Quick Fill #13: Information Overload

Welcome to Quick Fill.   After experiencing what was by far the most exciting weekend of GNCC Racing in my entire three months here, I'm finally ready to move forward to this weekend's Pirelli Big Buck.  I know what you're thinking, it's probably because the weather is looking to be nearly 40 degrees warmer this weekend, which is completely valid; but mostly it's because I have no idea what to expect in terms of racing action in any of the classes.

I wasn't around for last year's season and obviously I didn't witness the years prior but after looking through past results and talking around, it truly sounds like we're going to see an epic season all around in GNCC.  If you follow moto at all then you would probably agree that there must be something in the air this year as the AMA Supercross season is on fire as well and there's really nothing more exciting than a tight-knit championship chase, right?

Unless the chase involves red and blue police lights and a past champion. Err...ok that's a little washed up by now and probably not relevant to the weekend but twistedly exciting nonetheless.

Anyway, in case you missed them, here are the ATV Roundup and Bike Roundup releases heading into this weekend's race.

We got word from the AmPro guys last night that WORCS racer Kyle Summers will fill in for the injured Thad Duvall this weekend in South Carolina.  Summers is doing some testing this week with the team and will be ready to go on the YZ450F by the weekend.  Check out the PR on AmPro's newest addition.  Thad said he'll be in South Carolina this weekend to support his teammates and seems to be in good spirits despite not being able to ride with them.

If you wear Leatt products, listen up.  A 2011 contingency form is now available for eligible classes.  This year Leatt is paying out to Bike XC1, Bike XC2, Bike Women, and ATV XC1 classes.  For payout information, please check out GNCCRacing.com. So here's what you do next: Come to registration and pick up a form.  Once you fill the form out, you'll need to take your brace with you through tech in order to get the form signed/verified and then either leave it with registration or send to Leatt.  You'll need to take your brace through tech every round to get verification. And If you're not in a cash-eligible class, do not fret.  Leatt is also offering discounts to the top three in all other classes, nice!

Lastly, if you're a UTV competitor, please be sure to check out the Competition Bulletin that was issued earlier this week concerning machine eligibility.  The Polaris RZR-S is now eligible in the Open Limited class rather than the Open Modified class.  UTV racing continues this weekend at Big Buck so don't forget to check those guys and gals out! Maxxis Tires' very own Heather Avery will be making her 2011 debut in the UTV class so be sure to cheer her on while she bangs bumpers with the guys!

I'm out of here, I have yet to pack for the weekend and Rita's RV is rolling out in just a few hours..yikes.  See you all at the Big Buck! :)

Here's Shan Moore with word on a few of the riders.

Thanks, Jen. I got a note from Lance Martin saying that Jase had a nasty practice crash Saturday morning practicing at Little Egypt Off Road Recreation Area in Southern Illinois. He ended up with a ruptured spleen, which was removed eight hours later. According to Lance, Jase is bummed about missing South Carolina this coming weekend but is shooting for Loretta's. Lance added that, so far recovering is going well.

Another rider on the mend is Cory Buttrick. He told me after last week's national enduro in Texas that he had spent a couple of days in the hospital on IVs just a few days before the race. Amazingly, C-Butt finished on the podium at that race, which is something I'm still amazed at since it was almost 100 degrees out there and even the guys that weren't sick were having trouble dealing with the heat. I'm not real sure exactly why Cory was in the hospital, he didn't go into it, but I hope he's at full strength this weekend because it's looking to be a great race.

Speaking of the Texas enduro, Charlie Mullins won that race, taking the lead in the fifth section after early leader Michael Lafferty dropped out with ignition problems. Perhaps that's a bit of restitution after he lost the Steele Creek race in the last turn. The story not to be overlooked is that Charlie is putting himself in position to win these races and in the long run and that's what it's going to take to with a title.

I got a note from Chris Bach saying he's ready to go this weekend. It's been a rough few weeks for Chris, crashing in Georgia and then a disappointing finish in North Carolina. Chris said he's finally been able to get back to training properly and has put in much needed seat time to prepare for this weekend's race. I have no doubts the Beta man can get back to where he was at the Florida race.

