After a two month hiatus from the Can-Am GNCC circuit due to inclement weather, the team was more than looking forward to making its return to racing at the inaugural Rock Run venue. Despite rainy conditions throughout most of the week, the rocky and mountainous landscape of Pennsylvania's countryside made for ideal racing conditions on Sunday. Much like any other offroad race in Pennsylvania rocks are an expected obstacle, and the fourteen mile Rock Run course without a doubt lived up to its name. After making several suspension and tire adjustments, the Keystone Offroad Racing Team was ready to tackle the rocky terrain.
The first member of the team to race, Women's class rider LeeAnn Bange, took her position on the starting line at ten o'clock. The starting line and first couple of corners were unlike any other race this season, as it was a combination of tall grass mixed with softball-sized rocks. When the green flag was thrown, LeeAnn's Yamaha fired on the first kick and she took off towards the first corner. She nearly grabbed the early lead until one of the many loose rocks threw her off balance going into the second turn. Luckily, she was still able to hold on for a top three position going into the first section of woods. After just over thirty minutes into the two hour race, LeeAnn completed her first lap in a comfortable third. She was able to separate herself from fourth place by over a minute, allowing her to focus on catching second place and ride her own pace. Although the track was rocky, conditions were not nearly as technical as what was expected. Regardless, LeeAnn was able to adapt her riding style to the track layout and close within one second of the rider in front of her. Almost immediately after starting lap three, LeeAnn was able to make an easy pass for second when her competitor made a pit stop. LeeAnn rode smooth throughout her third lap, logging her fastest time of the race in an attempt to distance herself from the competition. Unfortunately, on the fourth and final lap of racing, LeeAnn made her pit stop, allowing the other rider to retaliate and pass her back. LeeAnn was unable to close the time deficit, but finished the race an incredible third in class and seventh overall. "I'm happy with a third, but I know what I need to work on for Snowshoe in three weeks," remarked LeeAnn at the finish. Her hard fought efforts in the heat and humidity moved her forward in season points to second place.
Shortly after noon, Keystone Offroad Racing's other three members geared up and prepared to tackle the three hour event. In the XC1 Pro division, Jed Haines found his position on the uphill start on the inside. His decision to start on the inside paid off and when the green flag was flown he grabbed the holeshot along with $250. Unfortunately, his lead was short lived when he overshot the second corner and dropped back to a position just inside the top ten. Throughout the early portion of the first lap, Jed did not feel comfortable with the pace and feared pushing too hard would lead to a disastrous crash. Convincing himself to back off the pace was not an easy choice, but to ride above his own ability was a risk that jeopardized his chances of finishing. Jed finished his first lap in twelfth position, just over thirty seconds outside of running in the top ten. On his second lap, Jed settled into a groove and was able to log his fastest lap of the race. Despite posting a fast time, he dropped to thirteenth towards the end of the lap. Three laps into racing Jed made his first stop in the pits for fuel, goggles, and water before finishing out the lap. Unlike most other GNCC courses, the track conditions at the Rock Run steadily improved as the race wore on and more lines developed. Lap four was rather uneventful and Jed maintained his composure going into lap five where his consistency finally paid off. In one lap he was able to move up two positions and capture eleventh place. Jed maintained his position until the checkers, completing his first race of the year without bad luck plaguing his result.
