Quick Fill #21: Rock Run Breakdown

Welcome to Quick Fill.  And the epic season rolls on.  We've officially made it past the "no racing slump" and the 2011 season is back on its regular track.  Last weekend's inaugural Rock Run GNCC couldn't have given us better weather conditions as far as temperature goes.  I mean sure, we could have used a little more of that R stuff - it was a bit dry in the rocky woods - but as always, be careful what you wish for because we've seen the destruction that rain is capable of committing, right?

The Rock Run Recreation Park was a beautiful facility and if you didn't get the chance to head into the trails you definitely missed out!  On Sunday, I took a crash course in "Buren Hamrick Update 101" as we chased the bike front-runners all over the 14-mile course - giving updates over the PA about every 4 or 5 miles. Not only does he give updates to Rodney and everyone else but he's basically the problem solver of the woods as well. He removes dangerous things with his machete, fixes signage, removes injured riders and anything else that helps move the race forward.  I mean anyone with a machete on their 4 wheeler is a bad dude in my book, so if you see Buren out there give him the thumbs up for making the woods go 'round.

Arguably the baddest dude of the weekend (aside from Buren), Walker Fowler turned some heads this weekend after grabbing the Overall win on Saturday.  I'm not going to get into the historical 'firsts' or any of that, Rodney will explain more later on, but what I do know, is that Walker is a great kid and I'm super pumped for him!  I don't think there's a more humble and levelheaded kid out there and Walker definitely has a big future ahead of him as an all-around person.

For anyone who thought Brian Wolf's Indy 100 win was just a fluke, you may want to reconsider after the GT Thunder rider finished third overall behind Fowler and Borich last weekend.  It seems like Wolf is starting to feel comfortable and confident on the machine and it sure shows watching him on the course.  Coming off two podium finishes in a row, Wolf has put himself in the idea mental-situation heading into Snowshoe in a couple weeks.  If Wolf grabs the Snowshoe overall again this year, we may have to rename the event after him or something!

Only 20 seconds behind Fowler's adjusted time, Chris Borich put in a hard ride as the physical leader for about the last half of the race.  Borich is focused on another championship and seems to be well on his way as he extended his lead to 28 points over Adam McGill last weekend.  McGill got off to a bad start and worked his way up to fourth behind Taylor Kiser - who put in a solid ride on the rocks.  I was chatting with Taylor after the race and he expressed that he wasn't satisfied with the third place in XC1 (fourth overall) so we can most likely expect to see some fire under the Yamaha rider come Snowshoe.

I've been especially impressed with the ladies of ATV racing as they continuously finish inside the top 5 overall in the morning race.  Traci Cecco currently leads the Women's class as well as the AM overall chase in front of the Atwell ladies.  Kristen grabbed third behind Traci and Angel was right there behind for fourth.  I'm impressed, these riders are representing for the women - you go girls! I'm pretty sure Traci gained a new fan last weekend after attending the Cernic's Dealer Signing on Friday night and giving a young man her signed Fly Racing jersey.  He later won tickets to watch her race on Saturday and needless to say he was super excited. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that she's an attractive woman AND she dominates on an ATV (ha).

On that note, I want to extend a HUGE thanks to all the riders and fans who attended the Cernic's Dealer Signing last Friday. Charlie Mullins, Kailub Russell, Cory Buttrick, Chris Borich, Josh Strang, Rodney Smith, Johnny Gallagher and Traci Cecco - you guys are AWESOME. We had a great time and the Cernic's crew was absolutely amazing to work with.  If you're in the PA area and need anything for a bike or ATV, go see Gary and the fellas over there - they will surely take care of you.

On the bike side of things, Strang is back to defending his championship after a self-proclaimed off weekend for Mullins.  According to the FMF KTM rider, "things just weren't going his way".  Mullins made a mistake in the mud early on and never fully recovered to where he wanted to be.  Luckily for him, there are still eight races left and many more opportunities to gain the points lead once again.  If we're lucky, the points lead will remain up in the air as the racing gets more intense and more unpredictable.

Whibley is sitting 20 points back from Strang but if Rock Run was any indication on how Whibley can ride in the rocks, we may see a big push from him at Snowshoe and the newly added Somerset round.  This is interesting though, because according to Whibs, he strongly dislikes the rocky terrain but had been preparing for it the entire week leading up to Rock Run, like many others.  You can read a little about his take on the race in this week's Tuesday Toolbox with Paul Whibley.

