Jason Weigandt
by: Jason Weigandt
Friday October 29th, 2010
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Welcome to Quick Fill. Never mind the dry weather, otherwise the Ironman was great, with a huge turnout of riders and fans, plenty of folks running pink in support of the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and even some championship drama in a year where most of the GNCC class title were wrapped up early.


Photo By: Shan Moore
As always, tons of fans at the Ironman.
And we have more winners coming! Congrats to Kenneth Arnhold for winning the Can-Am Outlander that we gave away as part of the Can-Am display at the races, and our online demographic survey. We had over 1000 people drop their names into the drawing, and Kenneth, of Massachusetts, was pulled out as the winner. Congrats, Kenneth, and your Outlander is on the way!

As for the pink project, big thanks to the Indiana affiliate of the Susan G Komen foudation, and also to the FAITH Alliance for helping put the even together. But most of all, thanks to all the racers and fans who got in on the theme. Pink was everywhere! Here's a letter:

I just wanted to say thanks for all you did at the Ironman with breast cancer. I am the husband of Sasha Clements, FAITH Alliance pres., it was a great weekend for my wife and I, we have been involved in GNCC Racing off and on for about 10 years and it just gets better each year. Thanks again and keep up the good work!

For more from the Ironman, let's turn it over to our reporters, first, Shan Moore.

Thanks, Jason. I can't believe the season is done. My first full season with the GNCC was an incredible experience and I'm so grateful I had the chance to work for Racer Productions this year. I saw some fantastic racing and I made a lot of really good friends. I'm sure I made a few enemies as well. Or at least upset a few people, and if I did I'm truly sorry. There are so many great people in this sport and so many really fast and talented riders and I wish everyone could get the recognition that they deserve.  I try my best to give credit to as many as possible but sometimes I mess up and forget somebody. I think in the end, though, I think it's the respect a rider earns from his fellow racer that really matters... but it's always nice to see your name in print too.


Photo By: Shan Moore
Kailudb Russell tried the XC1 class on his 250 four stroke and grabbed the holeshot! Too bad he drowned out a few miles later.
We have a few foreign racers in our group and most of them were heading back home for the off-season, some sooner than others. Newly crowned XC1 champ Josh Strang will be waiting until after the banquet in December to head back to Australia, while Glenn Kearney and Krystle Muzevic will be going home in a couple of weeks.

Paul Whibley headed back to New Zealand this past Tuesday where he'll start his off-season. Although it's summer down there, the two main series take a summer break much like the GNCC does here, so Whibs will be doing some fun riding for a few weeks before he gets into more structured training.  "I'll ride some local cross-country and there is a smaller version of the GNCC series that I will ride a few events at," Whibley told me. "I'll get down to business in January and February, though, getting ready for the start of the series over here."

Whib's told me the GNCC series in New Zealand is similar to our series but it only draws about 100 riders total and they race for two hours instead of three. The premier series in New Zealand is a cross-country series and according to Paul it starts everyone on one row and it's mostly made up of fast grass. He said the Kiwi GNCC series is modeled after the American version and it's starting to use more wooded areas, so it's a good place for him to practice when he's down there.

Paul mentioned he'll do a bit of hunting while he is at home, as well. "We don't have too many restrictions or seasons so when I get home I can just go out and hunt when I want," said Whibs. "I just like to go out into the mountains and chill out and just walk around and relax. It's a good way to get away from the stress of racing."


Photo By: Shan Moore
Big balloons in support of, well, you know.
As far as Silly Season goes, deals were still being negotiated at the Ironman, although at least one major announcement will be made on November 1st. Thad DuVall mentioned on the podium that he had nothing in the works so far for 2011, but with the ride he turned in at Indiana it's hard to believe he's not at the top of someone's list. Also, Nate Kanney told me at the Ironman that he for sure won't be back with KTM, so it will be interesting to see where this year's Snowshoe winner ends up. Most of you have heard the rumors about where Charlie Mullins is going, and I'm not the type to publish rumors, so I won't. But I think it's fair to say that most of what was circulating in the Indiana pits had some truth to it.  I also know that Am Pro Yamaha and Suzuki were both trying to fill a seat under each of their canopies, although Whibley will be back for sure with Randy Hawkins and Strang is signed with FMF Makita Suzuki. Unfortunately, Kearney told me he probably won't be back for the entire series next year, but he did say he'll most likely come over for a few rounds.

Thanks Jason.  Wow!  What a great end to a great season of racing. Amazingly nearly every round had some sort of drama that made it an interesting weekend each round.  One can only hope that it will get better in 2011.  The nice thing about it is that the season is not officially over until the awards have all been handed out at the banquets December 10 and 11, same location as last year, Lakeview Resort in Morgantown, West Virginia. Make sure you get your reservations in and come ready to have fun.


This past weekend's Amsoil Ironman GNCC has got to be one of the biggest in history.  It seems the warm weather and dry conditions really brought out the fans and racers this year.  Each start this past weekend from the Youth ATVs on Saturday to the final bike race on Sunday saw a huge crowd of spectators all cheering on competitors in every class.  Thanks to all the Indiana race fans who made this such a special event.

