Quick Fill #14: Pirelli Big Buck

Welcome to Quick Fill. We're now four rounds deep into an exciting season of GNCC Racing.  What's next?  Well, that's an answer we don't exactly have.  But we can provide you with a little insight on what's been happening up to this point.

Last weekend's Pirelli Big Buck GNCC made an all-star comeback as far as weather goes, and I think it's safe to say that Henry Turner and his crew provided a first class event for everyone to enjoy.  I mean, the food alone was enough to keep me coming back.  If you didn't get the chance to indulge in a corn dog or chicken strips from England's Pit Stop then you missed out for sure.  But in all seriousness, Henry Turner puts in a lot of work year-round to ensure the GNCC family is taken care of and welcomed into the community.  Hats off to Henry, Hank and everyone else in the Big Buck crew, you guys rock!

Once again, great racing for both the bikes and ATVs.  Borich took his third win of the season in SC but we can't forget about Can-Am's Adam McGill who is always right there to capitalize on the reigning champ's mistakes. Mullins is the first to take a second win on the bike side, but Strang is working hard to match that.  The addition of Kailub Russell to the podium last weekend is a pretty bold statement that the rookie is here to stay.  It seems like the bad luck is wearing away and KR557 is starting to put the pieces together. Check out Kailub's sick GoPro footage from Big Buck, courtesy of digitaloffroad.com. And while you're at it, check out the ATV and Bike GNCC Video Reports from Hoop Daddy and the Racer TV crew.

KTM had a strong weekend, taking four of the top five positions with Mullins, Russell, Buttrick and Bobbitt putting in solid rides. Leaving Suzuki's Josh Strang to defend not only his championship, but his bike brand too!  Strang made his way through the sea of orange and after pulling the fastest lap of the day on #6; he finished only 15 seconds behind the leader.  I can only imagine what kind of dejavu Mullins was feeling at the end of that race as he also cranked out his fastest time on the last lap to lock in his win and renew the points lead. I'm still impressed that these guys can push that hard after three hours of racing!

Attention all GNCC riders and fans: Please take a second to LIKE Grand National Cross Country Series on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @GNCCRacing.  We are really vamping up our Social Media this year and we want to give all you riders some lovin! Our Pro teams are stepping up this year and giving lots of free stuff to give away so don't miss out on your chance to win a jersey or product from your favorite pro!

We're now headed into a two-week break from GNCC Racing.  We at Racer Productions will be busy with the Steel City MX Area Qualifier and AMA ATV Motocross Championship Series at Budds Creek this weekend.  I am going to get back to riding after a 4-month hiatus so let's hope Quick Fill doesn't come to you live from the emergency room next week, just kidding Tim Cotter.

That's all from me.  Here's Shan Moore.

For those of you wondering who was riding the #394 Am Pro Yamaha it was WORCS racer Kyle Summers who was filling in for Thad DuVall. Kyle was making his first GNCC start and he finished an admirable 11^th for his first real woods race. He told me before the race that he grew up in Colorado and he had done his share of woods riding, but I all the while I was thinking "Colorado woods" and "eastern woods" aren't quite the same thing. Sure enough, after the race Kyle told me the Big Buck was "way tighter" than he had imagined. But he also added that he really wanted to come back for more races... cool! Kyle got off to a pretty good start, but he got stuck in one of the big mud holes and lost a lot of time.

The end of the Big Buck was kind of looking like Steele Creek all over again for Charlie Mullins. He had led pretty much all of the race except for a lap that Kailub Russell led and then with two laps to go Josh Strang started making a move, just like he did in North Carolina. Charlie told me he was not about to repeat the same mistake and was keeping tabs on the #1 Suzuki. I think Josh pulled to within 30 seconds heading into the last lap, but Charlie was able to keep about a 15 second cushion to the finish. He did have a scare near the end of the lap when he got really sideways when he hit a rock and he said he thought Barry Hawk caught it on his helmet cam so it will be cool to see that on one of Hoop's videos.

Steward Baylor and Jordan Ashburn had an incredible battle in the XC2 class at the Big Buck. The two riders were really going at it on the final lap, passing back and forth for the lead. These two guys have really stepped it up in the absence of last year's dominant rider Kailub Russell. That class has been very entertaining this year, and it's because of all the young talent we have coming up.

Before the Big Buck I attended the Jason Raines Riding University to shoot photos for Dirt Rider associate editor Chris Green, who was doing a story on the school and on the GNCC series. I was amazed at all the riding and instruction that Jason crams into his three-day program. He really works his students hard and they are better riders for it. I'm stoked that Dirt Rider is doing a feature on Jason's school and on the GNCC, because it is getting the word out to everyone what an awesome series we have.