Factory Husaberg's Mike Lafferty turned many heads this weekend after putting in a fourth place finish and running third for a good amount of the race.  Lafferty made the rocky woods look simple, holding strong in front of Russell, Bach and Kanney.  DuVall was heading the trio until he put a hole in his water pump - ultimately ending his day.  The AmPro rider has had an unlucky season so far this year, but once again, with eight rounds left in the series there's more than enough time to turn things around.

We just got a note this morning from our good friend Masami with the JNCC Series (GNCC's sister series) in Japan.  The JNCC held their first race back on May 15 after the devastating earthquake/tsunami that hit Japan this year. Masami says that Japan is still suffering from the destruction and the situation of the nuclear plant but they are finally able to move forward and continue to develop Japan's cross country and motorcycle market.  Kudos to the awesome stuff those guys have been doing with their cross-country series in Japan and we are thankful for the great friendships we have acquired over the years.  Check out this cool video from the JNCC and we'll continue to keep everyone in Japan in our thoughts and prayers.

If you haven't reserved your spot for GNCC University at Snowshoe Mountain Resort this year - it's not too late! Click HERE to read more information on this year's GNCC U with an all-star lineup of Yamaha Racing champions on both ATVs and Bikes.  To make a reservation and accommodations, please call Snowshoe at (877) 441-4386.

Here's Shan Moore with a weekend-breakdown.

Thanks, Jen. Wow, what a weekend for Walker Fowler! The recent high school grad scored a gigantic win at Rock Run. Only a handful of riders have scored the overall win as an XC2 rider, and Walker did just that. You can't say you didn't see it coming, though. The Yamaha rider has been almost perfect this year and in this case he might have caught the Pros playing games out front as he laid down some fast laps catching up. Once he latched onto the guys up front, their fates were set. All Walker had to do was stay on pace with the leaders and he was pretty much guaranteed the win. I think it'll be interesting to see if he can do it again. You can bet the Pros will be keeping an eye to the rear and thinking about a faster pace from the get-go. Congratulations, Walker. You've got 'em worried.

Kudos to Paul Whibley for a very impressive ride in difficult conditions this weekend. I didn't talk to a single pro that didn't have concerns about the fast course at Rock Run. Add in the fact that Whibs hates riding rocks and you have to admire the way the Axman hung it out. He told me that where he grew up they didn't have rocky areas to ride, so he's never been comfortable in that type of terrain. Well, I don't anyone else was either. You have to think that Whibs will be a favorite at Snowshoe.

Josh Strang had problems with his brakes late in the race, but he told me that he spent a lot of time at Shane Nalley's place working on set-up for the rocks. After the race he said the bike was working great and that it felt like they had the linkage and suspension dialed perfectly for the terrain. He said the bike felt like it did in 2009 when he rode Sommerset and Snowshoe (rocks) and he was pleased. Josh mentioned that the Rock Run was good practice for Snowshoe, so we might see another Whibley/Strang battle in West Virginia at the end of the month.

The XC2 race was a fun race to watch. Steward Baylor Jr. came from way back to catch the lead pack and then he and Jesse Robinson had an epic battle for the lead once Stu caught up. I think it all boiled down to line selection, in the end, and it sounds like Stu might have slipped by Jesse on a line he had been saving back for the last lap. That's good stuff right there.

BTW, Cycle News gave us five pages on the Rock Run GNCC plus a two-page spread photo of Michael Lafferty during the race. There is also a full page on the amateur competition at the race. Check it out at http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20110601#pg77

Here's Hot Rodney as he journeys to the sandy beaches of Millville, Minnesota.  And by beaches I mean whoop-sections.

Thanks Jen.  This week I head to Millville Minnesota for the 7th Round of the AMA ATV National MX Championship presented by DWT at the famous Spring Creek Motocross Park and as I do I still am reeling from the amazing racing that took place this past weekend at the Rock Run GNCC.

On the ATV side of things it was a rather historical day for the recent high school graduate Walker Fowler.  Fowler took his Ballance Racing/Moto-Xperts/ Yamaha to the over-all win.  This is a first in a traditional GNCC start from the young XC2 Pro-Am class.  Now I do realize that Brian Wolf won the last two years from the XC2 Pro Am Class at Snow Shoe GNCCs, however that is not a traditional GNCC start so Fowler can claim these honors.  Also it is not the first time that someone won an ATV GNCC race from the second row but it is a first for XC2 Pro Am.  Back around the turn of the century some 10 or so years ago the great Chad Duvall (Bad Thad's Dad) won from the second row on the early production based ATVs at the Spartan GNCC in Sparta Kentucky.

