Welcome to Quick Fill. It's crazy to think that the season is wrapping up in just a few weeks. I feel like it wasn't long ago that I was sitting in awe watching my first-ever GNCC start at Westgate River Ranch in March and now we're wrapping up championships and planning for the banquet. Needless to say, this season has been an amazing learning experience for me and obviously one of the most exciting you folks have seen has far as racing action.
Photo By: Angie Stumbo and Kelly Jo Evans
The "Human Chain" really shows the teammwork amongst the GNCC Family
This part of the race season is always the most interesting for several reasons, I think. Personally, I enjoy it because of the fall season - beautiful scenery, great weather and an all around festive atmosphere (hey I gotta add my girly touch to this somehow!). Aside from that, though, we have crucial battles for national titles, overall numbers, and class championships on the line and that seems to give racers and their crew an even more determined and tenacious mentality at the races. And since race season is winding down, it's only fitting to shift into silly season a little early. Prospects are a flyin' and we'll have to wait and see where everyone lands. There could be quite a bit of shake up on the ATV side, as it seems like none of the pro riders have signed yet; and that doesn't mean things will necessarily change, but it also means that no one is guaranteed anything at this point.
It's pretty clear that XC2 rider Morgan Moss parted ways with F.A.R Husky and chose to ride a YZ250F this weekend in Ohio, leaving his TXC250 empty for the remaining rounds. Rumor was, that 4 Stroke A Lites champion Scott Grills was going to hop on the Husky for the rest of the year, but I talked to Grills this week and he said that's not happening as of right now. Grills had a solid season in 4 Stroke A Lites and grabbed top Amateur last weekend for the first time this year so kudos to Scott on a great season! The battle for second is the one to watch here, between Layne Michael, Ian Pannebakker and Andrew Suter - all 10 points within each other for second place. They've all had their share of throwaway races so these last rounds are going to be crucial.
And speaking of Morgan Moss, he made a pretty big statement on the Yamaha this weekend while running in the top three for part of the race, eventually dropping back to sixth. While sixth isn't his best finish of the year - he took fifth in round one - it seems like Moss felt pretty comfortable on the Yamaha so we'll see what he can do in the final three rounds.
If you were confused about seeing JG Offroad's Scott Watkins on a 450 last weekend in Ohio, don't worry you're not crazy. I had to do a double take as he rode by with red backgrounds but Scott and his teammate Rory Mead switched it up and Rory took the lites bike, while Scotty jumped on the 450. Rory said he enjoyed riding the 250F and it looks like they will stay like that the rest of this year.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Bad Thad was back on the podium for the first time since GA
Kailub Russell's Powerline Park win was special for more reasons than one - despite his modesty in the whole deal. First and foremost, 2011 Powerline Park marks KR's first XC1 and Overall win in his career - cool. It also makes him the first to win a GNCC on the KTM 350 - pretty awesome. But what makes it arguably the most special and unique is the fact that he and his dad, Jeff Russell, are the only father/son duo to share a Pro class win like that in GNCC. JR took his first GNCC win in 1990 at the Sand Flea 100, winning again in 1991 at Loretta's and like Kailub, he did it on a KTM. That's a pretty cool bit of information, more like my Bolt-On historical fact of the week.
Steward Baylor Jr. put his KTM back into the center of the podium last weekend after a three-race hiatus. Baylor rode a solid three hours, beating out Jordan Ashburn who has relentlessly filled Baylor's centerpiece on the podium the past three rounds. Jason Thomas struggled a bit in Ohio, but it sounds like his shoulder was giving him problems throughout the race and salvaging a third is pretty impressive considering, but doesn't help his championship efforts any. Baylor sits 38 points ahead and it seems that besides an XC2 championship, the Baylors are working toward something else. The Baylors are vying to be chosen for HGTV's A Kitchen to be Shared and seeing as they don't have a current kitchen it makes housing all those GNCC Racers pretty difficult! At any given point, I know Mama Baylor is feeding not only her own kids but several other racers who are training for GNCCs. The Baylors need your help in making their dream kitchen possible and for all they do for the GNCC community, it's well deserved! Watch this video to see more.