So far, I think we've been hitting the weather pretty good. We haven't had any really nasty events, so I'm hoping that trend holds for Loretta Lynn's.

And now to Rodney Tomblin.

Thanks Jen.  Where to begin?  Four rounds in and I think Jason Hooper from Racer TV/www.DigitalOffroad.com summed it up best in the post-race report when he said; "This could quite possibly be the best GNCC season yet."  Now whether or not that is completely true or not is left up to debate, but for sure it is shaping up to be one that will rank up there if it doesn't top them.

It is truly hard to tell how this season is going to go.  Looking at the XC1 and XC2 classes the cream has risen to the top but there seems to be more than one flavor.  In XC1 ATV Chris Borich is the obvious dominator but there is something happening there and the guys really seem to be tightening things up a bit.  Adam "Kurt" McGill is rolling strong as his teammate the #4 of Chris Bithell who has been as solid and consistent this year as they come.  What about Taylor Kiser?  Yeah what about him?  Though he hasn't made a lot of noise I have to believe he is about to bust some pretty amazing rides out soon.  Borich is still "The Man" and is going to be next to impossible to stop but anything is possible and he is creating some monsters he may have to deal with just like Bill Ballance and "The Great" Barry Hawk before him created.  He should know well, he is one of those monsters.

As far as XC2 Pro Am ATV racing there are echoes of XC1 domination ring here but unfortunately for this class no one seems to have anything for Walker Fowler.  However in a continuing effort to counteract Fowlers domination of that class a few new heroes are beginning to rise.  One in particular in, Gabe Phillips has put together an amazing run at making this happen.  Phillips has finished a consistent 2^nd 3 out of 4 races and is showing promise of getting closer to his goal each week.  Eric Hoyland is also pretty determined but his bad luck this year has hampered any speed he has so far shown unless you pay attention to his progress through the race.  The rider on the move in this class and the one to watch is Tire Balls "LP" Little Pat McGuire.  McGuire finished a career best 4^th in the XC2 class at the Big Buck.

In amateur ATV racing action it all kicks off with the Youth Race.  The racing action in this division is actually worth getting up or to the track a little early.  It seems like nearly every kid that lines up is not only looking for a class win but an overall.  It has made for some exciting races as well. Hunter Hart has for the most part slid the win in overall every round except Big Buck.  There he came up a hair short but pushing with everything he had till the end.  In watching that finish I saw why this kid has excelled.  It is pure desire to win.

One of the other classes to watch in this division is going to be the 90 Mod 12-15 if for no other reasons than to watch the battle between Charlie Welch and this week's Tuesday Toolbox subject Zach Jones as well as Westley Wolf who has had some bad luck in keeping his machine running this year.  Then there is Hunter Grimes and Zach Webb in this class that have each busted out some top 3 class finishes.  I look for these kids to all be swapping podiums all year long.

The Girls 8-15 Class has also seen some intense racing action.  Kira Campbell sits atop the points standings right now.  Campbell has won the last two rounds, which have helped elevate her in points; however we have seen two other young ladies that are also capable of winning.  Gabby Espinoza won the opener in Florida and has finished 3^rd at the last two rounds.  Then there is Alyssa Oplinger who won Georgia and finished 2^nd the last two rounds who is also a constant threat to win.  These ladies not only run strong in their class but also in the overall and it will not be long before we see them on the youth podium like Jesi Stracham and Cheyenne Shadron did a few years ago.

The 10:00 am race is still as exciting as it was the first round in Florida.  Master 50+ rider is proving to be the fastest overall in the morning but the 4x4 Open class has elevated the excitement in the morning race to a new level with the intensity of those battles in that class.  Zack Zakowski is one of the strongest starters I have seen in a while but has not been able to put it together there.  The obstacles that he has faced though include Rick Cecco and Bryan Buckhannon who each have two wins and Daryl Rath who has been positioning himself since round 1.  It is amazing how the Utility ATVs rarely hit the podium for the overall but this year there has been in at least one  each round.

The Women Class has literally just exploded with the level of competition. Defending Champion Kristen Atwell is beside herself right now with the way things have been finishing.  Sitting only 8 point out of the lead right now she feels like she is miles away from a second championship as 2 former champs and Can Am's Lexie Coulter stand in her way.  Kristen has gotten some great starts and finally seen things going a little more her way with a 2^nd place finish at the Big Buck.  Right now there are only 15 points separating the top 7 in that class.

That is it in a nutshell for me right now as far as ATV racing is concerned.  There is more but we have three weeks till the next race so I will save some.  As far as bikes go there is some excitement brewing there that we will touch on next week in the amateur ranks.

I would like to say thanks to Jared Bolton for his help this past weekend helping Hannah Reid and myself with some announcing.  Jared will become a little more active in this department in the future and I am looking forward to working with him in the future.

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