Quick Fill #18: Back To Racing!

Welcome to Quick Fill.  Could it be?  Are we FINALLY going GNCC Racing this weekend?!  After what seems like an eternity off, we're finally getting back into race mode this weekend as we head to the Midwest.  I've been hearing nothing but good things about the terrain at the Indy 100 location from B Hawk and the track crew, who have been in Gosport since Monday getting everything laid out for the new course.  I talked to Barry on the phone yesterday and he said the weather called for rain every day this week but as of this afternoon they hadn't seen a drop!  So let's all do our rain dance, prayer, chant - whatever it is you do to keep the excess amounts of rain away.  Surely a little rain won't hurt anything.

As most of you know, this weekend's event is co-sanctioned with the Mid America Cross Country Series (MAXC) so if you plan on grabbing points in both series, be sure to check out the class conversion chart HERE before you head to registration so you know which classes match up, and the registration ladies will appreciate it as well.

Attention all race fans, families, friends and sponsors: if you're in the Gosport/track area tomorrow evening, forget about making dinner plans in town because the Fowler Family has been working hard all week long to put on a dinner in celebration of ATV XC2 points leader Walker Fowler's High School graduation.  Things will kick off under the big tent on Vendor's Row at 5:30 PM and food and beverages (non-alcoholic) will be served until 8:30 PM.  This is the perfect opportunity to celebrate Walker's huge accomplishment and catch up with GNCC family members after the long break.  And from what I hear, the food isn't just your average cookout grub - we're talking high quality eats from a local catering company in town.  There's really no reason why you shouldn't be there!

If you haven't read this week's Tuesday Toolbox with Ballance Racing Yamaha's main man Bill Ballance, then you probably don't know that the 9-Time GNCC Champion is slated to compete this weekend at the Indy 100 after missing out on the last two rounds in the season.  Ballance told me on Tuesday that after spending the last couple months training and riding, he finally feels like he's back to the level he needs to be to win races again.  A lethal combination of preparation, experience and determination could easily put Ballance in contention for the win this weekend but he will definitely have his hands full with teammate Taylor Kiser and of course the Warnert Racing Can-Am duo of Adam McGill and Chris Bithell, who have kept Borich honest all season long.

Another rider who seems to have a burst of confidence heading into this weekend's race is local boy Chris Bach, although seemingly for reasons other than his home state advantage.  Bach said that he's been doing a lot of testing on the Beta over the break and with a few modifications to the foreign-looking gas tank - among other slight changes - he feels like it's the best bike they've ridden so far.

I could attempt to break down the XC1 bike class but frankly; I don't think that's even possible at this point.  Mullins and Strang have become dominant forces early in the season and with only a two-point margin after a month of separation, I'm expecting these two to take it to another level this weekend.  Strang's calm and collected mentality has prevented him from overdoing it this early in the chase but the defending champ knows that it's going to take a consistent 3 hours to put together a win against Mullins this year.

AmPro Yamaha's Thad DuVall will be making his return to GNCC this weekend after an injury in North Carolina set him back a couple rounds.  After a podium in round two, Thad has definitely proven to be wild card in the mix - along with FMF KTM's Kailub Russell, who finished a season-best third at the last round and then Bach who grabbed a podium at the first round.  All three of these guys have landed impressive podiums this year but have struggled with consistency, for one reason or another, at the rest of the rounds.

Here is a note from our friend Brian Temple, who is conducting a raffle this weekend, with all proceeds going to the LiveSTRONG Cancer Foundation.

I want to thank everyone for your support.  As most of you know I race motorcycles and I use cycling for training. I have three very close friends who are Pro racers and they also use cycling for training. In the summer of '10 we were talking about something that we could do to give back and we decided that we would collect for the LiveSTRONG Cancer Foundation.  It's ironic how four racers decided to help raise money for cancer and now one of our good friends has been diagnosed with cancer. I will be making the collections that we take in "In honor of Terry".  Forms will be located at the MotoTees trailer as well as the LiveSTRONG canopy on Vendor's Row.  The cost of the raffle will be $5 and gets you two entries.  There are a lot of great items in the raffle and all proceeds go directly to LiveSTRONG Cancer Foundation, which is something that has touched so many of our lives.  I have attached the link to our team page at the LiveSTRONG website. If you could make a donation of any kind it would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks - Brian