In the XC2 Pro Lites class, Keystone Offroad Racing's Zack Smith was looking forward to racing in the more familiar rocky terrain of Pennsylvania. As a technical rider, Zack has always been a strong competitor when the courses are slower and terrain more treacherous. With a ten second call and drop of the green flag, Zack fired his KTM two-stroke and charged into the first corner. He tip-toed around the first several corners where loose boulders made it feel like one was riding on marbles. The first mile of the course was fast but the layout of the trail made passing difficult for Zack. Rather than force the issue, Zack played it consistent and let the race come to him. He finished the first lap in fourteenth and continued riding his own race into the second loop of racing. Towards the end of lap two, Zack made a stop at the Keystone pits to fill up with gas and then quickly resumed his lap. On lap three, Zack began moving forward and closed to within twelve seconds of the thirteenth place rider. He was able to make a pass stick on lap four, which then fueled his motivation to push the envelope and catch another rider. Five laps into racing, while navigating through lapped traffic in one of the slower, more technical rock sections, a rider took Zack down, halting his push towards the front. The unforgiving rocks had no sympathy for Zack's collision and he spent the rest of the lap regaining his composure in fifteenth place. The final lap only presented Zack with more issues when a small mistake on a hillside sent him over the edge, literally. After bobbling on a section of wet rocks, he dropped off the side of the main trail, virtually eliminating any chance of moving forward in the pack. Following a fifteen minute struggle dragging his KTM up the hill, Zack was able to finish out the race in fifteenth position. His determination to finish the race even after late race issues, allows him to maintain a tenth place standing in points.
The final rider to tackle the rocky trails of Patton, Pennsylvania was Keystone Offroad's, Four Stroke A Lites rider Ian Pannebakker. Off the line, Ian's bike did not fire until the second kick, but he still managed a decent jump off the line. Surprisingly, even after kicking the bike twice, Ian rounded the first several corners in second place. Prior to entering the woods, a rock littered straight caused Ian's bike to swap, forcing him to back off and settle for third. His first lap was flawless and he maintained a steady, relaxed pace to avoid arm pump. The easy pace created a time deficit between him and second place, but two and a half hours of racing still remained, leaving plenty of time to make passes. The Rock Run terrain catered to Ian's riding style in several different ways due to the unique combination of technical rock gardens and wide open field sections. Towards the end of lap two Ian was forced to make an early stop for fuel, as his bike lacks an oversized tank. During lap three he made a bobble in a slippery rock section, dropping his bike and damaging the foot peg. Despite the incident, Ian was able to log the fastest third lap in the class. Lap four was Ian's second and final pit stop of the race for fuel. At this point, the gap between him and second place was almost two minutes. However, Ian's smooth riding early in the race allowed him enough energy to push hard when the two-lap-card was given. In one lap, Ian made up over a minute of time on second place to close within forty seconds of the rider. On the sixth and final lap, despite having ridden for three hours, he pushed his riding pace to the limit, catching and passing his competitor for second place. Eighty-four rocky miles later, Ian crossed the finish line in a healthy second place and twenty ninth overall.
The inaugural Rock Run GNCC arguably marked one of Keystone Offroad Racing Team's most successful weekends. Although XC2 rider Zack Smith had an unfortunate run-in with a lapper, he never gave up and pushed himself to the end. In the morning race, Women's rider LeeAnn Bange rode another smooth race on the familiar rocky Pennsylvania terrain to finish third. XC1 Pro rider Jed Haines, nailed the $250 Motosport.com holeshot for the first time this season and finished the race strong just outside of the top 10. Ian Pannebakker rode one of his better races thus far in the season, putting in a late race charge to overcome a large time deficit and finish second. The Can-Am GNCC tour takes a three week break before heading to the rolling ski slopes of Snowshoe, WV on June 27th.
Pennsylvania Results:
Jedediah Haines (XC1 Pro)- Class: 11/15 Overall: 27/222 Season Point Standing: 15th
LeeAnn Bange (Women)- Class: 3/15 Overall: 7/244 Season Point Standing: 2nd
Ian Pannebakker (4 Stroke A Lites)- Class: 2/11 Overall: 29/222 Season Point Standing: 4th
Zackery Smith (XC2 Pro Lites)- Class: 15/19 Overall: 42/222 Season Point Standing: 10th
Keystone Offroad Racing would like to thank all of its sponsors helping make the 2011 season possible: Ridersville Cycle, Toy Tech Cycles, One Industries, Dirt Tricks Sprockets, FMF, Rekluse, All Balls Racing, Utopia, Ride PG, Raines Racing, Visual Impact Group, Leatt Brace, and Digitaloffroad.com.
Written By: Ian Pannebakker
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