins said. "I don't know what it was. The track conditions were kind of slick and it was hard to keep the bike up. I didn't feel like I was losing or gaining any time from the guys ahead of me and it was kind of a shame I wasn't running with them since we were running about the same speed. I Didn't make any real mistakes. It was good to get out of there in one piece. I hope for a better finish at Somerset."
Jarrett was last off the start, and in the second lap crashed in a dusty corner, landing on his shoulder. Jarrett escaped without re-injuring his shoulder too much.
"I'm just trying to get that thing better and that's the last thing I needed," Jarrett said. "After that, I came back and rested. We have a weekend off before Somerset, and if I have to take another weekend off to get this arm better, we'll do it."
Jarrett and Watkins would like to thank their sponsors GEICO, JG Off Road, Pirelli, Silkolene, EBC, Tsubaki, Ride PG, Moose, Pro Moto Billet, CV4, Monster Energy Kawasaki, Smith G2, IMS, FMF, Sidi, Renthal and No-Toil.
Watkins would like to thank his additional sponsors Shoei, Smith Optics, G2, Enduro Engineering, BRP and Sidi Boots.
Jarrett would also like to thank individual sponsors Arai, Cytosport and OGIO.
Crouch would like to thank sponsors JG OFF Road, GEICO, Silkolene, Fasstway, Rekluse, Spruill Honda Kawasaki, Scott Goggles, Vee Rubber, Ohlins, PMP Sprockets, Tucker Rocky, One Industries and OGIO.
The team travels next to the Moose Mountain Ridge in Somerset, PA., on May 22-23.
For more information, log on to www.jgoffroad.com.
About JG Off Road
JG Off-Road Racing is owned by JT and Gretchen Bennett. JT started out as a privateer rider, working hard to build his racing career and is a former multi-time AWRCS Champion, GNCC Amateur Class Champion and ISDE competitor. After 17 years of racing, the Bennett's decided to start their own team as a chance to stay involved in racing and give back to the sport. JG Off Road started in 2009 and strives to provide strong results in all aspects of racing. Bennett has built a solid partnership with GEICO Powersports to give the team a winning outlook and a hard to beat attitude.
Share