Welcome to Quick Fill. 16 days and counting until the second half of the GNCC Racing series kicks off at Unadilla. So what does that mean? Well, it means that if your dirtbike or ATV has been sitting in the garage since the Penton and now has more spiders living on it than knobs on the tires, or if your gear is still sitting in the corner of the trailer wedged behind your brown boots that used to be white, or even if there's still in fact mud on the rear fender that may or may not have come from Snowshoe - it means you'd better get yourself together because 'Dilla will be here before you know it. If none of the above - or heck, even one of the above are true for you, then you're probably okay. Everyone else, pull yourselves together, it's almost race time!
Dan (the scoring guy) and I are getting ready to fly out to Hartford, CT with the MX Sports crew for the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship this weekend and from the sounds of it, the weather isn't looking so hot on the east coast. The hurricane is expected to be lingering in the area so we're crossing our fingers for a safe weekend of racing. Let's hope this gal decides to take off before we head east to NY in a couple weeks for GNCC. As you can see below, nothing but blue skies in the PIT area. (Photo by Jen Ken).
Have you ever wondered what your favorite GNCC pros are like off the track? Well wonder no more. We featured FMF KTM's Cory Buttrick and Yamaha Racing/GBC Motorsports' Johnny Gallagher in this week's Tuesday Toolbox, asking questions that don't necessarily get asked on race day. Find out what non-racing sport CB wishes he could play and just how long Johnny G has been racing pro (this will blow your mind) in this week's Tuesday Toolbox.
GNCC has been getting killer coverage lately in mags such as Racer X, Dirt Rider and Cycle News. Josh Strang stole the cover of Dirt Rider this month, with an additional spread inside (there's a pretty sick whip picture that's worth checking out). Weege did a nice write up in Racer X on Snowshoe and Strang is once again featured in a 5 questions segment as well. Once racing starts back up again, Cycle News will have plenty of coverage as well, so be sure to check them out.
Let's hear from Shan Moore on some of the things he's reported on lately.
Thanks, Jen. Sorry this didn't make it to you last week, it was a crazy week. I'll rehash some of what went on week before last and this past weekend. I spent two weekends ago Unadilla covering the Pro Motocross and I got to see Josh Strang score a championship point with a 20th place finish in the second moto. Josh admitted that he was a little nervous and I think it held him back a little in practice and qualifying. After the race, here is an except of what Josh told me for my Cycle News report: "I'm pretty disappointed overall with my end result, but it's good and I'm glad I got to race one of these again this year. I would have liked to have raced more of them but that's how it goes. I think I was a bit more nervous than I should have been in practice and qualifying. I didn't get a great time. In the first moto I got a decent start, I think I might have been thirteenth or so. I held my own pretty good for about four or five laps and then I started going backwards. In the second moto my start was not so great but I think I got up to about fifteenth or so. I felt good for about half the race but I think the intensity just caught up to me and I started going backwards. I wish I could do more because I think I can do better. But I'm thankful for the opportunity I got and the bike worked good. Suzuki and Mike Webb and my mechanic for the day, Mark, did a great job and made it easy for me and I'm thankful for the opportunity."
Josh got to pit under the Makita Suzuki tent with Ryan Dungey which is a huge honor and at the end of the day he ended up going 22-20 for 24th overall. Great job, Josh. We were all pulling for you!
This past weekend, Josh raced a WORCS race in Washougal where he went 2-2 behind series points leader Kurt Caselli. That was a great ride, especially since it was his first WORCS race of the year. Josh told WORCS reporter Joe Colombero that he would like to race another round of the series so he can try to win one. I have no doubt that Stranger could do just that!
Photo By: Shan Moore
Strang fared well at Unadilla MX, scoring a point in the 450 class
Over in Finland, where some of our guys were competing in the ISDE, GNCC riders Jimmy Jarrett, Nate Kanney and Russell Bobbitt teamed with Kurt Caselli, Destry Abbott, and Kyle Summers to finish third in the World Trophy Team division. Meanwhile, Cory Buttrick, Andrew DeLong, Ian Blythe and Cody Schafer were fourth in the Junior Trophy division. Unfortunately, our Women's team didn't make it past the second day, with Mandi Mastin, Nicole Bradford, and Kerrie Swartz finishing the week in fifth overall.
It's hard to believe the summer break is almost over. Just over two weeks and we'll be headed to Unadilla for the second half of the GNCC series. I'm really looking forward to that race so we can see who has been doing their homework over the summer break. Plus, I'm hoping it will be a little cooler!
And here's Rodney.
Thanks Jen. As the summer break seems to drag on and we get closer to the return to GNCC, reports are beginning to roll in of what has been keeping folks busy, quiet and entertained. ISDE to OMA have been keeping the motorcycle side of things busy. As far as the quads are concerned, as normal things have been on the "D.L." for a number of the guys. However I did spot Brian Wolf a few weeks back at Red Bud ATVMX in support of his brother in law Josh Upperman who was making a run for the AMA Pro ATV MX Championship. And 9-Time Champ Bill Ballance and team rider Taylor Kiser were both at Loretta Lynn's Dirt Days supporting Thomas Brown another team rider.
