Snowshoe, W.Va. (June 26, 2011) -- The GEICO/American Honda/ JG Off Road team took on the most challenging race of the 13-circuit Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series, the Motosport.com Snowshoe GNCC this weekend, and pulled away with some exciting finishes.
Almost stealing the show was the team's visiting rider- Rory Mead- who almost grabbed the overall win in the Pro Race. XC2's Scott Watkins took a strong 5th, and XC1 rider Jimmy Jarrett returned to the ranks with a solid finish in the XC1 class.
The morning race saw Womens rider Ashley Crouch take fourth, moving her to second in the point standings, and team co-owner JT Bennett took fourth in the Sportsman class.
"We'd like to thank Racer Productions and Snowshoe for putting on a wonderful event," Bennett said. "The track was beautiful, and a lot like the old harescramble tracks, which made for some great racing. All of our guys had a nice showing."
The race, held at the scenic Snowshoe Mountain Resort in Snowshoe, W.Va., was unseasonably cold, and chilling rain soaked the already technical track. But team loves a challenge- especially if it's a sloppy one. Bennett was in the mix early on in the morning race, but bottlenecks on the second lap would slow the front pack down. The steep hills of the West Virginia track were also a challenge, as Bennett pushed his way through to a solid fourth place finish.
Meanwhile, Crouch got a fast start, and headed into the woods behind KTM's Maria Forsberg and Mandi Mastin. As Forsberg and Mastin forged ahead, Crouch settled into a battle with Hannah Otto and then Nina Cobb. Crouch went down on the final leg of the last lap, letting Cobb go by and settled for fourth for the day. Crouch moves up to second in the point standings after today's finish.
"It's probably one of the hardest races I've ever done," Crouch said. "I'm excited to still be in the running in the points after today."
"For the conditions, Ashley had a great ride and she really persevered out there," Bennett said. "It's always great to see her have a good ride."
Mead shone today in his second GNCC race ever- taking the overall lead throughout the majority of the afternoon race. While Mead was not the physical leader on the track, with time adjustments, he was the overall leader until around the two-lap board came out, and battled with Josh Strang, Charlie Mullins and Nathan Kanney. But by the fourth lap, Mead began to lose his steam and as Strang, Kanney and Mullins pulled past, Mead decided to play it safe and settle into a slower pace, finishing fourth in the XC1 class and 5th overall for the day.
"It was tough," Mead said. "It was definitely one of the hardest races I've ever done. I was trying to find my way through the mud, bogs and trees. I didn't think it was going to be that hard. As the track started getting bad, and the leaders pulled away, I was getting tired, and I didn't wanted to do anything silly."
"Rory surprised us all," Bennett said. "We couldn't be more happy with his ride. To run that race so strong, to get fourth was just excellent."
After a five week absence after breaking his collarbone, Jarrett returned to the XC1 ranks in the afternoon and settled into an easy pace, as he tested out his recently healed injury. Jarrett spent the day riding close with Watkins, and finished the race in 11th in the XC1 class.
"Everything went really good today," Jarrett said."Anytime anyone caught me, I let him go. I had a nice easy day. I'm happy to be back."
"Jimmy got released this week from his injury after some good x-rays came back," Bennett said. "It was really good to see him ride to the checkers."
Watkins took the first lap and a half of his race to get his timing on the slick rocks and roots, and settled early on into a battle with Morgan Moss that would last most of the day until Moss had a mechanical issue. From there, Watkins gained ground to move from 7th into 5th for the finish.
"It was rocky, and wet and slick," Watkins said. "But once I got the hang of it, I was alright. The bike was really good like always. I've had really good luck with it all year."
The GEICO rig also got it's share of the limelight- as it acted as the backdrop and staging area for the sound for the race.
"Again, we'd like to thank Racer Productions and Snowshoe for all of their hospitality and letting us be a part of the event," Bennett said. "It's our pleasure to help them out, and we'd like to give them special thanks for allowing us to do that."
Jarrett and Watkins would like to thank team sponsors: JG Offroad, GEICO, American Honda, Kenda, Silkolene, EBC, Tsubaki, Ride PG, Rekluse, Moose, Cycra, Arai, FMF, G2, IMS, BRP, Renthal, Works Connection, Factory Connection, Smith Optics, and Sidi.
Watkins would like to thank his additional sponsors: Parts Unlimited, and ProMoto Billet.Jarrett would also like to thank individual sponsors No Toil, CV4, and Outerwears.
Crouch would like to thank sponsors: JG Offroad, GEICO, American Honda, Kenda, Silkolene, EBC, Tsubaki, Ride PG, Rekluse, Moose, Cycra, Scott, Tucker Rocky, Ogio, PMP, Spruill Honda, and Factory Connection.
XC1 Top 10
- Josh Strang (SUZ)
- Nathan Kanney (KTM)
- Charlie Mullins (KTM)
- Rory Mead (HON)
- Paul Whibley (YAM)
- Kailub Russell (KTM)
- Nick Fahringer (HSB)
- Cory Buttrick (KTM)
- Thad Duvall (YAM)
- Kenneth Gilbert (KTM)
XC2 Top 10
- Steward Baylor (KTM)
- Jesse Robinson (KTM)
- Andrew Delong (KTM)
- Zack Nolan (KTM)
- Scott Watkins (HON)
- Zackery Smith (KTM)
- Morgan Moss (HSQ)
- Justin Williamson (KTM)
- AJ Stewart (YAM)
- Peter Weiss (YAM)
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