The Powerline Park GNCC is normally the penultimate round of the series, but due to cancelled races earlier in the season, this was one of the four remaining rounds in the 2011 schedule. Each rider of the Keystone Team was looking to log solid results and advance in overall points standings for their respective classes. Above average fall temperatures and clear skies made for ideal racing conditions in the rolling clay hills of eastern Ohio.
In the 10 a.m. morning race, LeeAnn Bange once again lined up alongside nineteen of America's fastest off-road Women's racers. With all systems go, she kicked her Yamaha and raced towards the first corner, only to find herself buried towards the back of the pack. The first lap was difficult for LeeAnn not only because of her bad start, but because of the hard pack Ohio clay. Quad racing the day prior turned the course into a two-lined road, rather than a dirt bike track. On top of that, moisture coming to the surface overnight created some of the slickest conditions LeeAnn had faced all season. Despite a poor start and trails that required precise throttle control, she was able to climb into sixth place by the end of lap one. On lap two LeeAnn's nerves settled along with her riding pace and she rode consistently to move into the fourth place position. By lap three, the hard-pack trails began taking shape as ruts and lines developed throughout the corners. Thanks in part to improving conditions; it was on this lap in which LeeAnn logged her fastest time of the race. Lap four went relatively smooth for LeeAnn as she kept her four stroke on two wheels at all times and continued closing the gap between herself and third place. The fifth and final lap of her two hour race began with a brief pit stop for an energy shot and some fuel. From there, LeeAnn put in one last charge to catch and pass third place. Even after struggling through the infamous powerline mud hole, she maintained her third place position to the finish. "The bike ran great and the Rekluse clutch helped the bike track better through the slick stuff. I can't wait for the Ironman," she said ecstatically at the end of the race. With three races remaining LeeAnn sits only five points behind second in championship standings.
In the afternoon main event, Keystone's Jed Haines, Zack Smith and Ian Pannebakker took their spots in a field of nearly two hundred riders. After coming off career best finishes at the previous two rounds of racing, XC1 Pro Rider Jed Haines was looking to continue building on his results in the hills of Ohio. When the green flag flew, Jed fired his four fifty machine and looked as though he may grab the holeshot. However, cutting the first corner too close resulted in tree branches nearly ripping off his goggles, forcing Jed to slow down and make adjustments. Despite his first turn issues, Jed was able to refocus and immediately began catching other riders. At the end of lap one, Haines recovered nicely to sit in eighth place, just ten seconds behind seventh. The second lap was going well until arm pump set in, once again causing him to ride tense during the opening portions of the race. Unfortunately, this resulted in several uncharacteristic tip-overs which put him back to twelfth place. Lap three went much smoother as the arm pump began to dissipate, allowing him to up the pace and move forward one position. His progress was halted shortly thereafter when his rear brake locked up from overheating, forcing a return to the pits for replacement. The issue cost Jed well over ten minutes of time in a class where even seconds can make a difference. Most notably, he never gave up and returned to racing. Although Jed was unable to close the time deficit, he finished the race even after crashing with a lapper. Haines looks forward to finding the success he experienced in the previous rounds at the next race in Indiana.
In the XC2 Pro Lites division, Keystone Offroad Racing Team's Zack Smith was looking to retaliate after missing out on the top ten by only seconds at the last round in Pennsylvania. However, his race didn't get off to the greatest start when he tangled bars with another rider and went down. Fortunately, the incident was minor and the terrain plush, so neither he nor the bike was injured. He remounted his KTM machine and set out to catch the rest of the field, now two turns ahead. He kept the bike off the ground for the remainder of the lap which moved him past several riders and into sixteenth. Lap two proved to be Zack's most challenging of the entire race. Just as he began working into a rhythm, Zack found himself treading mud after picking a bad line at the bottom of the power line. After hoisting his bike from the sludge, Zack continued on with his lap, only to suffer an uncharacteristic crash in a wooded section. Bruised and battered, he once again climbed aboard his machine and finished out the lap in sixteenth. On lap three he regained his composure and settled into a pace to set his fastest lap time of the race. He remained in sixteenth, but began closing ground on fifteenth, eventually making the pass late in lap four. A pit for gas and fresh bottle of water on lap five gave Zack a burst of energy. As a result, he made three more passes, moving himself into twelfth. In the closing laps of the race, on a track that was now extremely choppy and rutted, he moved himself into eleventh place, which he maintained until the checkers. For the second race in a row Zack overcame early race adversity to finish just outside the top ten.
The last rider to tackle the Powerline Park course was Keystone Offroad's, Four Stroke A Lites rider, Ian Pannebakker. After suffering a mechanical issue at the last round of racing, Ian was looking to log a solid result at one of his favorite venues of the season. With the green flag waving, he rounded the first corner in third place, nearly ripping the holeshot. However, his clutch was not completely engaging, so he had to slow his pace and adjust the cable throughout the first few turns. Entering the first section of woods Ian was able to hold down his position in third. Roughly halfway into the lap, the class leader was stuck in a rut, advancing him to second with ease. Ultimately, Ian felt dangerously uncomfortable with the pace of the front runners, electing to slow down and prevent further injury to his damaged knee. He finished the first lap in a mediocre fifth place position, but was confident in his ability to ride a consistent pace for all three hours. On lap two Ian made one small mistake on one of the many slick sections of the course after his back end broke loose. He was quick to rebound and neither gained or lost any ground on his competitors. After pitting for fuel, goggles, and applesauce early in lap three, Ian was reenergized for the next few laps. On a slippery hill climbing up the side of creek bed he made the pass for fourth, but in the coming laps Ian was constantly at battle, exchanging spots with his competitors on numerous occasions. It wasn't until his fifth and final lap that his consistent riding and lap times allowed Ian to claim third place.
Round twelve of the Can-Am GNCC Series saw improved results across the board for the Keystone Offroad Racing Team. Although Jed Haines struggled with brake issues during the first hour of racing, he returned to the track and did what he could to salvage points. Women's rider LeeAnn Bange logged another third place finish for the second week in a row, maintaining her standing in the class point's race. Likewise, Zack Smith finished eleventh for the second week in a row in the highly competitive XC2 Pro Lites class. Keystone's Four Stroke A Lites rider, Ian Pannebakker, was finally able to get the bad luck off his back and finish a solid third place, despite a torn PCL and LCL in his left knee. The GNCC series heads west to the plains of Indiana for one of the largest races of the season in just two weeks.
St. Clairsville, OH Results:
Jedediah Haines (XC1 Pro)- Class: 13/13 Overall: 49/177 Season Point Standing: 11th
LeeAnn Bange (Women)- Class: 3/20 Overall: 19/321 Season Point Standing: 3rd
Ian Pannebakker (4 Stroke A Lites)- Class: 3/12 Overall: 38/177 Season Point Standing: 3rd
Zackery Smith (XC2 Pro Lites)- Class: 11/19 Overall: 31/177 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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