AmPro Yamaha Race Report
Race: GNCC Round 8
Location: Snowshoe, WV
Riders: Jason Raines Jordan Ashburn Jordan Milbauer Paul Whibley Thad Duvall
THANK YOU:
Every year, Yamaha Motor Corporation partners with the fine folks at Racer Productions to host the GNCC University Program. The program is an all-day riding clinic, taught by Yamaha's fastest racers. This year, students of all ages came out to participate as the AmPro Team broke them up into small groups, to work on different aspects of racing and riding.
Yamaha Motor Corporation and the AmPro Race Team would like to thank everyone who was involved in putting this year's program together. As you can see in the photo below, the 2011 GNCC University was a total success!
Race Report:
The Snowshoe GNCC is known as one of the toughest races in North America. It's fast, it's rocky, and it's extremely demanding on the racers and their equipment!
AmPro Yamaha's Jason Raines started off the morning right with a dominating win in the Sportsman A Class. The third row start wouldn't hinder Raines one bit, as the Yamaha YZ250 two-stroke quickly made its way to front of the pack. Once in the lead, the 6 Time National Hare Scramble Champion never looked back and took the win as well as the overall in the morning race.
"I love this race," says Raines. "It's always so much fun to come up here! At first, I was a little concerned about my starting position but by the 3rd mile I had caught the pack and made my move for the lead. From there, it was smooth sailing. The Yamaha YZ250 worked flawlessly all morning. It's light, it's nimble, and it's absolutely the perfect bike for a course like this. It was just a great weekend all around. The GNCC University was honestly the highlight for me. I love teaching and watching people improve their skills on a dirt bike. Getting the win was a just a bonus! I'd like to thank Yamaha first and foremost. If you can't tell, I love the YZ250! I'd also like to thank Rekluse Clutches; the Core EXP Clutch is one of the best products I have ever used. I'd also like to thank all of the students who came out to the GNCC University. I had a great weekend and I can't wait to come back next year!
Obermeyer / AmPro Yamaha Women's rider Jordan Milbauer had a new pony in her stable on Sunday morning, a shiny new 2011 Yamaha YZ125. Milbauer rocketed the buck and quarter into second place right off the gate and stayed there until getting caught in nasty bottle neck on lap two. By the time the carnage had cleared out on the hill, Jordan had a lot of time to make up. She put her head down and focused on the task at hand. Unfortunately, the time deficit was too large and Jordan finished the race in 7th place.
"I think I need just a little more time on the bike," says Milbauer. "It's so much fun to ride and I want to thank Keith Obermeyer for getting it all set up. With a little more seat time, I should be able to get on the box for the team. That's my main goal right now... to get a win!"
Unfortunately, the afternoon race wouldn't be very successful for the AmPro Yamaha Race Team. Bad luck seemed to be a theme throughout the day, as the rocks and roots took their toll on the bikes and the riders.
AmPro Yamaha's Paul Whibley started the race out strong; leading almost the entire first lap, until a derailed chain forced him into the pits for repairs. This would be the first of many issues that seemed to plague Whibley throughout the day. Considering the seemingly endless series of unfortunate events, Whibs never stopped pushing and was happy to end the day with a 5th Place finish.
"You know... days like this happen to everybody and today was my day," says Whibley. "I had a great start and felt awesome. Even after losing the chain the first time I went back out and caught up to the leaders, then I lost the chain again, then I crashed really hard on the second loop. The day held a lot of challenges and I just tried to keep composure. I knew that the other riders were going to have the same issues and I just needed to keep riding. I'm pretty happy to finish in 5th considering how the day played
out. Thanks to Randy, Scotty, Katherine, and the rest of team for getting me in and out of the pits so quickly, the crew worked hard to keep me out there racing!"
AmPro's Thad Duvall would also get to feel the wrath of the Snowshoe course. After battling for the lead for almost two hours, a derailed chain would cause an unrecoverable pit stop that landed him a 9th Place finish.
"I was pretty disappointed today," says Duvall. "This is my home race and I really wanted to get on the box. Everything was going awesome until about half way through the second hour. From there I lost my chain twice and I couldn't make the time back up. The Yamaha YZ450F worked great all day and I'd like to thank Randy and team for all the help. Bad luck is just part of racing and all I can do is be ready for the next race!"
Obermeyer / AmPro Yamaha XC2 Rider Jordan Ashburn was also riding a great race until a sharp stick punctured his radiator hose, causing a small unnoticeable leak which eventually lead to motor locking up and shutting down.
"I guess the bad luck didn't skip me either," says Ashburn. "I was having a blast riding with Thad and Whibs up in the front. We were pushing each other so hard that I didn't even notice the bike was losing coolant. By the time I figured out something wasn't right, it was too late and the bike shut down on me. The funny thing is, I was as far from the pits as I could possibly be... that's just the way it goes sometimes. I'd like to thank Keith Obermeyer and the rest of the AmPro Race Team. The Yamaha YZ250F is set up so perfect and I love riding it."
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