Welcome to Quick Fill. I'm back in the lovely town of Waverly, Tennessee as I write this week's QF in my favorite little café on the town square. Waverly Café is the town's best-kept secret, in my opinion, as very few people even realize it's here. However, it's pretty evident that the locals are aware of its existence because this place is always packed! Other than the amazing food and unlimited supply of coffee, the Waverly Café has the most amazing "small town" feel and the constant buzz amongst the friendly locals is what makes it such a neat place to set up and work.
Photo By: Jen Kenyon
The Waverly Cafe - Loretta Lynn's best kept secret WiFi hotspot
Last weekend I headed down to Pigeon Forge, TN for the annual ATVMX Awards Banquet and rather than heading clear back to West Virginia, I hung around the dirty south with Mr. Cotter as he made a few business stops. I've always worked out of a somewhat "portable office" since I travel so often, but this week was the epitome of that term, for sure. It's never a dull moment with our crew and surely a busy schedule, but road trips like these stimulate our minds and give us the opportunity to create more positive ammo in our respective job areas. And of course, every prolonged road trip at Racer always seems to end in once place - the Loretta Lynn's Ranch.
Clearly Loretta Lynn's Ranch is the mecca for motorsports, as they hold the Amateur Motocross Championship, the ATVMX finale and of course, the GNCC. We spend a lot of time in this community each year and you can't help but appreciate the history that comes along with this place. The guys below will share more about the history since they've been around a little...err a lot...longer than I have.
Speaking of history, everyone's favorite PR guy/announcer/personality/friend and of course, my predecessor, Jason Weigandt, will be back with us this weekend to celebrate an awesome year of GNCC Racing and just to be a part of history in the making as we race three days in a row, for the first time EVER! The Weege will be around to co-announce the weekend's racing action as well as host some of the special events taking place over the weekend. One thing he will NOT be doing, though, is beating me in Sunday's Vendor's Challenge (VC5) race. Like the year's past, we will have a class specially designed for GNCC Vendors and Sponsors to race for fun as well as bragging rights - so if you're a part of that category, contact me and we will get you signed up. It's a last row start and we will only allow riders who are a part of our GNCC sponsor/vendor team to join the class. That being said, Weege and I will battle it out to see who the true "PR Woods Racer" is, while also attempting to put our respective companies ahead in the VC5 competition. Rodney will be hosting a fun little game regarding the VC5 picks, so listen in all weekend to hear how you can partake in the bench racing festivities.
Photo By: Jen Kenyon
Racer road trips always require antique shop stops along the way, what a cool Harley tank!
Don't forget that GNCC Idol will be taking place at 7 PM on Friday night in the Pavilion so bring your best talents over for an entertaining show for all. Karaoke will be set up Friday and Saturday nights in the Pavilion as well, so as the sun goes down, be sure to join in the excitement happening in the evenings. To sign up for GNCC Idol, be at the pavilion by 6:15 PM to sign up and get added into the program. Saturday night will host the first-ever Seat Time Awesomeness Competition at GNCC! The competition will consist of both a Concept2 Rowing Competition and a Maxxis Tire Changing Contest. Seat Time will be signing participants up Friday and throughout the day Saturday so if you'd like to sign-up, see those guys on Vendor's Row. We've got some great prizes, including Moose Racing gear, Maxxis tires, Amsoil products and more!
If you're racing the double-header this weekend, meaning Friday and Sunday bike racing, don't panic if you break something the first day. Our friends at KTM were nice enough to bring out their amateur support rig in case riders needed to purchase hard parts throughout the weekend. To find out what exactly they have in stock, head over to see those guys at the truck and they'll hook you up! Also, the Moto Tees trailer will be on site once again selling hard parts and anything else you may need to keep your machine in tact for two days of racing. Don't forget the other GNCC vendors who provide parts and service on site every weekend - like Maxxis, ITP, Parts Unlimited/Moose Racing, FMF, Amsoil, Pirelli, VP Fuel, Wiseco, Twin Air, Fox Shox, Factory Connection and Ride PG - these sponsors are committed to provide you all with the tools to finish and win GNCC races. So use them to your benefit people!
So here we are, the final weekend of racing in 2011. Many championships have been wrapped up in both ATV and bikes, but there's one big one still up for grabs. Charlie Mullins is sitting pretty heading into the final two races but you can't help but to play the "what if" game. Take a look at Ironman, for instance, three KTM racers ran into bike problems that caused each of them to finish in the back of the pack, while Mullins ran a flawless race - both man and machine. Josh Strang has seen everything from mishaps on the course to freak accidents with the bike, while Mullins cruised through for consistent finishes. Thad DuVall damaged a water pump in Florida that put him to last place in a heartbeat, while Jesse Robinson somehow managed to split his bike in two at Ironman and both riders watched as Mullins accepted his number one trophy on the podium. For the most part, Mullins has avoided catastrophy in every way neccesary, which has no doubt put him ahead of the rest in the standings as a result. Now I'm wishing Charlie all the luck in the world to grab a well-deserved title this weekend, but in a racing discipline where you're on a rough, rocky, muddy, hilly course for three hours at a time (TWICE this weekend), it's impossible to foreshadow the conclusion until the first place guy grabs the checkers. In theory, all Charlie has to do is ride a consistent pace and keep his motorcycle in tact for six hours total, and the title is his. But that's easier said than done in GNCC Racing, which is why these Pro athletes are the top of our sport and our industry. Whatever the outcome, we can all agree that the 2011 season was epic and that all these riders have shown an incredible amount of talent, heart and provided the spectators something spectacular to watch in the woods and on TV. So good luck to all!