Thanks also to the Shaver family and their Indiana Crew that helps make this event run so smoothly.  The new "Pink Bus" was a great addition to the shuttle fleet.  The shuttle bus carried thousands of spectators to and from the "Ironman Hill" and the new "Kenny's Hill". (Not to be confused with ATVRiders.com photographer Kenny Hill, by the way)  Kenny's Hill was more like Kenny's Wall as the riders were treated to a near-vertical climb that would save them 15 seconds or more on one section.  If you didn't make it, it could cost you even more. Thad Duvall found out the hard way losing nearly 45 seconds after an error near the top sent him sliding back down in the powdery base that formed from the extremely dry conditions.  And the really cool thing about this new Ironman obstacle is that it was just up the "holler" from Ironman Hill, so there were literally thousands of spectators gathered to watch.  This Ironman that will go down in history as one of the best ever.

Congratulations to Brian Wolf on clinching the 2010 XC2 Pro Am Championship in one of the most drama filled battles I have seen for a championship since....well, since his battle with 2009 Champ Josh Kirkland! In a nutshell; with two rounds of racing left in the season, Brian Wolf had to just basically come out and finish the last two rounds in Ohio and Indiana. Heading into Ohio he had 35 point lead over the young ATV phenomenon Walker Fowler.  Then Wolf had mechanical problems on the first lap in Ohio and and DNF'd the race scoring no points.  By the way, the same thing happened last year!


Photo By: Shan Moore
Fowler won the battle but not the war in XC2.
At Power Line Park, Fowler raced from an early 19th place to capture second in a dramatic last turn pass that brought him across the finish only .500 of a second ahead of third place Parker Jones. This put him back into title contention.

Heading into the Ironman, I spoke with Brian and he told me that he had a blast this season, and wished he and Walker could have raced a little more head to head.  It just always seemed when one was doing well the other would struggle.  But at the Ironman, he was just looking to do only what was required to win the championship.  He said if Walker has no problems and gets out front, he was just going to race to get second.  A second place would tie him in points with Walker and Brian would win the tie with the most wins during the season. And that was all be would need to be happy.

It seemed everything was going according to plan as the race unfolded. Until a problem with the chain on Wolf's ATV occurred.  Wolf dropped from 2nd to 5th with less than two laps to go.  He had to stop in the pits and do some quick work to the machine and with one lap of racing left to go it looked like Brian Wolf would see the GNCC Pro Am ATV championship slip away for a second year in a row.  What a heart breaker!  At the finish, Walker Fowler sat and waited for over four minutes before, all of a sudden ,to the roars of the crowd Wolf busted into the final sections and had moved into second place.  That was all he needed!  Brian Wolf was the new GNCC ATV XC2 Pro Am Champion, by virtue of a tie breaker. Way to go Brian! And, by the way, congrats on a great first XC2 season to Walker.


Photo By: Shan Moore
The new GNCC Champ ran some pink.
Brian said in his race report that he was looking forward to moving to XC1 Pro next year and was going to be battling for that #2 plate behind Borich. It looks like Brian may have respect for Chris Borich, but hey think about it.  Brian has beaten Chris two years in a row at Snowshoe.  What happens when Wolf lines up side by side with Chris Borich?  Could there be a new "Leader of The Pack" or will Chris Borich remain alpha dog?  Man, I can't wait until next year!  How can one not be excited considering how fired up Taylor Kiser is after chasing Borich for the last two years to no avail. Throw into that the meshing of Chris Bithell and Adam McGill on the Warnert Can Am Team, Bryan Cook and his meshing with the FRE/KTM, 9 Time GNCC Champ Bill Ballance and his possible return and the host of new faces that are moving up to the front line like Kevin Yoho and Eric Hoyland, and it's going to be good.

I am cutting my contribution to Quick Fill this week short because my nephew just walked in the door.  The special thing about this is that he is just in from Iraq where he helps the fight to keep us free. He is a Staff Sergeant in the Army soon to be a Lieutenant.  So out of that respect for him and all the servicemen and woman I am going to spend time with him. I will leave you today with a few reminders and pick things up next week.

Please keep praying for Josh Kirkland and his family as Josh continues to fight a seemingly more and more difficult battle of recovery.  You can keep up with Josh's progress and post any words of encouragement for him and the family at Caring Bridge.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshkirkland11


Photo By: Shan Moore
Pink backgrounds were everywhere, as demonstrated by Chris Bach.
If you are looking for something fun to do the weekend of November 14 and 15 and you are anywhere near southeastern Ohio, check out the fun of the 25th Annual Team Harescramble Championship of the World.  This is a weekend of fun for the entire family with night-time activities and a wiener roast and more. Plus, team up with someone and take home some bragging rights.  The admission is economically priced at $10.00 for the weekend including Corn Hole Tournaments, Father/Son team race and more. Check out Action Sport Racing for more details.

And lastly, if you want to see some great photos of the ATV racing this weekend, check out Amy McConnell's photos and rider race reports on Quad Zone.  I suggest making sure you check the last pages where both Walker Fowler and Brian Wolf give you each of their perspectives of the race and what it all meant to each of them.  Also there is a classic photo of Wolf and Fowler with a split #1 plate showing the sportsmanship and the camaraderie of these two soon to be ATV stars. CLICK HERE.

Till next week, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.

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