June 7 , 2007
Welcome to Quick Fill. How long has it been?
It feels like years have passed since we last raced in the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series, and while it hasn’t been quite that long, it has been a month, which means a lot can change. We’re hoping everyone is more ready and willing to race than ever, because we’ve reached the halfway mark of the season, and it’s warm enough to ride in every part of the country. So, the excuses are gone, let the racing begin.
There’s a lot of history at this weekend’s race, the Weekend Warrior Spartan GNCC. We’ve been racing here for awhile, which means there have been plenty of memorable moments of both dust and mud—classic GNCC fare that every track has faced. The most infamous Spartan GNCC of all was the wild 2004 event, when we ran ATVs on Saturday but had to cancel Sunday’s race because the place got swamped out so bad that no one could make it into the facility to sign up and race. Later that year we returned to the joint to race in very dry conditions. You never know what you’re going to get at Sparta.
That said, the weather this weekend looks great. Chance of some rain Friday, nothing on Saturday and Sunday. So we may be looking at perfect conditions.
Not every rider is in perfect condition, though. Last week we wrote about how Parts Unlimited/Moose Honda’s Paul Whibley has been feeling really, really under the weather. Then we get this email from Thad DuVall’s mom, and reportedly XC2 Lites #17 isn’t much better.
 Thad is feeling kinda' bad right now. Hooper photo |
Jason, I just read the piece about Whibley’s illness and we are going through the same thing. Thad started getting sick on Wednesday with a bad headache and by Thursday morning he was vomiting and running a very high fever. By Friday we had to take him to our Doctor friend and he had strept throat, bronchitis and the flu. Just now today did he get off the couch and he is still running a fever. Even with good medicine and a very good doctor we are having trouble getting rid of this bug. Because it is the same doctor that treats Chad and is our good friend, if Thad is not 100% by Tuesday he will get him into the ER and give him an IV to boost his system before the race in KY. Hope none of the other racers go through this, it is really bad (of course Chad with his illness, we have to keep him away from Thad and I have to buy a lot of disinfectant supplies). Thad says he will be ready for Sparta (Mom says I am not sure). See ya’ soon.
-Susie Duvall (Thad’s mom)
So Whibs and Thad are feeling bad, but now we have heard that Shane Watts has chipped a bone in his thumb and will most likely miss this weekend’s race. This is a major bummer since Wattsy was still trying to hold on in the title fight. We’ll probably see Watts back at Snowshoe.
Speaking of Snowshoe, did you see the info we posted about it on Tuesday? The place is unreal! We’re going to have some fun golfing on Friday, and then go race on Saturday and Sunday. We’ll have a free Parts Unlimited dinner on Saturday evening, and we’ll hand out the golf trophies and awards then, too. So golf as late as you want Friday, because we’ll serve dinner and award our best golfers on Saturday.
For info on the rest of the weekend, click here to read about GNCC golf.
Did you know we’ve had two racers from South Africa who have been contesting the full GNCC season? Here’s some info we got from David McIntyre, who is helping them out:
Good morning Jason! I would like to give you a little insight on who the two South Africans) are and what they are doing! Louwrens Mahoney is presently the 2006 Pro South African Cross Country Champion, and the 2005 & 2006 Pro South African Enduro Champion. Kenneth Gilbert is the 2006 200cc South African Cross Country Champion. Their S.A. sponsors gave them the opportunity to take a break and come over to the States to try their hand at the GNCC. These guys are equal to the Rodney's and Knight's and the rest in their country! They received six-month Visas, brought their own money that they had saved and came over to the States back in January of this year to run eight of the GNCCs for experience, training, and to see what it is all about. They have hopes to return for the 2008 GNCC full series! They will be planning on return to S.A. after the snowshoe race taking with them the experience and some knowledge of what is required to become a great racer in the GNCC! Lowrens is presently in 5th in points in the 250 A class with a first place finish in Florida. He had a bad day in Georgia when a large oak tree that sent him to the hospital, and he had bike problems at Loretta's. But again there is no comparisons to the surroundings here compared to S.A. This is all new to these two guys. They hope to come back next year and obtain some help through some sponsorship, win the 250 A class and move up to the Pro ranks in 2009. These guys are eager. They love what they do best and are getting to live out everyone's dream. You know it take a lot to just walk away from your family and everything you know to come and do this!
... and Mahoney |
A editor/magazine owner has just arrive from S.A. to do a article on Louwrens and Kenny, and will be here in the states for the Sparta, KY and Snowshoe, WV races, so has you can see this guys are not your average everyday weekend warriors. The editor told me that in S.A. the GNCC is like the cream of all series, like the Super Bowl!
Awesome. Thanks, Patrick (and good job running their pits).
Jason Raines is back! He raced a star-studded Mid-East race and finished second over the weekend. Here is his report:
Jason Raines made his return to racing over this past weekend at a pair of local races. A motocross race on Saturday followed by a Mid-East hare scrambles on Sunday. Both of the races were located in Belwood, NC at Parker Valley MX park.