Since LL is a double header this year, we're working hard to make it a fun event for everyone there. This week, Seat Time announced their involvement in GNCC by putting on the Seat Time Awesomeness Competition the weekend of LL. Basically, it's a two-part contest consisting of a Concept2 Rowing Competition and a tire changing competition. Here's more info on what's going down, so start planning your teams and we will be announcing the awesome prizes that our GNCC sponsors will be giving away.
Don't forget that Ironman will be going PINK again this year in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Ridepg.com has great specials on pink backgrounds and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to FAITH Alliance and Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation - so join in on the decoration to help a great cause.
That's all for me. I'll hand it over to Shan Moore.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Diggin' the color scheme on this rider
Thanks, Jen. Josh Strang was obviously disappointed after the Powerline and it seems he's had nothing but bad luck since returning from the summer break. Josh got off the line in good shape and was sitting third behind Charlie Mullins and Kailub Russell after the first few turns, but he told me when they came to one of the mud holes, he took a line he wishes he hadn't. "When we came to the mud, there were two different lines and I took one and just clipped a tree and went off line and ended up going off a five-foot embankment," Strang said after the race. Despite the mishap, Josh still manage to get back up into a battle for third by the halfway mark, but by that time Kailub and Charlie were long gone. "I finally hooked up with Whibley and DuVall and I got pretty close to Mullins, but then Whibley got stuck in the big mud hole on the last lap and I was in the same line and I couldn't go anywhere. I ended up losing a lot of ground," Strang added. "It was just a disappointing day, and at this point I just want to win races. I just want to have a clean race and get a win. It's been tough since before the summer break, so I just want to get back down to business and start winning again." I'm sure there's added pressure to perform since Josh says that Suzuki has yet to renew their off-road contracts for 2012.
Speaking of 2012 contracts, Mullins, Russell, and Cory Buttrick are all signed and sealed with KTM for next year, while Whibley is back with Am Pro Yamaha - that's according to Randy Hawkins. Randy also told me he's looking to add one or two more guys to the team. Does this mean Thad DuVall was looking elsewhere? Thad told me at the Indiana enduro that he's talking to different people, so I'll stay on top of this to get the scoop.
Freddy Andrews is talking to several riders about joining FAR Husqvarna for next year, and he said that Jason Thomas will be back for another year, as well.
Also, I heard it through the grapevine that Keith Obermeyer is joining forces with Jason Raines and Yamaha to run a new team, and I'm sure Morgan Moss will be included in that since he ran one of Keith's 2012 YZ250Fs at the Powerline. The word is that Randy's team will be all XC1 riders and Keith and Jason will run the XC2 team, but that's not confirmed, so for now it's just a rumor. I'll try to get more info on that, as well.
Photo By: Shan Moore
GNCC spectators at their best
I also found out that Buttrick will be riding a single-cam 450 XC-W next year, while I'm hearing Kailub will remain on the 350. Mullins has been basically running a 450 SX-F this year and I'm not sure what he'll ride next year.
Speaking of Mullins, Hot Rod has been on a rampage since the break, and as of now he's got a 26-point lead in the series standings. That's a decent cushion with just three rounds remaining, but we all know that anything can happen when it comes to GNCC racing. Mullins seems to have found that sweet spot between blazing speed and cautious abandon, which allows him to go fast and still stay relatively trouble free. He said he had a few mishaps in Ohio, but nothing of the order of Strang's crash down a big ledge. I think Charlie's enduro experience helps him go really fast in the woods, so that's something he has going for him. The guy never makes excuses either, which is something I admire in him.
DuVall had a great race, and finally seems to be coming to terms with the mental part of the game. Thad look pretty fresh on the final lap, so he is either in better shape or learning to conserve his energy over the three hours.
