The New GNCC Racing Online

Tuesday Toolbox .... Snowshoe!

Words by Weigandt

Our crew visited Snowshoe yesterday for another recon mission. The Moose Racing Snowshoe GNCC is coming together quickly, and you simply won't ever forget this weekend if you join us. This place and this race will be that spectacular.

This is not the typical GNCC scenery. Those are the hotels , shops and restaurants you'll be hanging out in. And sign up, the start, finish, podium and pro pits will all be contained within this area!

Now for the details. Here’s the word on the racing:

We are running all classes at this event (including Youth Bikes and ATVs)

Schedule runs as normal (8am Youth, 10 am Morning race, 1 pm XC1, XC2, A and B)

All classes will use the GP-style start instead of the traditional GNCC dead engine. We will start in rows of five riders.

In the Afternoon races, XC1 riders will start first. XC2 riders will be the next group. Then A riders (mixed) and B riders (mixed). We will of course adjust start times and score each class individually.

The starting order for the morning races is still being determined.

Youth and Morning race events will run the traditional time frame and mileage.

Afternoon ATV race will run an additional lap compared to normal GNCC events

The Afternoon bike race will run near the 100 mile mark (we are shooting for six 15 or 16 mile laps)

We have decided against the full 25-mile loop due to concerns over pitting. As far as running a 100-mile ATV event, we’ll test the waters this year by running a longer race for the afternoon ATV event (probably an extra 10-12 miles over the norm) and see how it goes. Even the old 100-mile GNCC events didn’t run the full 100 for ATVs, and the terrain at Snowshoe is very steep and rocky—so one step at a time here.

Yes, the track will be steep and rocky, probably similar to Wisp. Be prepared.

The rocks here can get kinda' big.

Riders will race up and down this ski lift trail, and the finish line is at the top of the mountain, next to the ski lift station.

Right behind the finishline, these two posts will frame the podium.

The GP-style start is a live engine, flagged start, with rows of five leaving every five seconds. We’ll start on a paved road in the Showshoe Village, just like an old-school downtown start. We still have details to sort, mainly with who will start when in the morning events. We’ll have more info coming on that topic soon.

We'll start on the two-lane blacktop road on the right, then gently bend into this couryard and blast onto the grass and into the woods.

At the bottom of the facility lies this lake, which also features a bar/restaurant, volleyball courts, a kids play area and some crazy bungee jumping thing. The ski lift takes you right down to (and back up from) the lake.

Here's the hangout at the lake. We'll make sure some of the track winds around this area so you can catch some racing while hanging out.

Many trails have already been cut in thanks to Snowshoe's very popular mountain bike scene.

It will be steep and rocky here. Be ready for a true off-road test!

Like the Wisp GNCC, there will be some open sections, but they're at the top and bottom of steep hills.

As far as your weekend at the facility, here’s what to expect:

We will have the GNCC Golf tournament on Friday. It’s fun and the Showshoe course will blow your mind—it’s that spectacular. Click here for details.

Rider Registration, the start, finish and podium will all be located near the village on top of Snowshoe Mountain. That’s within walking distance of the hotels and the pro pits. We will have RV parking space for all racers, but spectators are not allowed to camp at Snowshoe. Also, tent camping is prohibited (even by racers). Believe us, the hotels here are so nice and so close to the track that you might as well leave the RV (and all that fuel) at home.

We’re working on even more details for this race, but this should clear up plenty. Feel free to ask questions when we see you this weekend for the Spartan GNCC, or send us an email.

Otherwise, get ready for a GNCC even more spectacular than anything you’ve ever seen before!

Who is ready for golf?