Quick Fill #34: Unadilla GNCC is ON!

Welcome to Quick Fill. So far, it seems to be a trend that I write Quick Fill in some sort of remote location such as the airport, the steps of the California State Capitol, an actual airplane, assorted races throughout the country and even from my office desk, believe it or not. Well, this week's QF comes to you from "Old Town" in Temecula, California, as I sit on the outskirts of an old wine and beer bar - people watching, chatting it up with the locals and of course, drinking water since it's Wednesday evening. I would love to say that California has terrible weather and that I hope you all aren't enduring what I'm enduring, but unfortunately that's not the case.

But let's get to the chase, you want answers. Here is what I know as of Thursday afternoon. There are road closures on Route 8 to the track, but I-81 is still open and safe to travel. There are other closures through PA as well, but those are situational depending on where you're coming from. So as always, we want you to be as safe as possible so do research before heading out to find the best route. We are working closely with Public Safety Officials and we just got word from Jill Robinson from Unadilla, she got an alternate route cleared from the Command Post in Binghamton. ALT Route HERE. It sounds like the track will be in great condition come the weekend, so if you're thinking of backing out you may want to hold tight and rethink it. We want to go racing just as much as you all do and it's unfortunate that Mother Nature keeps dropping the ball on us like this.

We will keep you all posted on the gnccracing.com website as well as the Grand National Cross Country Facebook and Twitter @GNCCRacing but please, wait for our official word before cancelling your trips.

This weekend's event will be co-sanctioned by our friends at WNYOA, so if you see any of those folks around the track, be sure to thank them for all they do! If you're racing the 50cc event on Saturday, take a look at the event info as we switched some things around this time.

Here's a little note that I received from DirtWise this week:

The DirtWise with Shane Watts Academy of Offroad Riding has had the pleasure of GNCC XC2 Pro Lites contender Jesse Robinson join us at a few DirtWise school locations as an additional instructor during the GNCC summer break.  He has done an awesome job helping us out and we really appreciate his hard work!  He just might have found himself a job as a full time DirtWise instructor in the future!!  We are sure he is ready to go full force at the remaining rounds of the GNCC's.  Best of luck to Jesse and all of the other GNCC racers!!  Be sure to check out our September DirtWise Newsletter for updates on the remaining 2011 DirtWise school schedule, tentative 2012 schedule, and your chance to win a Free DirtWise DVD so as to get the unfair advantage on your competition for the remaining races of 2011!  Thanks for your support!

No bench racing for me this week, I think it's safe to say the task at hand is making sure everyone is properly informed about travel plans and event information. So I'll pass things along to Shan Moore for some easy readin' on our racers.

Thanks, Jen. I spent this past weekend at the Steel City motocross, as did most of the Racer Productions and GNCC staff, and I have to say it was an awesome weekend of racing. I happened to be standing just a few yards away when Ryan Villopoto made his bold, last turn pass on Ryan Dungey in the opening 450 moto to steal the win away from the Suzuki rider just feet before the finish. The pass brought the crowd to its feet and I think it caught Dungey off guard. It may turn out to be a pivotal point in the title chase, since it gives Villopoto a 14-point lead going into the series finale at Pala next week.

GNCC Racing's own Kailub Russell raced the 450 class, and while he failed to qualify, the two-time Pro Lites GNCC Champ turned a super quick lap time and just barely missed making the cut and he should be proud of his effort. Unlike Josh Strang, who had the benefit of riding a factory bike and all the resources of Team Suzuki when he qualified for Red Bud, Kailub was basically riding a practice bike and he and mechanic Tanner Harding went into qualifying with virtually zero settings to start with. Every other racer that qualified for the race was either riding a factory bike or was supported by a team with plenty of motocross testing to draw on from earlier in the year. A 15-minute practice session is not nearly enough time to learn a track PLUS find a suspension setting. Here's what Kailub had to say after qualifying: "The first practice went pretty good, it was kind of sloppy and slick, but I had a few bike issues, which were kind of my fault because I wasn't paying attention. The second practice I was looking forward to it, and I put down a pretty decent lap and came in to make an adjustment to the bike, my bike wasn't tracking straight. We kind of went the wrong way with it, though, and by the time we got it right and I felt comfortable then the checkered came out."

I'm sure that Kailub benefitted from the experience and we'll see if he can carry anything from the weekend into this week's race at Unadilla. I know that he likes Unadilla and he finished on the box there last year. Kailub told me his goal is to get a couple of wins before the end of the season and there are a few tracks coming up that favor him, including Loretta Lynn's, which we will be racing twice, so look for him to end the season with a bang! For sure, Kailub is over due for a win.

Just as the second 450 moto was starting to take off at Steel City Tim Cotter ran me down and asked me if I was afraid of heights. Not knowing what he was getting at I said, "No". "Good," he said, "You're going up in a helicopter to shoot photos of the track!" Wow, what a really cool experience! Tim went up also, and from up there you could see just how well groomed the entire Steel City facility was for this race. I know a lot of hard work went into getting the place ready for that weekend and I had no idea what it all entailed but I could see the result from way overhead. The grass was so green and nicely cut and the place looked nice and clean and well kept and all the signage made for a very nice and colorful border to the track. I could also see the tiny racers lapping the course, and all the ant-like spectators lining the fences. My biggest fear was that the sound of the rotors would send me back into a Vietnam flashback and I might do something crazy, but then I remembered I was never in Vietnam, so it ended up being a really cool experience. Thanks, Tim.

By the time you read this, most of us will either be on the way to Unadilla, or at least packing our bags for the trip. I've had a great summer, but I'm ready to get back to GNCC racing, for sure.