Paul Whibley had a nasty crash with Thad on the final lap just before the finish line. After he crossed the finish, Paul collapsed on the ground in obvious pain and had to be helped to his van. I spoke with Randy Hawkins on Wednesday and he told me Paul was okay and they didn't think anything was broken and that he just suffered a severe bruise to the thigh, although he never went to the doctor to get it checked. For sure, Whibs is one tough Dude.
I'll have to agree on that, Whibs is the man! Here's Bolt-On.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Powerline's podum looked a little different from usual
Thanks Jen! We're working our way closer and closer to the end of the season. While it will be a relief for some to take some time off, deep down we all know that we don't want it to end. No worries though, we've still got 2 ATV and 3 bike races left, so there's plenty of time left to catch some more great racing action. Speaking of great action, we had another action-packed weekend at Powerline Park in Ohio!
We saw Chris Borich return to his winning ways after struggling for the past few races. Borich now has more than 30 points over Adam McGill. Chris Bithell holds down the third place spot, just 4 points over Taylor Kiser. While the chances of a huge shake up between the top two are kind of low, there's still a chance we could see a battle for the third place spot between Bithell and Kiser. Behind those guys is Brian Wolf, who found his way to the podium again last weekend. Wolf has put in some great rides this year landing on the podium five times with two of those being wins. What's even more impressive is that Wolf has done this on what is basically a privateer effort.
While the boys of the XC1 class have been battling up front, it's still been a run away for Walker Fowler who continued his winning streak at Powerline Park. He mentioned on the podium that we wouldn't be seeing him make an early appearance in the XC1 class this year as he was focused on making the perfect season. There's no doubt that it would be an impressive feat and the chances of Walker doing so is looking pretty good, however, there's still two races left and there's no doubt that other guys like Gabe Phillips or Eric Hoyland would love to be the one to be the one to beat Walker.
On the bike side, we saw Kailub Russell grab his first-ever XC1 Overall win. Kailub had been in contention for the win at the past few rounds and finally broke through to take that win. The excitement of the bike race came at the end, however, as Am-Pro Yamaha teammates Thad Duvall and Paul Whibley battled to the last corner. In fact, it was the entire last lap that proved to be a battle for that third place spot. Coming through the water of Gus's mudhole around the 6-mile mark, Josh Strang made a pass on Whibs IN the water! Josh hammered down around halfway through the water and went on to pass Paul before coming out the other side. It would be short lived though, as Strang and Whibs ran into some trouble on a hillclimb less than 1/4 mile later. Thad was able to capitalize and take the third place spot. Over the next few miles, Whibley would put on a charge to chase down Thad and catch up with less than a mile to go.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Bithell fans are loyal in every age!
As they made their way through the next to last corner, Whibs went inside and they had a drag race into the final corner. Thad was coming in a little hot, and Whibley was committed to the same line. They ended up making contact and Whibley went down hard into a tree and actually broke the top half of the tree off (giving even more meaning to Whibs' nickname, The Axeman). Whibley appeared to have injured his leg but being the warrior he is, he remounted and crossed the finish line only to collapse just past the finish. Luckily it doesn't appear that anything is broken and he's okay, but the latest I heard was that Paul is still having trouble bending it. My guess is that we will probably still see Whibs racing at Ironman. If there's one guy that will fight through the pain, it's The Axeman.
While the focus was on Kailub taking his first win and the battle of third, many have overlooked the impact this race had on the championship points. Charlie Mullins hung in for second after struggling mildly in a few spots late in the race, Josh Strang ran into trouble on a hillclimb on the last lap and salvaged a fifth place finish. Mullins now has a 31-point lead over Strang. The season is coming down to the wire and Strang will have to put in solid rides to catch up to Mullins. Next up will be the Ironman where last year we saw Josh Strang holding a pretty good lead until his bike gave in near the end of the race. Charlie Mullins has also performed well at Ironman, landing on the podium from 2005-2009. This means we could see a pretty interesting race, not only for the overall win but also for the valuable championship points.