Items to be raffled off:

• Andrew Short signed jersey from the 2010 MXdN, thanks to FLYRACING
• Trey Canard signed jersey from the 2011, thanks to FLYRACING
• Chris Bach signed jersey from the 2011 GNCC season, thanks to FLYRACING
• Charlie Mullins signed jersey
• Kurt Caselli signed jersey
• Josh Strang signed jersey
• Barry Hawk signed jersey
• Nathan Kanney signed jersey
• Team Radio Shack jersey signed by Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer...thanks to Josh Strang

And here is Shan Moore to fill us in on the GNCC Racer Hot Spots over the weekend.

Thanks, Jen. A few of our motorcycle guys saw racing action this past weekend, with former XC1 champ Paul Whibley taking the win at the Tennessee round of the OMA series ahead of Am Pro/FMF/Yamaha teammate Thad DuVall and Obermeyer/AmPro Yamaha's Jordan Ashburn. Apparently, Thad's wrist is doing fine and he's back up to speed, which is good to see. I'm sure Whibs is hoping to translate that win into a little bit of momentum this weekend at the Indy 100.  Right now it's looking like it might be kinda wet, which might work in the New Zealander's favor, especially if it's a tough race.  Another rider who likes really nasty conditions is Nate Kanney. Nate hasn't had the top finishes this year he was hoping for but now that we're starting to get out of the deep south, look for Nate Dogg to come on strong.

XC2 competitor Andrew DeLong got a big win at this weekend's AMA East Hare Scrambles Championship round in New Jersey. The Pennsylvania KTM rider beat out Shane Hufford Jr and Jerod Stoner for the win. DeLong is riding high since being selected to the Junior Trophy Team for this year's ISDE in Finland, so look for a good ride out of him at Indy, as well.

Hooper leaked the word early and now there is official conformation from Husqvarna that reigning European Cross Country champion Simo Kirssi and Husqvarna Motorcycles have jointly agreed to part ways, effective from 10 May 2011. Kirssi started the year with Fred Andrews' Team and his best finish of the year was a sixth at Steele Creek.

BTW, Cycle News has agreed to start giving us room for coverage of some of the amateur action at each of the rounds, on top of the already awesome Pro coverage they are giving us. If you haven't already checked out the new digital Cycle News and their GNCC coverage, here is a link to this week's issue with a cool profile on Jimmy Jarrett's bike. Then you can go to some of the back issues for other GNCC coverage. Jarrett's bike profile HERE.

Here's Rodney Tomblin as he attempts to switch gears to GNCC after a long weekend in Illinois at the ATV Motocross event.

Thanks Jen.  I feel that I'm not the only one thinking it's about time to get back to GNCC Racing.  It has been a long break and though some may have welcomed it, it's certainly time to get back to racing.  As we get back to GNCC Racing with the Indy 100 this weekend, there are a few of our riders that are preparing for ISDE in Finland this August.

As I read the press release for the announcement of 2011 USA ISDE Team riders a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a number of GNCC faithful are gearing up to ride for the Ole Red, White and Blue.  This will mean seeing a lot of fundraising efforts in the next couple months and I felt that now would be a good time for us as the GNCC Racing Nation to get ready to rally the troops and get behind these riders.

Actually the efforts have begun.  Nate Kanney and the WMR Race Team announced earlier this week that a Nate Kanney Collector edition 2011 ISDE Six Day "T" Shirt is now being offered online HERE.  The WMR Rider will use proceeds from the shirt sales to cover expenses of the trip.  This is a great way to show your support for Team USA and the riders who work so hard to represent our country.

Mandi Mastin, who will be representing Team USA on the Women's Team, has also spoken of a couple fundraisers a few team members are planning and one of those may be a spaghetti dinner at the Wiseco John Penton in July.  Ohio riders Cory Buttrick, Jimmy Jarrett and Mastin have a huge support out the Buckeye State so the John Penton would be a great opportunity to show them support.  I'm sure if you would like to sponsor a portion of the program, personally or through your business, you can talk to any of the Trophy Team Members and they will field all your questions and help make that happen.