The two races Jason competed in were his first race since August 2005! After a year of recovering from his three times broken leg he has been practicing for around 2 months and felt ready for competition, but wanted to start small at some local races.
Saturday June 2- MX
Bike ridden: YZF 450
The weather was a warm 80 degrees with no clouds in the sky. The track was groomed and watered perfectly.
The first race was a MX race and Jason entered the 250 Pro class and the Unlimited pro class.
In the first 250 moto I got off to a horrible start (8th) and the motos were so short (4 laps around a 1:40 long track) that by the time I got up to the leaders it was the white flag and I was unable to get find my way around them. I finished 3rd in the first moto.
In the second 250 moto I got a little better start (6th) and I worked into second by the end of the first lap. I passed the leader back and forth until the white flag came out. On the final lap I passed him and I thought it would be the final pass of the moto, but there was a big up-hill triple I wasn't doing and he was and I tried to pinch him off from doing it and he just moved to the next line and all I saw was wheels spinning over my head as he past me in the air. There were only a few turns left and I was unable to make anything happen. I finished 2nd in the moto for 2nd overall in the 250 class for the day.
In the unlimited class, it was about the same story in both motos, bad starts and coming from behind second place finishes for 2nd overall in that class as well. Nothing exciting happened and I really wanted to win but I was happy that my first race back went well and my speed was good.
 Soon Jason Raines will see more GNCC action than this. Hooper photo |
Sunday June 3, 2007 Hare Scrambles
Bike ridden: YZF 450
Going into the hare scrambles the following day I knew that it would be a tougher day. It rained all night long after the MX and the track was all clay so you can just imagine how slick it was! It rained all the way until we were sitting on the starting line and it let up but was still cloudy and gloomy. The temp was a comfortable 75 degrees, but it was extremely humid.
I knew the competition would be strong too, a lot of top riders have been showing up to this series in North Carolina and the riders in attendance included Glenn Kearney (Team FMF Suzuki), Josh Strang (Team FMF Suzuki) and Jesse Robinson (Team Monster Kawasaki).
My goal was just to see where I stood compared to some of the top riders riding the GNCC series and see if I was going in the right direction in my training/riding program, and see what I needed to work on to be competitive again.
My YZF 450 started on the first kick and I rounded the first turn covered in mud and sitting in 6th place. I made a few passes on the MX track and entered the woods in 4th, behind Kearney, Strang and Robinson. Right were I wanted to be. I rode very conservative trying to stay up in the slick conditions and then Glenn made a mistake and fell so that moved me up to 3rd. I was still hanging with the leaders and then I stalled the bike. By the time I re-fired I had dropped to 5th. I completed the first lap in 5th and made a goggle change.
The second lap I stayed smooth but just couldn't seem to catch back up, at the end of the lap I was still in 5th and 1:00 behind the leader.
On the 3rd lap I started to loosen up and I got into a good groove, I didn't think I was going that fast, but I must have been because by the end of the lap I had made up the time on the pack and moved past Glenn and Jordan Sain to put me into 3rd at the completion of the lap!
On the next lap I moved up to second and passed into the lead towards the end of the lap! I was so excited, I couldn't believe it. It has been a long time since I have led a race!
I had to stop for gas and when I did the leaders passed me and I dropped back into 3rd. It took me about half the 7 mile lap to catch back up to them. I caught Glenn and made my move past him on the inside of a corner. Then I set out after Jesse. I caught him and finished the lap in second.
On the final lap of the race Jesse was leading, I was right on him and Glenn was right on me and I didn't want to try a stupid pass and have Glenn pass me so I just tried to pressure him with the sound of my big 4-stroke and force a mistake. I almost made the pass with about a mile to go when he got behind a lapper but just wasn't able to make it stick. It was a close one and if I would have made an aggressive push I might have made it but I backed out. So I had to settle for following him to the finish.
Results:
1- Jesse Robinson
2- Jason Raines
3- Glenn Kearney
4- Josh Strang
I was very happy with my first weekend back in competition, I know that my speed and conditioning is good and I am on the right track to being competitive on the national level. Taking the full year off to fully recover was well worth it now, my leg never hurt the entire weekend and never during the race did I ever think about it. I was just worried about trying to go faster and try and win the race. It was a good test to the strength in my leg because I was using it a lot in the muddy, slick conditions to keep from falling!
Thank you for all your support, my next race is going to be this weekend in the Industry class at the Kentucky GNCC. I am riding and so is the team boss, Randy Hawkins! Should be fun, wish us luck and I will send a race report on the team after the race.
Alright! Hearing Jason back on a bike and racing is a welcome sign for all of his fans. Jason told me that when he grabbed the lead, he felt like he was winning an AMA National Motocross because the fans at the race were cheering hard and waving towels and shirts trying to keep him going. If Jason can comeback anywhere near the form he once had, he’ll make a lot of people happy. So come watch him (and Randy Hawkins, too!) race in the morning class this weekend.
