After two weeks of recovery from round ten of the GNCC Series in Unadilla, the Keystone Offroad Racing Team was looking forward to putting in even stronger rides at their hometown race. Heavy downpours only a couple of days before the race left many riders and their teams concerned about track conditions. However, through the thick morning fog the sun emerged by early Saturday afternoon to dry out the muddy soil, which is dominated by rocks. By Sunday, course conditions were near perfect and each rider of the Keystone Team was looking forward to tackling the rigid terrain.
First up was Women's rider, LeeAnn Bange. After struggling two weeks prior in New York, LeeAnn was looking to rebound from an off weekend and return to her more familiar top five finishes. When the green flag was given, she kicked her Yamaha and sprinted towards turn number one. After swinging wide in the first corner, she managed to lock down a top five position exiting turn two. The opening miles of the Mountain Ridge course were wide open and dry. This allowed LeeAnn to lower her heart rate and settle into a comfortable pace before tackling the bouldering trails. Upon entering the first section, LeeAnn immediately felt at home in the rocks and quickly picked off those riders whom were ahead of her. Although LeeAnn dropped her bike twice throughout the first lap, one of which was on a slick wooden bridge, her Rekluse clutch kept the bike running and up towards the front of the pack. At the completion of lap one, LeeAnn was running comfortably in second position. On lap two, LeeAnn set an incredible pace while maintaining her composure to flow effortlessly through the intensely rocky trails. At the beginning of her third and final lap, she made a brief stop for gas and energy shot. After leaving the pits, she resumed her previous pace and flawless riding style, navigating the greasy rocks with ease. However, eight miles into her final lap she chose an alternate line in a muddy section to avoid a downed rider. LeeAnn's new line unfortunately sucked her back tire into a hole between two rocks. The incident bent her shifter underneath the engine case, making it impossible to shift the bike out of second gear. After lugging her bike out from the hole and prying the shifter away from her engine, she was able to return to racing. Unfortunately, the line choice cost her five minutes of time, sending her back one position to third. LeeAnn remained in third place for the rest of the lap, unable to close the distance she lost between second place. "I felt good all day until I made that bad choice in the rocks, which was a bummer. I'm happy with third, especially after a bad finish at Unadilla," she explained. Her hard efforts moved her to third place in class championship points with just four races to go.
When one o'clock rolled around, the thick blanket of fog which covered the track for much of the morning lifted and skies cleared. Keystone's three afternoon riders, Jed Haines, Zack Smith, and Ian Pannebakker took their places on the starting line and mentally prepped themselves for the three hour event. After coming off an incredible career best seventh place XC1 Pro Class finish two weeks prior, Jed was looking forward to proving his result was no fluke and he belonged at the front of the pack. With confidence at an all-time high, Jed fired his bike at the sight of the green flag and rounded the first corner in a top ten position. Jed rode smooth on the first lap and neither gained or lost any positions during the chaos of the opening lap. He began his second lap running in eighth place, one second behind seventh place rider Nathan Kanney. On lap two, the wooded portions of the course were already progressively worsening and the intensity of the rock sections caused Jed to ride on edge, inducing the dreaded arm pump. Although his tense riding posture led to arm pump, he kept the bike on two wheels the entire lap, allowing him to maintain eight position. On lap three, Jed made a stop at the Keystone pits for some fuel and goggles, before continuing his push towards the front and moving into seventh place. Despite bending a shifter in one of the many rock gardens throughout the woods, Jed held strong in seventh on lap four. However, a late race charge by one of Jed's competitors went unchallenged and he slipped back to eighth place during the opening miles of lap five. On his sixth and final lap, Jed put on an aggressive charge to try and recapture seventh place, but was unable to make up lost ground. Although the course was in the worst condition it had been all day, Jed logged a lap time consistent with previous laps, proving his fitness and ability to ride smooth even in the later minutes of the race was on par. At the end of the day Jed managed to pull off yet another top ten class finish and sixteenth overall, moving him into 11th in championship points.