Looking back on last year's Unadilla race, Chris Borich won the quad race, which was kind of status quo for the ATV series at that time, but in the bike series, Jimmy Jarrett got his first win in something like 10 years after edging out Nate Kanney in an exciting race that went down to the wire. I'm wondering if those two guys will be in the hunt again in 2011. Kanney is coming off a great ride in Finland, and he for sure likes the conditions at Unadilla. And I think Jarrett is healthy again after suffering a mid-season injury. Should make for an interesting race, especially when you consider Josh Strang will be dialing up his special "rock" settings perfected at this year's Snowshoe race, and Kailub Russell, who is long overdue for a win. But you can't rule out Paul Whibley, who took the win at the inaugural Rock Run race, and Charlie Mullins, who spent the summer racing the Enduro series. And finally, Cory Buttrick seems to have whipped his health issues and is getting up to speed. The Ohio rider led most of the Big Muskie Enduro last month and should be in the hunt in New York.

Putting the XC2 class on notice, Steward Baylor Jr. claimed a big win at the Little Brown Jug enduro at the Southeastern Enduro and Trail Riders Association season opener in South Carolina this past weekend, beating out Russell Bobbitt and Mike Brown. That's pretty fast company and it shows that Stu hasn't been sitting in his room playing video games all summer. Good things happen to those who work hard and it's apparent Stu has been doing his homework. Look out Unadilla!

One more thing, I ran into XC2 podium "regular" Brad Baaken at Steel City, he still has the cast on his arm from his wrist injury this summer. Brad was at the racing helping videographer Brandon Bolling shoot some stuff and he says he'll start riding again in November and he's excited to get back to riding about about next year. Good luck, Brad.

Hot Rodney has a lot to say this week since we missed him in last week's session. Take it away Rodney...

Thanks Jen.  After what seems like forever we finally get back to GNCC Racing.  The last time we ran in July the temps were beginning to rise and summer was setting in.  Now the air is cool and fall is in the air.  It is a perfect time to head to Unadilla.

I know the rain has a lot of people have questioned what is going on.  I talked to Trail Boss Jeff Russell and he said that he will not have to water this weekend and dust will not be a problem.  In all seriousness though, the race is still on and will be ran according to JR as he says that the track is not flooded and is and will be very passable.  Remember the trail crew plans ahead in track design for weather and try to make it as negotiable as possible.  So unless you are flooded in where you live, everything is good at Unadilla.

The weather report for the weekend is looking good so once the rain moves out things should be headed back to normal quick.  Many of us may not even be affected by the flooding and never even know that it happened by Friday or Saturday whenever it is that you make your trip.

As we head to Unadilla and resume what seems like the longest GNCC season it seems that there is still a lot of questions concerning who will win the championship.  There has been some recent activity with racers prepping for the final leg of the season but now is when we find out who went to work during the break and who lay off.  Normally we only have 4 rounds of racing once we reach this time of the year but this year there are 5 for the ATV racers and 6 for the bikes.  So looking at the schedule we are virtually still at the halfway point of the race season and there is still a lot that can happen.  It is going to be exciting to say the least.

This weekend of racing at Unadilla will bring a few special features for the weekend.  First of all, it is one of - if not the most attended race for motorcycle competitors.  This race has seen as many as 1800 entries for the weekend and the co-sanctioning with WYNOA has really been a big part of that.  The GNCC Racing Nation will welcome all the WYNOA classes.  Which means 50cc motorcycle and this year 50cc ATV from what I understand.  This should be a lot of fun for the youngsters and we are looking forward to meeting them.  And second, there will be a new voice coming from the speaker this weekend as we welcome Jared Bolton to the team.  Hannah Reid will not be with us so Jared will be getting his feet wet head first it looks like.  Now for those of you wondering Hannah will be back in Ohio and Jared is expected to join the team for the rest of the season.

The weekend schedule is obviously a full one but will be a fun one.  Bring your mud boots and be prepared to have some fun as we get back to GNCC Racin'!

Before I go though, the newest announcing team member Jared Bolton had some interesting facts as we head into the weekend.

First GNCC Race: 2005
 Overall Winners 2005: Juha Slaminen / Brian Cook 
2006: Nate Kanney / Bill Ballance
 2007: David Knight / Chris Borich
 2008: David Knight / Chris Bithell
 2009: Paul Whibley / Chris Borich
 2010: Jimmy Jarrett / Chris Borich

 On the bike side, David Knight is the only repeat winner at Unadilla thus far. However, Nate Kanney has consistently finished on the podium logging 2nd place finishes in the 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010 Unadilla events as well as a win in 2006. Nate is undoubtedly the hometown favorite. Last year saw Jimmy Jarrett score his first GNCC overall win in over 10 years but Kanney stayed close and only finished around 5 seconds behind Jarrett at the end. 

Our current championship contenders have not historically had their signature "up front" rides at Unadilla. Both Josh Strang and Charlie Mullins have only finished on the podium at Unadilla one time in their careers. Strang has managed to stay inside the top 5 in all his Unadilla experiences though. On the other hand, Charlie Mullins has only logged two top 5 finishes in six years of racing at Unadilla.

 On the ATVs, Chris Borich has historically dominated this event with three overall wins, thus making him the only multi-time overall winner. Adam McGill and Taylor Kiser have also logged multiple podium and top 5 finishes at Unadilla over the years. It could possibly be a three-way battle for the win. However, they would have to overcome the dominating force of not only Unadilla but basically every other race, which comes in the form of your defending champion, Chris Borich.

Good stuff Jared!  That's it for now.

See you at 'Dilla!  Till then God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.