Photo By: Jen Kenyon
The Great Smokies provided an amazing view from the truck window
Well, that's all for me. I'm going to head back to the ranch to check out what JR and the crew has masterpieced together for Friday's race, it sounds like they may have a few tricks up their sleeves! Here's Shan Moore.
Thanks, Jen. One thing I'm interested in watching this weekend is the rebuilding and maintenance that will take place on the bikes after Friday's race to get them ready for Sunday. A three-hour GNCC creates a lot of work for a mechanic, so on Saturday the pits should be full of bikes in various states of undress and repair. Of course, a few of the more fortunate factory guys may have two bikes for the weekend, but for the most part, everyone will be at best doing regular maintenance and at worst, repairing any damage they may have incurred on Friday. It will be a real workout for the mechanics (and dads) and for me, it will be fun to watch.
It looks like the Obermeyer Yamaha/Raines Riding University/OffroadViking.com Race Team will be making their first GNCC appearance as an official team this weekend and they're bringing in 2011 ISDE Overall Junior Champion Romain Dumonteir from France. I'm not sure if this is a "try out" for next year, but it should make things interesting, and it'll be cool to gauge his performance against our top XC2 guys like Stu Baylor, Jordan Ashburn, Jason Thomas and Andrew DeLong (among others). If I understand correctly, Ashburn is part of the Obermeyer team for next year, as well, along with Brad Bakken, who is still recovering from injury.
I'm driving to Loretta Lynn's since it's reasonably close to Oklahoma (12 hours) and since I was heading east I decided to leave a little early and visit Russell Bobbitt in the Atlanta area. Russ will be riding Loretta's on Friday, and then heading to Alabama to ride an enduro that's on the 2012 national enduro schedule, so he can familiarize himself with the terrain and do a little recon for next year. I got a chance to watch him practice in a little wooded area next to his dad's shop and I'm convinced there's no one faster in the really tight woods than Russell Bobbitt. When Russell gets through a tight section really fast he says he "greased it", and he was greasing the heck out of the woods next to the shop.
Thanks Shan. I didn't realize you were so close to Atlanta; I could have visited you guys at the Bobbitt compound! Here's Jared Bolt-On's take on this weekend's double-header action.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Bobbitt rocks in the tight woods near his GA shop
Thanks Jen! We're now approaching our series finale, albeit a little different than what we're used to in GNCC Racing. After the cancellation of the Loretta Lynn's and Indy 100 bike rounds earlier this year, the decision was made to create a double-header weekend at Loretta's, and the idea is already showing that it was a great choice. There's a ton of special activities going on throughout the weekend, all of which show promise to be almost as much fun as the racing! I like to think of as being a great "last hoorah" for the season, and I for one, am super excited.
The Loretta Lynn's event itself is nothing short of prestigious as well. The ranch has seen the likes of some of the world's best riders between the GNCC, the Amateur National and ATVMX events held there every year. The Loretta Lynn's GNCC event is the longest running current GNCC after it's addition to the series in 1983. Since then winners have come and gone, epic battles have been won and lost, and most of all, fun has been had. In the past decade of GNCC Racing at the ranch, there's been one rider who has dominated the ATV ranks. That would be none other than Bill Ballance himself, who has logged six wins in ten years. Chris Borich has also had his share of success at the ranch logging wins in 2007 and 2010.
On the bike side, we haven't seen this type of dominance by any single riders. In that same time frame, there have only been two repeat bike winners - Juha Salminen and David Knight - taking the wins in their two-year stints with the series. Since 2000, there have been nine different bike winners coming in the form of such superstars as Shane Watts (2000), Fred Andrews (2001), Jason Raines (2002), Barry Hawk (2003), Rodney Smith (2004), Juha Salminen (2005/2006), David Knight (2007/2008), Josh Strang (2009) and Charlie Mullins (2010). From that list of riders, only two of them are currently contesting the series, and coincidentally they happen to be the two riders who are racing for the championship, Charlie Mullins and Josh Strang.
Photo By: Jen Kenyon
Borich wrapped up the ATV title in IN but there's plenty of battles left in the XC1 class
As for the racing that will be taking place this weekend, it could once again shape up to be more epic racing. While Chris Borich may have already wrapped up the ATV title, there's no doubt that the top 5 guys will all be racing for those remaining top five point positions. I broke down the second through fifth place points chase last week, but to give a refresher, it will be Adam McGill hoping to hold on to his comfortable lead in the second place position while Taylor Kiser and Chris Bithell battle for the third place spot. Brian Wolf is also close enough in fifth place to shake things up as well with a good ride. Each of these riders have shown that they can run in the top spot, and there's no doubt that the guys will want to close the season on a high note, and what would be a higher note than taking the race win ahead of the guy who just wrapped up the championship?