In the XC2 Pro Lites class, Keystone Offroad's Zack Smith grabbed a mediocre start after getting some unexpected wheel spin on the grass starting line. As a technical specialist, Zack was more than looking forward to the rocky terrain Somerset is renowned for. However, the opening miles of the first lap were deceiving, as the course wove through open hillsides at a fast pace. Then roughly three miles in, the track made a left turn into its first wooded section where Zack felt right at home in the wet, rocky, and rooted terrain. Despite making no major mistakes, Zack ran an easy pace on the first lap to acclimate himself to the water glazed rocks before risking any damage to him or his bike. After scoping out the course on his first lap, Zack began his second lap running in fourteenth position. Now feeling comfortable, he upped the pace and picked off two riders in his class on the second lap. In the opening mile of lap three Zack made a stop for gas to fill up his two stroke machine, and then set off to pass another one of his competitors a short time later. Just past the halfway point of the three hour event Zack was running a consistent speed just outside of the top ten, in eleventh. Although many times it was tempting, pushing the envelope and riding on edge was a chance Zack was not willing to risk on rock-veiled trails. On laps five and six he and another rider swapped positions on a number of occasions, but Zack was unable to make move stick. When the checkered flag came out, Smith finished just two seconds behind tenth place. His consistent performance moves him into ninth place in season point standings.
After skipping the previous round of racing in New York due to tearing the PCL and LCL in his left knee while practicing, Keystone Offroads 4-Stroke A Lites rider, Ian Pannebakker, decided to give racing a shot in the rocks of Pennsylvania. Despite his injury, Ian felt confident in his ability to ride the technical course and lined up on the starting line ready to race. When the green flag flew, he fired his Kawasaki and managed to move into third place by turn two, after swinging wide and diving to the inside of his competitors. Roughly one mile into the race, the track utilized a small section of motocross where Ian capitalized on a mistake by another rider to easily move into second. The leader was running a pace he was not willing to match, so Ian settled into his own race upon entering the rocky trails. He maintained his second place position until taking a longer line around a corner which dropped him to third further into the lap. Ian ran the rest of his first loop in third place, just seconds behind second place without making any mistakes and saving energy. With lap one complete and his knee coping well with the stress, he pushed his riding and managed to reclaim second place halfway into the second lap. Shortly thereafter, Ian began catching riders from the XC2 Pro Lites class, only giving him more reason to ride hard. Unfortunately, two miles short of completing his second lap, his KX250F took a rock to the ignition cover, effectively ending his race. Frustrated by the mishap, Ian pushed his bike back to the pits as his season of bad luck only continued. Ian remains fourth in season points and is looking forward to turning his luck around in two weeks.
Each member of the Keystone Offroad Racing Team put in tremendous rides at their hometown race in Somerset, Pennsylvania. LeeAnn Bange overcame a late race mistake to finish third in her respective class. XC1 Pro rider, Jed Haines, once again logged an incredible top ten ride, in arguably America's premier off-road racing division. Zack Smith rode a smooth race in the XC2 class to finish seconds outside of the top ten. Regardless of a knee injury, Ian Pannebakker put out his best performance until his string of bad luck once again ended his race. The Can-Am GNCC series heads west to the Ohio River Valley in two weeks for round number twelve at Powerline Park. With only a handful of races remaining in the season, the Keystone Offroad Racing Team is looking to better its results and end the year on a strong note. See you at the races!
Somerset, PA Results:
Jedediah Haines (XC1 Pro)- Class: 8/13 Overall: 16/141 Season Point Standing: 11th
LeeAnn Bange (Women)- Class: 3/15 Overall: 55/220 Season Point Standing: 3rd
Ian Pannebakker (4 Stroke A Lites)- Class: 6/6 Overall: 135/141 Season Point Standing: 4th
Zackery Smith (XC2 Pro Lites)- Class: 11/16 Overall: 24/141 Season Point Standing: 9th
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.
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