Quick Fill #21: Summer is Near

Welcome to Quick Fill.  I think it's safe to say that summer has finally arrived in most parts of the country by now - and boy is it hot!  The Racer Productions office is gearing up for the 35^th Annual Rockstar Energy Highpoint Motocross National this weekend so you can bet things are hectic here in Morgantown.  There have been a couple of GNCC Racer names floating through the office as possible Outdoor MX competitors, so stay tuned to see which of our off-road favorites hits the moto-turf this summer.

We're just two weeks away from the MotoSport.com Snowshoe GNCC and I am especially excited for this one considering I've never gotten to experience Snowshoe Mountain.  From what I hear, the mountain is beautiful and the racing has proved to be some of the toughest on the circuit, so I can't wait! Don't forget to sign up for GNCC University if you haven't already.  Yamaha has once again provided their most talented off-road racers on both ATV and bikes, in order to teach riders of all ages and skill levels the ins and outs of cross-country racing. To reserve your spot, please call Snowshoe at (877) 441-4386.

The Weege sent over an article last night from Motorcycle-USA.com - JC Hilderbrand did a really nice feature on team owner Randy Hawkins.  It shows the at-home aspect of Randy's very accomplished life and also took an inside look at AmPro Yamaha's training compound.  It's a great article, if you want to check it out click HERE.

Youth riders listen up! Our friends at KTM have been planning some fun promotional stuff and this year at the Snowshoe GNCC, KTM will hand out a hat to every youth GNCC rider that lands on the podium and FMF will donate a gift certificate, a wash plug and a sticker sheet to the top three in all 8 mini classes.  That's pretty cool, so look for that in a couple weeks at Snowshoe.

We heard from the Ballance Racing camp this week about some cool stuff they've got going on in regards to riding schools.  Here's what they had to say:

Here at Ballance Racing, we are getting ready for our first riding school for 2011 on June 18th and 19th at our race facility in Oakland, Ky. Things are really starting to come together as our sponsors are really getting behind us. There will be giveaways from Yamaha, Maxxis, FMF, and several of our other sponsors, with a grand prize of a Yamaha generator. They've also donated several gear bags as well. So not only will you get to learn from top pro's like Bill Ballance, Taylor Kiser, Thomas Brown, and Walker Fowler, but you just might take home some cool prizes! Send us an email at ballanceracing@hotmail.com and we will send you an enrollment form to fill out. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Here is Jason "Hoop Daddy" Hooper with the RacerTV info.

If you missed the Steele Creek GNCC shows that aired on VERSUS, no need to worry, they're now up online in their entirety on www.racertvonline.com! The Steele Creek bike show shows one of the greatest finishes I've ever witnessed between Charlie Mullins and Josh Strang. We all know how it ends, with Mullins washing out his front wheel in the last turn, but the final miles of the race are about as intense a battle as you can have in GNCC racing. If the finish doesn't get your heart rate up, you must be dead!

In other TV news, the Big Buck GNCC bike race airs this Sunday at 5:30PM EST on VERSUS. We'll have the Big Buck ATV race up on racertvonline.com on Monday, with the bike race from Big Buck online the following Monday as well so check those out!

Thanks, Hoop. Now we'll pass things along to Shan Moore.

Thanks, Jen. For sure, the XC1 championship chase is starting to get exciting. Midway into the season we have Josh Strang and Charlie Mullins going back and forth at the top of the standings, while Paul Whibley starts to make his move from third. When Whibs is on he's pretty hard to beat and for sure he was on at Rock Run. He also said Rock Run was good practice for Snowshoe, so look for the Axman to have a good day in West Virginia.

You can't forget last year's Snowshoe winner, Nate Kanney, who is over due to finally break out and challenge for a win.  Nate comes from rock country and does well in that kind of stuff. He also likes the tough events, so can we expect another great ride from Nate Dogg? Perhaps.

I expect the ATV race at Snowshoe to be a good one, as well. I'm sure everyone wants to see how the XC1 class reacts to Walker Fowler's win at Rock Run. Will the pace up front be faster from the get-go, or will it matter? Can Walker get the win no matter what pace they run from the front row? He's been having great races all year and history has shown that an XC2 rider can get the win on the long course at Snowshoe. So look for the XC1 leaders to be checking their pit boards to keep an eye on the youngster.

I'm sure Chris Borich would like to get a win at Snowshoe after narrowly losing out to Brian Wolf during last year's race. And what about Wolf? The rookie XC1 rider got the win at the inaugural Indy 100 this year and has a winning streak going at Snowshoe. It's all good stuff to speculate about, so I guess we'll see who's come to race in about a week and a half. I, for one, am looking forward to going back to Snowshoe Mountain Resort, perhaps the most beautiful venue on the GNCC circuit. I like the photo opportunities there, which is how I usually judge a venue. However, Snowshoe Mountain Resort is also a cool place. It's for sure, not your average race venue.

This past weekend was the Perry Mountain 24-Hour Challenge and a good photographer friend of mine named Kenny King covered the event. He said that Mike Brown was an animal as usual and carried a big part of the load for the winning FMF/KTM/Cycle Specialty team. He also said that Kailub Russell, Cory Buttrick, Stu Baylor and Brad Bakken were on it, as well. Russell Bobbitt was also on the team and Kenny said he looked like he was going good, but he's still struggling with his wrist after fracturing a bone in it a few weeks back.