Thanks, Shan.  I'm always rooting for a fellow Midwesterner so I'm ready to see CB5 get that Beta back to the front! Here's Rodney Tomblin to rounds things out before we head to South Carolina.

Thanks Jen.  Have you looked at the weather forecast for this weekend?  It looks like it is going to be a warm one for sure.  With highs in the 80s and lows around 60, it looks like a great weekend to kick off the 15^th Annual Pirelli Big Buck GNCC.  I am certain Henry Turner and all of Union County is geared up and rolling out the red carpet for the "GNCC Racin' Nation" in anticipation of the Big Show at the Big Buck.  And a huge thanks to one of the Racer TV videographers, Jared Bolton for some pretty interesting stats and information heading into this monumental weekend.  Bolt-On, as he is referred to, compiled a list of "Fun Facts" about this weekend's Big Buck GNCC.

Past Winners:

Chris Borich has won a grand total of 4 times in 6 years.  There will be only two XC1 bike riders racing this weekend who have previously won Big Buck and that's Josh Strang and Mike Lafferty.  If Josh Strang wins this weekend that will be three in a row at the Big Buck which would tie the record held by Scott Summers. (Reminds me of Steele Creek!)

The name Big Buck came when the landowner's son was asked what to name it. He mentioned to Buren that he was an avid hunter and was still looking to bag that "big" buck. The rest is history...

The first Big Buck GNCC race was held in 1997 and this will mark the 15^th year of the race. So basically, there's some pretty cool stuff about this race!

Jared also has a couple of paragraphs about this area of South Carolina and it's relation to the off-road world in his latest "Chicken and Waffles", talk about randomness!  Chicken and Waffles is a great name for a really cool article and once you have read it you will know what I mean.  Jared also works with and contributes video and stories on OffRoadJunkie.com.  Seems like this guy is tangled up with off-road racing and his sense of humor is classic, no doubt.

Breaking down the weekend and it looks like another heated battle begins in the Youth ATV races at 8:00 Saturday morning.  Hunter Hart is seemingly unstoppable but according to the word down the pike, competition will soon be heating up even more. The class battles are interesting to watch as well as the overall, so if you're around make sure to pay attention, you may be impressed with the competitiveness of these young boys and girls.  And speaking of girls, watch and see if we can witness a top 5 overall this weekend.

The 10:00 Amateur ATV race is also going to be exciting. One has to think that there is no way that the 4x4 classes will still be battling for the over-all or will they?  Can Clifton Beasley continue his streak of class wins and make 24?  Beasley has 46 class wins since 2007 and may hit the half-century mark before the break if all goes well.  Not too bad for an insurance selling, real estate agent, car wash owning farmer from Tennessee, huh?  At least he's not a used car salesman! (Sorry Buren)

As far as the Women's Class in concerned, it should be another shoot out there. It's still anyone's championship and any one of these ladies could win.  As far as points are concerned in this class, it is former champ Angel Atwell and 7-time champ Traci Cecco in a tie with the points lead.  Lexie Coulter is only 1 point back in third and each of those ladies have one win each in the first 3 rounds of the season.  Then there is defending champion Kristen Atwell who is another 7 points back.  K. Atwell is due for a win this weekend.  She should have the nerves of defending the championship shaken off and should now and be angry enough to get back in the fight.  This should be another epic class to watch.

The afternoon ATV race will be another explosive battle.  McGill got the last win and Borich will be steaming to get back to winning. However, Chris Bithell has got to be brewing one up as well.  He has been the point man at Can-Am since they started the off-road team and he was the first to win on the machine. To have the thunder stolen by his teammate you would think he is fired up even more now to get some more wins for the team.  Both of these boys will be flanked by Yamaha's Taylor Kiser who is also itching to win at this point. Kiser has been putting in solid rides this season but they are not the rides he expects or wants.  He wants wins and now that Super "B" Chris Borich's armor has been chinked, he is ready to move in for the kill.  This weekend's XC1 Pro ATV should be as I stated earlier, "explosive".

