KEYSTONE OFFROAD RACING TEAM: TITAN GNCC RACE REPORT
Round 11 of the Can-Am GNCC series took place in the country music capital of America, just north of Nashville, Tennessee. Keystone Offroad Racing Team made the twelve hour drive south in search of better results after mechanical issues plagued the crew two weeks prior at Unadilla. The track received some much needed heavy rainstorms in the early evening on Friday which helped contain most of the dust throughout the weekend. On Sunday morning, the conditions were absolutely perfect for racing. The field sections were somewhat dry, but the woods retained a good portion of Friday's rain and each rider of the team was anxious to take on the trails.
Keystone's Women racer, LeeAnn Bange, was first to take on the rolling Tennessee hills in the 10 o'clock morning race. When the green flag waved, LeeAnn once again found herself kicking the bike several times before firing. Despite a poor start, LeeAnn worked her way past six riders on the first lap to hold down the fifth place position. After passing so many riders on her first lap, LeeAnn was able to make better line choices the second time around, resulting in a much quicker pace. In doing so, she passed another competitor and found herself on the back tire of the third place rider. On the third lap, LeeAnn made a stop for gas and goggles, then mounted a charge to takeover second place. The first three laps of the race were intense; at any given point LeeAnn had a rider within 5 seconds of her. Unfortunately, on her final lap she had a collision with a lapped rider, knocking her back (no pun intended) to fourth. "I was going up a hill and the next thing I know, another rider was coming head on at me." LeeAnn was putting in her best ride of the season up until the collision. With two rounds remaining in the series, LeeAnn sits tied for third in points.
At one o'clock, afternoon racers Jedediah Haines, Ian Pannebakker, and Zack Smith geared up and took their places on the starting line. After a quick track description, the ten second call was given to the XC-1 pro class. Jed struggled to get his bike started and much like LeeAnn, found himself at a disadvantage from the get-go. During the early half of the first lap, Jed proved his riding potential and caught the top ten in his class. Jed began his second lap in 11th position and felt comfortable with the pace of the front runners. He made several mistakes on the rock littered trails which cost him two positions, but was still able to maintain sight of both riders. On the third lap disaster struck when Jed hit a log. "I clipped a log that wasn't on the trail the previous lap and cart wheeled down a hill," he explained with frustration. The crash twisted the front end on his bike, loosened the front brake cable and put Jed in pain. After the crash Jed pulled into the pits in an attempt to fix the bike and get back on the course. However, Jed realized he was too sore and decided to pull off before hurting himself or someone else.
Keystone Offroad Racing's, Four Stroke A-Lites Rider, Ian Pannebakker got off to another good start, nearly grabbing the holeshot until wheel spin forced him wide while exiting the corner. Entering the first section of woods, Ian found himself swapping positions continuously with two other riders. The course layout allowed for multiple track lines which made passing opportunities abundant. While closely following fourth place on lap two, Ian made a mistake on a tight section of the course when his front end washed out on tree roots. He remounted his bike and finished out the lap in fifth. On lap four, Ian made a brief stop in the pits for goggles, gas and a suspension adjustment to compensate for the tougher conditions. As the race wore on, the track became extremely rough and finding smooth lines proved to be a difficult task. At the conclusion of three hours and fourteen minutes of racing, Ian finished a solid fifth place. After reviewing lap times, Ian wants to focus on maintaining consistent speed throughout the race and avoid losing sight of the class front runners. After round eleven, Ian maintains his fifth place in points and sits five points down from fourth.
250A rider, Zack Smith, made a great comeback in Tennessee after suffering clutch problems two weeks ago at Unadilla. Although Zack did not get the best of starts, by the second corner he worked his way into the mid-pack. Both the dust and chaos of the first lap made passing difficult for Zack after heading into the woods. Upon the completion of lap one, Zack was riding in seventh position, nowhere close to the result he was in need of. For the next couple of laps, Zack rode as he always does, smooth and consistent. Despite making a pit stop on lap four, Zack put on a charge to log his fastest lap of the race and move into the number one position. Unfortunately, Zack had a small get off on lap five, ending his rhythmic riding pace at the front. Zack dropped to third place which is where he stayed until the checkers. "The track was fast and sketchy, but thankfully I only crashed once. I had a lot of fun riding up front and hopefully next time I can stay there until the finish." Zack sits third in 250A season points, just two points behind second. With two rounds remaining the battle in series standings will surely be a close.
Keystone Offroad Racing Team will make the journey to St. Clairsville, Ohio in less than two weeks for the penultimate round of the Can-Am GNCC series. The point's race in each of the four rider's respective classes is close and should make for an interesting end to a great season. Keystone Offroad Racing Team would like to thank everyone for their continuing support. If you have not already, check out this great video of the team put together by Offroad Junkies: http://www.offroadjunkies.com/2010/09/22/introduction-to-the-keystone-off-road-racing-team/
Results:
Jedediah Haines (XC1)- Class: 16/18 Overall: 165/209 Season Point Standing: 13th
LeeAnn Bange (Women)- Class: 4/11 Overall: 52/296 Season Point Standing: T 3rd
Ian Pannebakker (4 Stroke A Lites)- Class: 5/11 Overall: 38/209 Season Point Standing: 5th
Zackery Smith (250 A)- Class: 3/15 Overall: 26/209 Season Point Standing: 3rd
Written By: Ian Pannebakker
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