In a nutshell Duvall who was one of the top pros of the era was afforded the opportunity to ride one of the first Yamaha YZ based production ATVs when they first were introduced to the market.  At the time the ATV racing world was dominated by the old 250R based machines that were very expensive to build and maintain.  So in an effort to help pave the way for a more affordable ATV and to give the manufacturers a platform to showcase the new machines, GNCC/Racer Productions created a class called the Pro Production Class that started on row 2 similar to the XC2 Pro Am.  This was actually something that Big Dave Coombs had set into motion in the middle 1990s with the manufacturers in an effort to help build ATV racing to a popularity never known before.  To do this he had to have a platform and both the GNCC and ATV MX were two viable avenues that made the dream a reality.

It was not long after Chad Duvall's historic win that people started putting faith in the new machines and eventually the 250R based machines were a thing of the past as new rules were implemented and a whole new era of GNCC Racing was born.  Over the next few years GNCC Racing saw ATV Racing explode as machines became affordable and more people were riding ATVs.  Nearly anyone that owns an ATV can find a class to race and had it not been for guys like Duvall who took the chance and rode the early production based machines, ATVing in general may not be what it is today.  Chad Duvall is a true GNCC Pioneer and one of the great GNCCer's of all time.  You can find Chad still at the races either helping out on Saturdays at the ITP Factory Support Trailer or at the AM Pro Yamaha pits on Sunday helping his son Thad Duvall in the XC1 Pro Bike Class.

As far as this past weekend, the rocky conditions of the course may have lent itself to helping Fowler get into a position take the over-all race win as the XC1 Pro Class riders really never separated much over the course of the race which gave him a chance to catch up quick and just hang back and ride with the lead pack.  Regardless it was no easy feat to accomplish and to Walker's favor the next race is a rocky based course and he took 3rd over-all there last year.  So in reality it will be no surprise to see Fowler win again this season.  Snow Shoe is not only rocky but mountainous and TheMotoSport.com Snow Shoe GNCC is started in the Old Black Water 100 style on the street in 5 second increments which creates a different element and better opportunity for win by Fowler or anyone for that matter to occur.

One may have expected to see the kind of racing on Sunday with the bikes that we saw on Saturday with the ATVs, but it could have not been more different.  As competitive as the racing was, the XC1 Pro Class never really saw a whole lot of tight racing.  Whibley pretty much got out front and left everyone to fight for second.  I am not sure if the extended break of about 7 weeks had some off their game a little or what but the rumors I heard was that Paul Whibley has been pounding the rocks for weeks in preparation for Rock Run and The MotoSport.com Snow Shoe GNCCs.  Axe Man could be tough to beat in West Virginia.

The saving grace in Sunday's racing action from a race fans standpoint came in the battle for the XC2 Pro Lites Class win.  Ride PG/Maxxis/Moose Racing's Jesse Robinson who had not even finished a race since Round 2 in Georgia at the Maxxis General GNCC came into the race with nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Robinson who is highly acquainted with rocky and mountainous terrain battled with class point's leader Steward Baylor that lasted right down to the final turns of a 3 hour dog fight that left both riders excited to head to Snow Shoe.  Remember these guys may have an advantage on the start grid in West Virginia and Jesse took 2nd over-all last year finishing only 27 seconds behind Nate Kanney after adjusted time.  Baylor has also been consistent this season and he has shown a lot of maturity in his sophomore year as an XC2 Pro-Lites rider.

Another element besides the start of the race may be that F.A.R. Husqvarna's Jason Thomas could be healthy by The Motosport.com Snow Shoe GNCC.  Thomas had actually been injured racing the weekend before coming to Rock Run and tried his hardest to hold and finish to salvage what points he can.  You know Thomas is just waiting to seize the opportunity to get back in the points hunt and maybe even lead and who knows what could happen with a long season ahead.

This may be the most competitive Snow Shoe GNCC to date and who knows who may show up.  It is not out of the realm of possibility to see a returning champion or two that may show up to try and steal the glory of the win of the newly crowned "America's Toughest Race."

Don't forget the 9th Annual Golf Tournament coming up Friday before The Snow Shoe.  If you want information about the tournament, just look on the GNCCRacing.com Homepage and while there you can also find out about GNCC University at Snow Shoe Campus headed up by all your Factory Yamaha riders for both ATV and Motorcycles.

That's it for now.  We have about three weeks till The Snow Shoe now and there will be a lot of things amateur and youth to talk about as we approach that time.

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