When it comes to the bikes, the title chase is definitely coming down to the wire. While Charlie Mullins may have opened up his lead over Josh Strang at the past few races, he still hasn't wrapped up the title and the racing could definitely be fierce between the guys. They're also going to have to keep an eye on the Axe Man, Paul Whibley, who has closed to within just a few points of Josh Strang. The other rider to watch for will once again be Kailub Russell who will undoubtedly be ready to bounce back from his bad luck at the Ironman. If you ask me, the race between the top four guys could very well be once of the best all season with everything coming down to the wire. They also have to watch for the other regular challengers in the form of Cory Buttrick, Thad Duvall, Nate Kanney, and the rest of the XC1 class.
You also can't forget about the XC2 class, which provided us with an incredible race at the Ironman as it came down to the wire between Steward Baylor and Jordan Ashburn for the race win. Both riders will be hungry for another win as they have proved to be the guys to beat in the XC2 class. At the same time, they will have to overcome the challenge of riders such as Jason Thomas and Andrew Delong who are both definitely starving for a race win. To make things even more interesting, there's also the Overall Amateur spot, which has been shaken up at throughout the season with riders such as Adam Bonneur, Chris Douglas, Scott Grills, Grant Baylor and Aaron Plessinger all taking the honors.
So in a nutshell, you can expect an incredible weekend of racing at Loretta Lynn's. Everyone come on out and enjoy the special events, the racing and the overall good time. No matter who comes out on top at the end of the season, I think everyone can agree that 2011 has been an amazing year for GNCC racing and Loretta Lynn's is going to be a great way to put an end to the season.
That's going to do it for me this week. If you see me at Loretta's and have any stories to share, or just want to say hi, feel free! Until next time, Bolt-On out.
Thanks, Bolt-On. And now, here's Hot Rodney.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Can Fowler make GNCC History?
Thanks Jen. It seems rather odd to many of us to be racing GNCC in November but here we are and what's even more out of the ordinary is the fact that a GNCC motorcycle champion has not yet been crowned. That will all change this weekend, however, as the first-ever GNCC double-header weekend rolls into the ranch for the final rounds of 2011. Though this may be our first time experiencing this in modern era GNCC, this is not the first time a race has been ran here this late in the season.
In November 1983 Loretta Lynn hosted their first-ever off road race and today - nearly 30 years later - we continue to try and tame the terrain. There are several differences to the event today as compared to then and one of the biggest changes I suppose would be where the race is started and the size and magnitude that the event has grown to.
In the early days and probably up until the late 1990's, racers would gather on Stage Coach Hill by where the General Store and the Campfire Show Arena are located. The podium celebrations were held on the big wooden deck outside the store and I think if you make your way up there, you may find an old board that kind of looks like a motorcycle may have done a burn out on it. Well, that's actually from Shane Watts after taking the win and doing one of his famous podium burnouts. It's truly amazing to think of how much this event has grown over the years. And I feel we'll all realize that this weekend with the extra attention put on this particular Loretta Lynn GNCC.
This year we will see an all-new look to the GNCC Loretta Lynn pits. It will be one of the more unique pro row/vendor rows we have witnessed here. The pro bikes will pit along River Road under the trees, which I feel will add a neat atmosphere to the longest running GNCC on the schedule. The finish will end near the starting line of the motocross track and will feature one of the longer sections of the actual moto track incorporated than we have seen in recent years. I even hear talk of an over-under that should be an interesting spectacle as riders head for the checkers.
Earlier in the season, I talked with our "Voice of Reason" Rita Coombs about the cancellation and rescheduling of this year's GNCC. In our conversation about rescheduling she stated to me that she felt it was truly significant that the GNCC must run a 2011 race here in the hallowed soils of Hurricane Mills Tennessee. She said we have been running there for almost 30 years and we are not stopping that tradition anytime soon. It's almost as if it's a celebration of sorts for the off road racing community.
Photo By: Ryne Swanberg - vurbmoto.com
Jesse Robinson gets the "wildest bike issue" award from Ironman
There are several events scheduled on top of the normal GNCC activities. In a nutshell - we will be doing everything from karaoke and GNCC Idol to Concept rowing contests to a 50cc race to a huge Parts Unlimited Dinner to a "Vendor Row Challenge" (VC5) and more. The vendor challenge was originally set up to allow some of the vendors that work the GNCC the opportunity to go out and race amongst each other for fun and to claim bragging rights as the fastest vendor on vendor row. The Vendor Row Challenge has grown to be more than bragging rights for vendors this year as several industry riders are expected to ride as well. Maxxis is our defending champions and from what I hear the boys from Rekluse Clutches who won a few years ago are sending some folks in to try and reclaim that title. This will get interesting to say the least. And don't forget each raceday a non-denominational church service will be conducted at 8:30 am in the Team Faith pits on vendor row.
That'll do it for me, till next time God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.
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