In XC2 Pro Am racing Taylor Kiser's Yamaha teammate Walker Fowler has put in three stellar performances in the first three rounds of racing.  Fowler is a near 4.0 student and is a Salutatorian of his graduating class this spring.  So Fowler is not only fast, he is smart.  Walker is s true role model for any kid.

You can't knock the impressive rides that Gabe Phillips has been laying down either.  Phillips has two 2^nd place finishes to start the season, but a 16^th place keeps him out of control of second place points.  As is sits now Gabe is tied in points with DeRisi Racing's "Hurricane" Eric Hoyland who finished with two 3^rd place finishes and an 8^th.  Another rider is tied with Hoyland and Phillips with 55 points also and that is Aarol Bright.  Bright has had some impressive rides this year so far and is adapting to the second row quite nicely. Consistency could be key to being in it for the long haul in this Class.

UTV racing returns and the questions surrounding these races are:  How strong is the Can Am Commander going to be?  I know driving and working with them on the GNCC crew it should prove to be a solid machine and one that is hard to beat.  William Yokely and Scott Kiger have teamed up with National Guard, Polaris and Coastal Drilling to bring one of the nation's most lethal Side-by-Side team.  I would say that the GNCC UTV racing is only just the beginning for this team.  UTV racing gets underway at around 4:30 on Saturday afternoon.

Sunday will bring another hot day of racing.  Forecasts are calling for breezy conditions and temperatures in the upper 80s as I checked the forecast this morning.  So the key to these two days of racing will be hydration as much as anything.  This goes for racers and fans.

Youth racing kicks off at 8:00 am and again the racing will be heated and a perfect way to kick off Sunday racing.  Austin Lee, Levi Keller, Ryan Slopko, Mack Jones and Mike Meresca will battle for the lead and overall in the Youth Division.  As of now Lee has two wins to start the season and is expected to be one of the ones to beat for the Youth overall Championship.

In the 10:00 am race Sunday all eyes will be watching the Sportsman riders as the Big Buck seems to always bring out some familiar faces to come and ride and have a good time.  It always translates into a great race here at the Big Buck and I guess that is part of the tradition here.

As far as the afternoon is concerned, what is left to say here?  It is on all the way around.  Mullins will be tough to beat after Steele Creek and Strang is comfortable and hard to beat in South Carolina as he looks for another win and a little more control of the points lead.  The "Axe-Man" Paul Whibley will be ready to roll after missing the podium last race.

What about Kailub Russell?  He has had bike problems, been ill and finally finished in North Carolina with a strong 4^th.  Is this the weekend for Russell?  I know I am beating a familiar drum here but after the remarkable rides he put in from the second row the last two years, one has to wonder if he can make this his first win.  Strange things happen at Big Buck too so this could be a big weekend for the rookie.

The XC2 Pro Lites Class is another great series shaping up. First take Jesses Robinson who got the new life breathed back in his racing in 2010 with the move to XC2 and has been a threat since.  Jesse has won this year and had three good races, although the results don't show in North Carolina after fixing some issues with the bike Robinson rode hard to hold onto 14^th in the class and score valuable championship points that could be huge at the end of the season the way this one is looking.

Steward Baylor is a young unpredictable that took a horrible day in North Carolina and salvaged a solid top 5 after a win to start the season. This youngster is probably the fastest out of all the XC2 Pro Lites riders but sometimes runs into trouble - which could cost him big. He is maturing and that could spell trouble in the future, especially if it happens sooner than later.

And of course you cannot count out the speed, consistency, maturity and all around desire of the veteran of the XC2 Pro Lites Class Jason Thomas.  Thomas has a lot on his side for this championship and barring no big problems is the obvious one to beat.  That may be his biggest obstacle, because he and everyone knows this and if he gets into trouble late in the race that may echo through his mind and may force him to push a little too hard.  However, that is where maturity comes into play and these next few rounds should answer these questions.

All I can say is that this is going to be "epic"!

Till next time God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.