Welcome to Quick Fill. Enjoying your summer?
Our is being stretched in a million directions with nearly a month of work ahead of them at Loretta Lynn Ranch. But GNCC is still on the brain for our reporters, Shane Moore and Rodney Tomblin. Take it away, boys, starting with Shan.
Thanks, Jason. I'm working on this from the road as I drive to Michigan for the Husaberg press launch this weekend. I'm driving so I can bring extra lighting equipment, but I just spent two hours in St. Louis traffic, so I'm thinking I should have shipped the gear and flown. Anyway, last week I checked in with some of the bike guys, so this week I checked in with Warnert Can-Am Racing's Chris Bithell. The Pennsylvania ATV rider grabbed a win at this year's Yadkinville race and currently sits fifth overall in the XC1 standings heading into the break, although a few DNFs have held him back a little. Chris told me he's getting in a little bit of work, helping a friend with some carpentry jobs and making a few bucks on the side. As far as riding and training, he said he's taken the last few weeks off, but on the 28th of this month he's headed to Minnesota to Warnert Racing headquarters where the testing will get hot and heavy.
As far as his thoughts on his season so far, Chris said he was fairly happy with how he's been doing but hopes to better his status in the standings by the end of the series. "I've put in some pretty solid rides, but it hasn't been perfect," Bithell told me. "We had two breakdowns which are definitely hurting me. I was sitting fourth, but I dropped to fifth in the standings after Snowshoe and I definitely want to bring that up during the last part of the season. I was happy with fourth, but I am shooting for third overall and I plan on coming back strong after the break. I want to have a win before the season is over."
Photo By: Shan Moore
Chris Bithell is pretty happy with his season so far.
Chris Borich definitely sits on a good position when the series resumes at Unadilla, however, Donnie Ockerman and Adam McGill have started to close in on Taylor Kiser for the runner-up position. Kiser's finishes off the podium at the last two rounds have opened the door for McGill and Ockerman, who have traded second and third place finishes in the last two races. Meanwhile Bithell is still in the running as well, so it should be a good finish to the year. Championship runs are often about the rider who gets hot and carries that momentum throughout the schedule, and sometimes a lengthy break in the schedule and provide another rider the chance to pick up a little momentum, as well. I'm not saying that Borich can't come out in September and be just as dominating as he has been so far. I'm just saying it opens up the possibility for someone else to catch fire.
Speaking of catching fire, I missed my window of opportunity to talk to Brian Wolf today, so I will do my best to talk to him next week to see what's he's up to. Also, I will bring you some photos of the 2011 Husaberg from this weekend's press launch, as well as some updates on Charlie Mullins, Cory Buttrick and Glenn Kearney, who will be riding the Jack Pine Enduro this weekend in Michigan.
Here's Rodney Tomblin's contribution for the week:
Photo By: Shan Moore
Shan sent us two photos of Bithell so here's the headshot.
Okay, I know the mid summer break is perfect for just that. You know, bench racing the last race and predicting your domination for the upcoming round. So before we close the door on the Snowshoe GNCC there is one last week we will revel in it. A few weeks ago I had asked for anyone that was interested to send me a note describing what their race experience was like this year. I received a couple of emails that reinforced my belief that The Snowshoe race will live forever in the minds of those that tackled it or at least gave it a shot.
The following are two letters that kind of explain things a little what it was like out there. The first letter comes from Brian Temple who races Senior A class
For anyone who hasn't been to Snowshoe, this is what I call the ultimate in off-road racing. The race is held at the Snowshoe Resort in the mountains of West Virginia. It is a great atmosphere with activities for the entire family. The GNCC crew normally puts together one of the toughest races on the schedule right here. The afternoon race consists of 2 separate loops. They are each scored as a separate lap. The pros normally get in 3 laps of each loop. Each lap is approx. 12 miles and you only come thru the pits on the west loop. I always pit every time I come thru the pits as I get nervous that my bike won't make 48 miles on one tank of gas. As an added bonus the race start is on the street with 5 riders to a row and is a live engine start. The rows are 10 seconds apart and you roll forward to the line in front of you as they start the race.
With me being 3rd in points I would be gridded on the 27th row and this would be the first row of Senior A riders. Steve Thaxton, Larry Silvia, Danny Pressley and Troy Stanley would join me on this row. Starting on black top is a very different kind of start and one that I don't mind at all. With my road racing back ground I got very used to launching a bike on pavement. The start would come and we would begin to roll forward. When we got to the line and they threw the green flag I would ease out the clutch and push hard to turn 1. I took to the lead at turn 1 and would carry the lead to the dirt. With in the first ¼ of a mile we had already begun to catch the row in front of us. I made quick work of a few of them and would maintain my lead. We were catching riders like they had the brakes on. I wasn't holding anything back, when I caught a guy I would pick a different line and make my move. This track is very rocky with huge mountain climbs. Bottlenecks and back markers can really get bad. I would come to the main check at the end of the first lap/loop and would have over a minute on 2nd place.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Rugged conditions greeted everyone at Snowshoe.
