KEYSTONE OFFROAD RACING TEAM: JOHN PENTON GNCC RACE REPORT
A short two weeks after racing in West Virginia, the Keystone Offroad Racing Team once again loaded its trailers and set out for round nine of the Can-Am GNCC series in Millfield, Ohio. Notorious for being one of the muddier courses on the circuit, upon arriving at the track late Saturday afternoon the team was surprised to see unusually dry conditions. The track received rain several days prior, leaving the woods greasy in some spots while hard-pack and dry in the open, sun exposed field portions. Satisfied with their setup, the team returned to the hotel for food and much needed rest before a full day of racing. Returning to the track early Sunday morning, it was obvious this was going to be one of the hottest races of the year. Temperatures were already in the 80's and forecasted to reach the mid nineties coupled with an oppressive humidity level.
The first rider to tackle Sunday Creek raceway was Keystone's Womens rider, LeeAnn Bange. Off the start LeeAnn's bike fired the first kick and she charged uphill towards the first corner. Weaving her way through a series of chicane's on the motocross track, the track immediately opened up to a long straightaway atop a hillside. She was quick to make several passes on this straight away and immediately moved herself into a second place position. The first few miles consisted of a moist and loamy dirt that any off road rider would appreciate, however it was fast and allowed for no breaks. Once arriving at the first mud hole, LeeAnn took an alternate line that ended up being longer than the others. In the process, she dropped a few positions, but still maintained a top five position at the completion of lap one. On her second lap, LeeAnn made several uncharacteristic mistakes, which caused her to lose touch with the lead pack and consume all of the water in her camelback. Three laps into the two hour event, LeeAnn made a brief stop for much needed cold water and fresh goggles before navigating the motocross track and heading back into the woods. At this point in the race many riders were showing signs of fatigue and fitness levels of each rider were becoming evident. The course continued deteriorating, developing ruts with hard edges out of many corners, further wearing down LeeAnn. Unfazed, she rode through her heat induced fatigue and was able to capture the fourth place position. After receiving the two-lap-board, LeeAnn rode the remainder of the race smart as usual, picking smooth lines and avoiding the chaos of mud holes. She finished the race fourth in class and an incredible eighth overall. LeeAnn's finish moved her up one position in season points to fourth.
At one o'clock, the summer heat and humidity of south central Ohio was in full swing for Keystone Offroad Racing Team's afternoon riders. Jed Haines, Ian Pannebakker, and Zack Smith lined up on their respective classes amidst over two hundred of America's best offroad riders. In the XC1 class, Jed Haines had a day he would rather not remember. While warming his bike up only one minute before the green flag was to be flown, his Kawasaki 450 seized to run, throwing out the transmission and thus ending his race before it even started. Since he did not officially start the race, he returned to the trailers and grabbed Zack's practice bike in an attempt to salvage at least some points. After making one lap on Zack's tired practice bike, he again experienced bike troubles when the top end in the two-stroke expired. Although it was a bad day for Jed, he remains optimistic and is looking forward to competing in the prestigious Loretta Lynn National in a few weeks.
Zack Smith had tenth pick for a starting spot on the highly competitive XC2 Pro Lites line, from which he chose to start in the middle. When the green flag was given, Zack's KTM 250 came to life on the first kick and charged towards the initial hairpin turn. Rounding the first corner, Zack found himself sitting comfortably inside the top ten before dropping back several positions while working through short sections of trail separated by fast grass fields. Those sections of the course exposed to the sun were extremely dry and dusty; being the smart rider he is, Zack decided to back off the pace slightly as to not injure himself or bike early in the race. Despite slowing his pace, Zack kept in touch with a large group of riders in his class so as to remain competitive. The first lap was unusually short for a GNCC race and featured nothing technical other than a few uphills and mudholes. Starting his second lap, Zack was running back in fourteenth position, however, only seconds separated him and a host of riders just ahead. Lap two was almost an entirely different course. Miles of fresh single-track style trail was added to the courser, slowing lap times and adding a bit of technicality to the race. As a specialist of technical trails, Zack really enjoyed racing through woods marked with nothing more than arrows on trees. Unfortunately he was unable make up any ground on his competitors and maintained his position in fourteenth. After pitting for gas and water early on lap three Zack started feeling the effects of the intense Ohio heat. As stomach cramps set in, it became continuously difficult for Zack to focus and ride to his full potential. The pain set him back one position to fifteenth. Regardless of the cramps, Zack pushed himself even on a course that was growing increasingly rough with each passing rider. With two laps to go Zack gave it everything he had to salvage as many championship points possible. He passed two riders on lap four which put him in the best position he had been all race. With the onset of heat exhaustion for many riders, Zack struggled to maintain a clear and focused mindset on the final lap. Stomach pain and heat exhaustion coupled with a course that was now extremely choppy pushed his body to the extreme limits. Upon crossing the finish line, Zack finished a hard-earned twelfth place, enough for him to maintain tenth in season standings.
The final rider to launch off the uphill starting line of Sunday Creek Raceway was Keystone Offroad's, Four Stroke A-Lites rider, Ian Pannebakker. At the ten second call and wave of the green flag, Ian kicked his bike and maintained good clutch control to keep his front end on the ground. Around the first corner he ripped his third holeshot of the season, grabbing the early lead. The first several miles of course played in favor to Ian's riding style. The trail was fast and littered with ruts throughout the moist, loamy terrain. For a majority of the first lap Ian rode smooth, but much like Zack, the onset of stomach cramps added another obstacle to his race. Within a time frame of ten minutes, Ian got sick three times and dropped the bike twice, consuming loads of energy. Despite the issues Ian finished out the abbreviated first lap in third place, only eight seconds behind the rider ahead. Strangely, almost immediately after Ian began his second lap, the stomach pains disappeared and he began looking ahead. The second lap saw a host of course changes when riders were diverted through miles of virgin single track. Although Ian enjoys the faster trails, he's always been successful when the trees close in on the trail and as a result, quickly made the pass for second. After checking in at the finish line for the start of lap three, Ian worked his way through the motocross track and then made a stop at the Keystone pits for water, gas and goggles. He returned to racing action and rode at a comfortable pace with which allowed him to tolerate the heat. Unfortunately, Ian could not withstand the charge of another rider in his class and dropped back one position to third. As the three hour event progressed, track conditions became rougher, yet somewhat easier. Portions of wooded sections that were greasy towards the beginning of the race developed ruts later in the race, providing riders with more traction. Ultimately, it wasn't the track that wore Ian out, rather the pure intensity of the summer afternoon heat. After exactly three hours of racing, Ian crossed the finish line exhausted, but in a satisfactory top three position.
With round nine of the Grand National Cross Country series in the books, the Keystone Offroad Racing Team is now on summer break until early September. The John Penton GNCC once again saw a mixed variety of results for the team, as both LeeAnn and Ian finished well in their respective classes while Jed and Zack experienced issues either mechanically or physically. With a couple months until the next round of racing, each rider will certainly be working hard to improve their results and selves for round ten in Unadilla, New York.
Millfield, Ohio Results:
Jedediah Haines (XC1 Pro)- Class: 15/15 Overall: 211/217 Season Point Standing: 15th
LeeAnn Bange (Women)- Class: 4/17 Overall: 8/273 Season Point Standing: 4th
Ian Pannebakker (4 Stroke A Lites)- Class: 3/11 Overall: 32/217 Season Point Standing: 4th
Zackery Smith (XC2 Pro Lites)- Class: 12/20 Overall: 36/217 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
Share