Off the track, we're starting to hear even more silly season rumors! One thing is to not expect big changes on the KTM front. While there's a lot of speculation going around about who is doing what, there's not many who have a definite set plan yet. While some seem to think it's not a good sign, don't forget that we heard all the same rumors in 2010 and a lot weren't confirmed until late, or until after the season was over. The truth is, while those of us actually outside of a team may think we know everything there is to know, a lot of times you don't know anything at all until it's time to line up for the next season. If anyone has any new rumors they would like to share, feel free to email me at jbolton@jaredbolton.com and let me know your thoughts.
That's going to do it for me this week. Until next time, Bolt-On out.
Good stuff Bolt-On. Here's Hot Rodney.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Team Faith ripping the UTV course on Saturday afternoon
Thanks Jen. I often wonder how after two or three hours of racing riders can battle so intensely and finish so close together. Whether it is on two or four wheels, GNCC seems to always pull it out in the clutch from a spectator standpoint. The ATV races have been nose to tail with a few breakaway moments that seem to always tighten up heading to the checkers. And even though there have been some breakaway rides in the bike racing, there too seems to always a battle that takes our breath away.
As Charlie Mullins and Josh Strang have waged an "Epic" battle for the championship, the "AxeMan" Paul Whibley has put on one of the most intense come from behind charges to put himself in contention for the championship. And I want to say thanks to "Whibs" for the performances he has put in to try and regain the glory of the GNCC title that in the grand scheme of things still a possibility.
Any questions of Chris Borich's wavering in his hunt for his 3rd GNCC ATV Championship have been hushed as quickly as they are asked. And even though Borich adamantly denies there is no "Patented Chris Borich Last Lap Move" it is increasingly becoming harder to deny. Especially since nearly every win this season has been exactly in that manner. Be it purposely or just the way it works out, it has afforded race fans some spectacular racing and the final two rounds should be just as exciting.
If all goes well and Borich wins the championship, this year's off-season smack will question whether or not Borich will be able to be consistently beat the duo of Brian Wolf and Walker Fowler. For that matter how will the entire field of XC1 Pros adapt? It seems to me that the end of the 2011 season is only setting the stage for an even greater championship battle for 2012.
As exciting as the premier classes have been to watch it has been equally as impressive watching the heart of what is GNCC in the amateur ranks. It begins each race morning with the Youth Divisions at 8:00 a.m. And if you think that the afternoon races are exciting then you haven't seen anything until you experience and entire day of GNCC Racing and the depth of talent that all the classes bring about.
Generally in racing, you expect to see riders from the same classes battling for class wins and the overall at the same time. This has not been so much the case in the youth classes. Riders battle for class wins and the overall standings from several classes which has makes for an even more exciting element to the series.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Borich did a comeback move once again to further secure his championship lead
Hunter Hart, who seemed to be a clear cut winner for the overall #1 plate for his second season, has met some late season challenges that have ultimately created one of the most intense Youth Division battles we have witnessed. Hart broke his arm and had to sit out in his home state of New York this year. In doing so, it sparked a fury of confidence that has created the best racing the division has seen all season. Hart has been reported to also be suffering from some leg issues that may fire this fury even more heading into the final two rounds.
This past weekend Power Line Park GNCC saw 3 different class leaders battling for the adjusted time overall win. In the end Cody Collier from the 90cc Open (12-15) posted his second overall win of the season. Collier won his first overall also in his home state of Ohio at the John Penton GNCC after stepping onto the new Yamaha and working with Bill Ballance Racing to help launch the new machine and this young man into the spotlight. Collier amazingly sits second in points but is leading the overall national standings at the moment.
The other contenders for the overall included 90cc Modified (14-15) winner Zachary Jones who finished nearly 30 seconds back at the end with Josh Simmons from the 90 Open (12-15) who finished only 4 seconds behind Jones with 90cc Open (8-11) rider Hunter Hart another 5 seconds back on adjusted time in 4th overall.