Then of course last week the flood gates opened for the GNCC Racin' Nation as a number of ATV and UTV teams headed west for the 4th Annual Heartland Challenge. It is a pretty extreme 10 Hour race with 3 member teams that dual it out and usually brings a number of GNCCer's out of hiding. Congratulations to Bill Ballance Racing Yamaha's team who took the overall win. Team riders Taylor Kiser, Walker Fowler and ATV MX Pro Thomas Brown took a near 4 minute win over Team Wood Head #1 consisting of Donnie Ockerman, Brian Wolf, and Braden Henthorn who took the overall 2nd place. Team Sweet Home Alabama consisting of GNCCers Johnny Gallagher, Jeff Pickens and Traci Cecco took over 3rd place
In the Pro Utility class it was the CanAmTalk.com Team of Michael Swift, Clifton Beasley and Adam McGill taking the win and scoring 7th overall. McGill is not a regular in the Utility ATV ranks but has more than proven himself versatile.
I wasn't there but GNCC racer Garon Davis was and sent the following report of his experience:
The first thing I noticed when I got there was that there isn't a lot to see between Indiana and Iowa. Lots of corn, corn, and then some more corn. However we got lucky enough to attend the Iowa state fair while we were at the race and the food there was amazing. Sure a deep-fired stick of butter isn't great for the race diet but it sure tastes good!
You could tell right off the bat who the GNCC racers were at the this event as everyone was talking to one another getting caught up on the events of the summer and having a good time chatting it up and talking some smack. Then once the race started you could tell again who was a GNCC racer because they were in the front of their class. Of the top ten teams I believe eight of them had GNCC regulars on the team.
Photo By: www.atvpress.com
Swift Beasley and McGill teamed up for the 10-hour
Team SICC consisted of Fred Marley, Todd Demaree, and myself and we finished 2nd in the A class and 8th overall. We were just 9 minutes behind the other GNCC riders of Team Woodhead #2 after ten hours. Team Woodhead#2 in the A class was Threer Motch, Dustin Henderson, and Bryson Neal.
This was our first time at an event like this and we had a blast. Racing at night was a whole new experience and for some reason we all got faster once the lights came on and the sun had gone down. After 10 hours of racing neither our team nor Team Woodhead #2 had any breakdowns or issues and that is amazing. We had a blast and it was a great way to gear up for Unadilla. We will see you there in a few days!
That sounds like an awesome time for those who attended. I expect to hear more from others. Garon also added a message about fellow SICC Team Rider Josh Beavers who injured earlier this summer. If you get a chance be sure to drop Josh a message of encouragement:
Just so you know what is going on with one of our teammates Josh Beavers you might want to check out this sight. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshbeavers
A month ago Josh was working on a barn roof and fell thru the roof and landed on a concrete floor. As the journal reads on the caring bridge site it has been a long road so far but he is not starting to make huge strides in the right direction. We have raised $6000 for the family through a benefit raffle, donations, and sticker sales. Our goal was to run the Heartland Challenge for him and donate our winnings to the family but we fell just a bit short. We were able to stop and see him on the way and he was having one of his best days and was able to wish us all good luck and give us a fist bump before we left. Josh's best GNCC finish had to be the Ironman last year when he put his KTM on the podium.
We will be praying for a speedy recovery Josh. See you soon!
I also got a very interesting message from Senior A rider Jeff Musser. It appears that he has been busy not only this summer but all year:
You mentioned to "drop you a line" if we had any interesting stories from the summer...
Team SICC with Beavers
I am a Senior A rider (Jeff Musser). I made a commitment to racing every event this year. It has been a great experience for my wife and me.
I own a residential custom building company in PA. The day before I left for the Indiana race, I was approached by the Hollywood producers of Extreme Makeover, Home Edition (ABC) to work with them on building a home in PA for a deserving family. That decision was "heavy" on my mind the entire race weekend. We decided to go for it. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
So...on June 19, we "knocked on the door" of a very deserving family. We had less than a week to demo a house and build a new one. We were in charge of everything; design, all labor, all materials, meals, media, fundraising, etc. Nearly 100% of the products and all of the labor were donated.
We were honored to be chosen to lead this amazing community event. We found and coordinated about 4000 people to make it a success. I ended up missing the Snow Shoe race because it was right at the end of the build - A small price to pay for an incredible experience.
Our episode will be a 2-hour special and will air this fall. I do not have a date yet. I tried to include the race community - I talked to the guys at Can Am about "pulling" the house down with their UTV's. We had a great plan but unfortunately that did not fit into the "story" that the producers were planning. This show has an audience of about 10,000,000 people every week in the US. It is then shown in over 60 countries!
Photo By: Courtesy of Can-Am
Forrest Whorton took the Ironman class win at the Heartland Challenge
Wow! That is so cool to hear and I cannot wait to see this episode air. Way to go Jeff! It sometimes amazes me how great the people are in this GNCC Racin' Nation and even more so the accomplishments of some of its members. We are a unique group of individuals and I think that is all that needs to be said about that.
Lastly, while scanning "The Facebook" earlier this week I came across a rather interesting post from GNCCer Ian Smith. He said he borrowed it from Mark Freeman's fan page but I think it simplifies the passion for a sport that not many truly understand.
Racing is something that most people will never understand. It is not just a sport or something to do on Sunday. It is a way of life. Once you are in it, it is in your blood. Once you make your first lap you can't stop. The track is home away from home. You smell the race fuel, you smell the dirt.... and when you hear those engines scream it is music to your ears.
Till next time God Bless Your Hearts and All Your Vital Organs.
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