 Good on Jesse Robinson for his Mid-East Win over Raines, Kearney and Strang. The kid is learning quickly! Hooper photo |
They will lose one of their main competitors in the morning race, though. Former GNCC Champion Scott Plessinger has decided it’s time to move on from the morning races, so he’s headed all the way back to the top: Scott is signed up to race XC2 Lites this weekend! He’s registered as #150, and this should be fun to watch. And if it turned out to be muddy, look out.
Congrats also out to Santo DeRisi, who won the ATV Pro class at the Mid-East in Parker, with Bryan Cook and Michael Houston second and third. They get some big hitters down at those races!
There are other races going on last weekend. The popular 24-Hour Challenge at Perry Mountain was captured by what was dubbed “The KTM Team.” The official name was Southeast Cycle Specialty, and with this lineup, it’s no shock they came out on top:
Allen Gravitt • Flowery Branch, GA
Robbie Jenks • New Straitsville, OH
Dustin Gibson • Vanleer, TN
Michael Grizzle • Dahlonega, GA
Russell Bobbitt • Fayetteville, GA
Jason Chacey • Chattanooga, TN
 Robbie Jenks took the KTM squad to the 24-Hour Challenge win. Hooper photo |
Big props for the second place group, which had a nice mix of newcomers and veterans. The name, Elmer’s Team, comes as a tribute to Elmer Symons, who we lost last year in a tragic accident at the Dakar Rally.
Steward Baylor • Belton, SC
Trey Welborn • Sumter, SC
Brian Henson • Landrum, SC
Vance Earl • Blacksburg, SC
Lee Stephens • Augusta, GA
Jason Gilleland • Vale, NC
I also heard that the Action Kawasaki team, with Garrett Edmisten on board, was in the hunt early on. They finished third. For all the results, click here
This weekend is the infamous Erzburgrodeo, AKA the Erzberg Enduro. This is the race popularized by David Knight’s dominance, and Travis Pastrana, Jeremy McGrath and others racing. Knighter, of course, can’t race this year’s event since he has to be in Kentucky. But there was some racing on Thursday (today) for twin-cylinder bikes, and of course Knighter was on hand to try that on a KTM 950 Super Duke. He ended up second behind Simo Kirssi, who races the German Cross Country Series for BMW. Anyway, here’s the report from KTM:
The reigning World Enduro Champion from the Isle of Man rode his KTM 950 Super Enduro R to a clear eight seconds advantage to lead in the first lap but was deprived of victory when Simo Kirssi of Finland was two seconds faster in the second lap over the Iron Mountain. The rules of this distinctive event define the winner not as the rider with the fastest aggregate time over two laps but instead the title goes to the one who puts in the fastest single lap.
"Knighter" had flown in specifically for the race on Thursday and immediately leaves to return to continue competing in the Grand National Cross country (GNCC) in the USA, where he is currently second in the standings.
"I could have been faster in the second lap but I made a small mistake at the exit of one of the corners and that cost me a couple of seconds," David Knight said after the race. "All in all I am still quite happy with the result because I didn't have any chance to practice and conditions were quite slippery so I rode rather cautiously."
Kirssi rode one of the traditional Bimmer bikes to victory in this one. But he and multi-time motocross World Champion Joel Smets have been developing the heck out of BMW’s 450 single-cylinder enduro bike, and word is we might see the bike in production trim sooner than many had expected. Maybe by the end of the year. Yes, a full-on 450cc BMW enduro bike. Could be interesting.
 Can-Am's racing heritage is coming soon to a starting line near you. |
Of course, Can-Am has their 450cc machine ready, the DS450 ATV. It was officially released last Saturday and you have to marvel at the engineering of the Canadian machine. Less weight and more power than the rest of the 450cc ATV bunch—sounds impressive. I don’t know when the machine will be available at dealers yet, but suffice to say we expect to see a whole bunch of these yellow machines on the starting line at GNCC races in 2008.
Click here for more on the machine.
Check this out: the Cincinnati Enquirer did a nice little story on Charlie Mullins, who is both leading the GNCC points and is a local boy at this race (he actually lives closer to Sparta than he does to Millfield, even though he is from Ohio).
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Finally, we have to start building up the incredible win streak Yamaha’s Traci Cecco has racked up in the Women’s class. TLC is simply on fire, winning all six morning race overalls this year, which is already a record. I know her and her crew would probably rather not have us bring up the “sweep” deal, but we’re nearly halfway through the series so there it is. Can she keep it up? I know Angel Atwell and Steph Parton will try to stop her in the Women’s class, and the Ute divisions keep getting faster. I’ve heard that former Utility Unlimited Champion Kevin Johnston might dust off his V-Force soon to give Mike Benson a run, and this weekend the 4x4 Open Class is up to start in the second row off the start. Might some of the big boys there bring a 4x4 to the podium? It’s going to be good. And that’s just the start of the weekend! Remember, we have Chris Borich working on a win streak in XC1 ATV, Brandon Sommers is still undefeated himself in XC2 Pro Am, and on bikes, Charlie Mullins is riding the wave from winning the race and taking the points lead at our last race in Ohio. Knighter and the Hawkster will be back though, as well as the Suzuki boys, and the XC2 Class has yet to have a boring race. It’s going to be fun and it’s going to be good. So be there!