On a side note, John Dowd was on the team that finished second at the 24-hour race, Quality Time KTM. At around 45 years of age, the Junk Yard Dog is a real inspiration!  A couple of years ago (2009, I think), I watched Dowd finished third overall in the 450 class at Southwick. It was raining and muddy and in the second moto, Dowd found himself in second place and the crowd was going nuts! They were hanging over the fences waving him on, and you could see John was responding to the crowd. It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. It was a totally awesome experience.

And last, but certainly not least - here is Hot Rodney.

Thanks Jen.  I know it is not officially summer-time yet but for all of us complaining how summer needed to get here quick have certainly gotten our wish.  And it heats up just in time for the High Point AMA Motocross National this weekend.  I know it's not GNCC but it's racing that will pacify me till the MotoSport.com Snow Shoe GNCC.  The schedule and postponements have made for a season that seems to go on forever; at least that is what it feels like between races these days.   So this could be one of the longest bench-racing seasons in GNCC ever.

One thing the motorcycle and ATV racers should be thankful for is the fact that they do not have to wait till July to go racing again like the UTV racers do.  I realize that this year the UTVs have kind of been slighted the exposure with all the craziness and as Jared Bolton would say "Awesomeness" that has been taking place in the other races that it has left little time to talk a whole lot about.  So with the wait upon us I thought that I would reflect on how things have been going  for a select group of guys that have embraced this new form of racing with a passion that is "What GNCC Racing is all about."

The first UTV race was held only a few years ago in the cornfields of the Indiana at the Ironman GNCC Finale in 2007. It was indeed a unique event.  The course offered a shortened version of what is expected in a normal GNCC.  The biggest obstacle was the size of the machines.  The GNCC Trail Crew worked around that and in an effort to see what the racers and machines were capable of threw a little bit of everything they could in an effort to make it challenging, interesting and exciting.  It did just that and a new sport was born.

In 2008 there were 4 races added to the GNCC schedule and each year some have been added.  The sport is actually becoming extremely popular and will be featured in Racer TV on Versus Network here in the 2011 season.  This is some major stepping stones for such a young sport but could be one of the fastest rising motorsports in history.  The companies that produce these machines are more than support of the industry and don't be surprised to see UTV Racing become a fairly popular sport.   This is a sport that not only is fun to participate in but also fun to watch.  The first shows will not air till January 2012 on the Racer TV schedule but it will be well worth the wait.

The nice thing about UTV racing is that it is age indifferent.  A 60 year old man can be as competitive as a 18 year old and maybe even more so.  It is a sport that is challenging from racing standards but one that nearly anyone can relate with and one that I feel series founder  Big Dave Coombs would be at the forefront of if he were still around.

New and old stars are emerging is this young sport and it is only just beginning.  Teams like the National Guard/Factory Polaris team of William Yokely who found a new life in a fading ATV racing career.  Only a few years ago William would race his ATV only itching to get to the starting line for his new love of side-by-side racing.  William took his marketing talents as an ATV Professional and translated that to the UTV side and is obviously the sport's first big star.

While William revived his racing career, others began one.  A number of competitors have had some interest in GNCC whether it is racing or wrenching or whatever, but some never graced the gates of a GNCC and may have never heard of it till they read about it in one of the new trade magazines or websites that are popping up dedicated to this passion.

Names like Scott Kiger and Coastal Drilling have become regulars mentioned at a GNCC.  Kiger and Yokely were and are huge competitors but have teamed forces and are quickly becoming a nationally recognized team that will forever be known as pioneers of the sport.

Guys like "Bucky" Gardener and his father will have place to bond and do something they would never have been able to do and be competitive.  The Gardeners who hail Clayton North Carolina from took the over-all at the last round at the Rock Run GNCC and I don't think these two will share many memories as exciting as that.

Then there are the Hendershot Team of Larry and Larry.  This is another father-son team that finished on the podium at Rock Run.  The Hendershots out of Marrietta, Ohio run Hendershot ATV and sponsor a number of amateur ATV riders.  The Father-Son duo also leads the point's standings in the Premier Open Modified Class.  Not bad for a couple of "Good Ole Boys".

And what about the legends like Daryl Rath of the famous Rath Racing out of Hutchinson Minnesota.  Daryl not only races but he also uses these races to build newer and stronger parts to withstand the rigger of a GNCC UTV Trail.  Others do as well the Kustom Krawlers team out of Comminsky Indiana do the same.

Another amazing aspect of this sport is that there are also husband-wife teams that race.  One notable couple that has been seen on occasion competing together is Tim and Julie Farr of Farr Off-Road/KTM.  Tim and his wife have had some exciting times and competed for the win on more than one occasion.  And yes there are teams of wives driving and the husbands navigating.  And if any do not know and are taking credit for the wins, let me tell you that the driver doesn't hear you and doesn't care what you have to say.  You are in their world so just hold on and enjoy the ride.  And don't under any circumstances take credit for how well you guys do.  The flip side is that you do not have to shoulder the blame if things go aria.

The practicality of the UTV as a recreational or work vehicle has caught the eye of the manufactures.  Polaris, Yamaha and Kawasaki who have been at the forefront of the industry have seen recent competition in the new Can Am Commander.  These new machines flooded the scene about a year ago and with good reason.  They are certainly one tough machine.  I have personally worked and played on the Commander and I can say it is the most versatile that I have had the pleasure of using.  Knowing how much fun they are to drive and knowing first had at least as a passenger what it is like to race a UTV, it is no surprise that this sport could be the next big thing in motorsports.

Speaking of big things, I am off to High Point.  Till next time, God Bless Your Hearts and All Your Vital Organs.