The Youth Bikes on Sunday saw an equally impressive battle. Super Mini 14-15 class riders Anthony Stone and Levi Keller locked in a heated battle that in the end saw Stone on top by about one minute and twenty seconds and netted Stone his first overall for the season. Austin Lee from the Super Mini (12-13) has traded most of the overalls with Keller and we have seen Stone contending on more than one occasion. It is going to be exciting seeing what the confidence boost of capturing his first overall win will do for this rider as he sits only one point behind class point leader Levi Keller.
The 10:00 am races have also given race fans a lot to look forward to this season with some amazing battles of their own. With Saturday morning ATV racing becoming almost as popular as the afternoon racing, the GNCC Racing Nation is experiencing some of the greatest battles in its history.
A few notes from some of the highlights of the ATV battles include everything from win streaks broken to Schoolboy class racers making the podium. Powerline Park for sure gave us a lot to talk about as we roll through the final rounds of 2011.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Since break, it just hasn't been Strang's season
Clifton Beasley who was working on his second consecutive perfect season in the U2 class met with mechanical issues late in the race which saw him lose not only a lot of time but also the class win and several positions in the overall. In the battle for the overall point lead, Beasley had a 5-point lead in the standings over Traci Cecco heading into Powerline. This is monumental for the simple fact that for a number of years since the ATV split into two programs there has not been any other classes hold the #201 number other than a women class competitor. (At least by my recollection) After the weekend Traci Cecco moved into the overall lead by 15 points. Along with that, Beasley now only sits 2 points ahead of the 4x4 Open classes Michael Swift. Needless to say, the battle for the overall in the ATV Morning is going to be a good one.
Another highlight of the morning was when Schoolboy (13-15) A/B rider Brycen Neal from Bidwell Ohio checked in with the 3rd overall. As podium celebrations began it looked as though it would be another Super Dave Simmons/Utility ATV podium but having a feeling about the way Neal was performing, I made a quick double check of the standings. Michael Swift had been thought to have captured 3rd was readying himself for interview when the change was noticed. Swift with a disappointed and confused look on his face politely exited the podium and made way for the youngster. On his return to the podium moments later for his Utility ATV Podium presentation, Swift congratulated Neal and stated it didn't bother him to have that happen because he knew that Neal deserved the spot and was excited for him and his accomplishments. That goes to show you just how good of a guy Swift is and he only seems to echo what our sport is all about.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Aarol Bright, Walker Fowler and Gabe Phillips graced the XC2 podium.
If you would like to check out the "unofficial ATV Overall Score" on QuadZone.com it is surely fuel the fire in the closing rounds of 2011.
The 10:00 am race on Sunday has been another interesting one to watch. Though the Sportsman A class seemingly always dominates this timeslot if one takes a deeper look at the standings some interesting things begin to emerge. Like, if the Sportsman classes did not count for the morning overall podium celebrations there would be some exciting racing we have not had a chance to notice in the overall. The rest of the field unfortunately gets overlooked sometimes by the excitement of what's taking place with the battles up front in the Sportsman class. Fortunately if you look at the race results online it gives you the actual breakdown from this standpoint.
For instance, KTM's 2-Time Women Class Champion Maria Forsberg captured her second technical overall finish this season. Also, Masters A 50+ class 2nd place point holder captured his first technical overall win. Mark Patterson who has finished 2nd overall on several occasions this past season topped the field at Power Line Park by nearly 7 minutes. Way to go Mark and Maria!
Another note of interest for the morning overall was one for the 200C Schoolboy Class rider Dalton Cross from Dalton Tennessee. Cross began the season finishing 189th overall working later into the 80s overall then 30s, 20s and teens. Cross finished 3rd overall at the last two rounds and is obviously looking strong late in the season. And one thing is for certain we will watch these battles more as the season wears on.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Steward Baylor Jr. won the XC2 class after winning the Motosport.com Holeshot.
Also if you are wondering about the morning overall champion from last year the #201 of Randall Riggs from the Masters A 50+ Class. He has five overall wins this season and is going to a contender once again for the top honors in the morning bike racing action.
That's a lot to process, but a lot is happening this season that we might not realize. So think about that for a while.
Till next time God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.
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