I had to go about a mile in to the 3rd lap before I made my way thru the pits. The pits are located in a huge paved parking lot. As I worked my way around the corners it was obvious that something was not right with the rear wheel. I was lighting it up and sliding around every corner. As I pitted my wife was ready with the MSR quick fill can and a fresh water bottle. Noel, a friend of mine, hooked me up with some fresh Scott goggles. Another friend of mine, Jim, yelled at me that I had a very bad flat and wanted to know if there was anything he could do. I told him no and off I went back in the woods. I felt like I rode smart, smooth and consistent on this lap too. I made very few mistakes and made quick work of any lappers that I came to. At the end of the 3rd lap I had extended my lead to over 7 minutes on 2nd place. With half the race down I was feeling good and was going to push to the end.
I headed out on the 4th lap and everything was going good. I took the win here last year with almost a 6 minute lead and it looked like this year would be even bigger. This would be the second time on this lap/loop and I knew where most of the problem areas were. I went to the first section of rocks and made my way thru clean. No mistakes and back out on the ski slope. I got to the second section of rocks and these were rough, a lot of sharp edges and big rocks. I worked my way thru and even passed a couple of guys and jumped back out on the grass to head up another ski slope. This is where everything went bad. When I went thru that section of rocks somehow I had broken my rear rim lock. With the tire being flat the only thing I can figure is that one of the pointed rocks was able to slam the rim lock hard enough that it was broken. This caused the tire to come loose from the rim and the rim would spin but the tire would not move. My day was over.
I worked my way down to the gravel road. I did end up riding out, but the motor would be doing about 40 mph and the tire would only do about 4. It took me more than 30 minutes to get back to the pits. Fixing it and going back out was a tough decision but there would be no gain to it. I was so mad I could have free wheeled the bike right over the mountain. I called it a day. I was scored in 5th place. We head in to the summer break now and I will be training more and have even more determination to race to the bitter end to try and win this championship.
I would like to thank BALE Rentals, CheapCycleParts.com, S & S Powersports, MSR, Scott Goggles, ProTaper, Motorex, Bridgestone, IMS, Nuetech TUbliss, Cycra, Genuine Dirt Racer and RidePG.com.
Excellent letter. Brian is currently in a battle for the championship in the Senior A class with Dr. Steve Thaxton and Danny Pressley. There are only 5 points that separate them as we head through the break.
The next letter comes from the GNCC Team Faith minister, Chuck Lemaster. Now I know his purpose at the race is to be there for anyone that wants to talk and spread the Word, but Chuck is also blessed in the fact that he gets to race and loves every minute of it. Here is his story:
Snowshoe is "America's Toughest Race" for sure! I was very fortunate coming in that I was top 5 in points and able to line up on the front row of my class (Vet B). As Buren gave the course description, I began to wonder if he was making it up...or was I in for the ride of my life?! Ricky Towery threw the green flag and I rocketed to my first holeshot of the year and was very thankful for that front row grid!
I held the lead until we neared the 1 mile marker and then Rudy Austin slithered by me. We came to the downhill that Buren said the morning guys were walking their bikes down. Fortunately I didn't see any afternoon guys doing that! But, the descent did require standing on the pegs, gripping the tank and front/rear brake modulation. There were a few guys piled up at the bottom and I started to pick my way through other classes.
We hit the 3 mile mark and it was an uphill rock garden. I've never seen a bottleneck in the afternoon class before - there were bikes everywhere! I carefully picked my way through, but because I was going so slow, it took greater energy. I was at max heart rate and only 3 miles into a 20 mile course!
I remember coming to the FIRST checkpoint and sliding out on a root, losing momentum and dog-paddling the bike through...as if I'd never ridden a bike before! I was out of breath, my goggles were fogging and I began praying, "Oh God, Creator of everything - take me now!"
We came to the 8 mile mark where the morning class piled up on a hillclimb. Sure enough - ANOTHER bottleneck for the afternoon guys. This was no joke. Buren wasn't making it up! There was a fragrant scent of burnt clutch plates in the air as I crested the top and saw my pit crew. I was 8 miles into it and already stopping for a bottle of Cytomax. I offered to let Dennis Dagostino's dad finish the race for me. He declined.
The second loop was even more fun! I came off the ski slope and went to turn into the woods. The good line had a stalled bike in it, so I charged straight up the bank and caught a tree root at the top. The coolest thing was the lady yelling at her two sons, "Pick him up, pick him up!" The three of them together had me on top of the bank in no time at all. Thank God for mud fleas!
Now my memory is fading, because it just seems it was one obstacle after another. I do remember coming to a down hill terrace area. It almost looked like a dried up waterfall. There were friendly spectators pointing good lines. I came down a 10ft drop and got off-line by a cat whisker. My front wheel dropped in a hole and I did the "over-the-bars-splatter-whack!" Thankfully, there were lots of people to see it and I did get some "oohs" and "ahhs!"
By the end of the race, I was completely wiped! I didn't have any energy left. I finished 8th in class and am happy I finished (relatively) in one piece! I'd like to thank Jesus Christ for being my Lord and Savior, Team Faith, Fly, Michelin and Pilot gas stations. See you in Unadilla!
It sure sounds like it was an experience to say the least. So with that we will kind of cap off Snowshoe and start looking forward to the future and start to daydream about Unadilla.
Till next time, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs!
That's it from us. Enjoy your weekend!
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