A quick overview of GNCC regulars that are slated to race the 86^th annual ISDE in Finland this year includes two GNCC top guns on the World Trophy Team, both experienced in ISDE and/or W.E.C. racing.  Jimmy Jarrett on the Geico/JG Off-Road/Honda has competed on a U.S. Trophy Team six times already and is looking at his seventh appearance this year, bringing all of his past experience to the table this year.  I expect this to be Jarrett's strongest year ever.

Nathan Kanney should also be a major contender, bringing world-racing experience to the team as he spent a stint in Europe racing the World Enduro Championship a few years ago.  Though Kanney struggled while racing the series, he gained a lot of knowledge and experience racing head-to-head with a number of competitors that will be there supporting their individual countries.

The AMA Team USA Junior Trophy Team will host a number of GNCC regulars as well, all 23 years old and younger.  Team FMF/KTM rider Cory Buttrick rode last year in Mexico and though the event was probably not one of the ISDE's best, Buttrick gained a lot of experience.  Pairing that with his AMA National Enduro experience in the last year alone, Corey B. will be much more prepared this year come August.

There are two other Junior Team members that have been making some waves in GNCC Racing this year, one being Powhatan, Virginia's Brad Bakken.  Bakken has always been a blip on the radar as he worked his way through the amateur ranks in GNCC and has become a regular on or near the podium in the XC2 Pro Lites class.  Bakken currently sits in 4^th place in points in this class and with the momentum he has rolling, we should get to know him much better by the time the ISDE rolls around.

Seven points ahead of Bakken in the XC2 class in 3^rd place is Morgantown, West Virginia's Andrew Delong.  Delong is most noted for a Motosport.com Holeshot Award and podium finish.  Strong starts have translated into to strong finishes for Delong and with the solid support his program offers, we should get to know this rider a little better as well.  Be on the lookout for this kid to become a more recognizable name as the season wears on.  He has already caught some attention with the strong rides he has posted so far this season.

The AMA Team USA Women's Cup Lineup, as mentioned before, will include multi-time ISDE competitor Mandi Mastin from Whitehouse, Ohio.  The USA Women's team usually is one of the stronger teams competing and Mastin has been a big part of the team's past successes in this prestigious competition.

The U.S. ISDE team Senior Club Team will feature another GNCC fast guy - Dennis Decker from Pleasant Valley, New York, who is expected to help loft this team to the top of the ranks in 2011.  Decker has been one of the fastest GNCC Senior class riders over the years and should take his experience here and translate it strongly to the special skills tests these riders will face.  Decker is teamed up with Utah's Jake Vainio and Motorcycle Hall-of-Famer Jeff Freddette from Beecher, Illinois.  Though Freddette may not be a GNCC regular, he competes on a regular occasion and I would be looking for him to hit a GNCC or two in preparation of this year's ISDE.  Freddette has competed in ISDE competition for nearly 30 years and is an American Icon in the off road community.

So as we prepare for a historic Indy 100 GNCC this weekend, keep in mind who these riders are and get to know them on their road to representing the United States of America in a friendly world- competition that brings out the best riders in the world.  I, for one, really hope to make it to this event this year.  Even though I have never really been super excited about the ISDE, there is something special in the air about this one and I really want to be there to experience it.  Any ideas anyone on how I can get there?  I wonder if Hoop and the boys and Digitaloffroad.com want to take the GNCC Post Race Show on the road to Finland?

A few points to ponder as we finally get back to racing: Can Kailub Russell get his first win this weekend? Will CB5 (Chris Bach) be back on his game and ready to make history in front of his hometown crowd?  Will anyone stop Chris Borich on the ATV side of things this weekend?  How "P'ed Off" is Taylor Kiser and can he turn it into a win?  Where's Brian Wolf been? What about Donnie O'? Can the Can-Am's grab a win?  And what about the Women and Utility ATV races?

That it's for now, see you in Indiana!  God Bless Your Hearts and All Your Vital Organs.