Acerbis Loretta Lynn's GNCC
Paul Whibley
Race Report: Round 5 GNCC Series, Tennesse
Team: Parts Unlimited, Moose, Honda
Bike: Honda CRF450X
Loretta Lynns Ranch was the venue for the latest GNCC. The sun was out and temperatures were up. The track was fast and hard packed with a lot of rocks. It looked like it was going to be dusty, too.
 |
After a crash the week before at an OMA race I was out to salvage some points. I still had my stitches in my hip and my sprained foot was a little tender.
From the start I moved my way into the top 5 early in the lap, as a lot of guys went down on the slick and freshly-watered grass track section. We then entered the woods and onto the rocks. I tried to ride relaxed but being off the bike for over a week, in full recovery mode, made things difficult. I think I was protecting my injuries a little as well and soon pumped up and began to lose positions.
By the fuel stop I was back to about 15th. I was not having much fun out there but was focused on taking some points home. I made some time up by finding a few smooth lines and passed a couple of guys late in the race. I also caught up to Hawk in the last half of the lap. He was just far enough in front where I had no chance to try for a pass. I ended up in 13th place.
With everything that has happened, I was happy to take the points but a little disappointed as I was hoping to be inside the top ten.
Thank you to the following sponsors for their continued support
Parts Unlimited, Moose, Honda, Honda Riders Club America, Honda Pro
Oils and Chemicals, Pirelli, Sunstar, Braking, RG3, Wiseco, Motion
Pro, EK Chain, Tag, Cycra, WER, Powersport GrafX, Thumper Racing,
IMS, CTi, Smith, Alpinestars, Tire Balls, Vortex, Moto SR, Stringfellows,
Darbi Accessories
Monster Energy
Monster Energy FAR Pro Circuit/Kawaski
Off-Road Team Puts A Couple In
Top Ten at Loretta Lynn's GNCC Stop
Scott Watkins 5th in XC2 class, Jesse Robinson 6th in XC1 class
CORONA, Calif., (April 30, 2007)—The Monster Energy FAR (Fred Andrews
Racing) Pro Circuit Kawasaki Off-Road Team wrapped up competition this
past weekend at famed country music star Loretta Lynn’s ranch in
Hurricane Mills, Tenn., Round Five of the 2007 Can-Am Grand National
Cross Country series, aka the “GNCCs.”
Leading the charge for the Monster Energy/FAR program in the hot and dusty
conditions in middle Tennessee was again Scott Watkins in the XC2 class.
Watkins, last week’s winner at the Pirelli GNCC Big Buck (Union,
S.C.). Though Watkins got out of the gate poorly (last place), his ‘never
say die’ attitude got him back through the pack on the fast track
layout for a top five (5th) place finish overall. And this despite a
pretty gnarly first lap crash.
 |
“I had to regroup and do the best I could,” said Watkins. “It’s a long year and I need to stay healthy.”
Watkins’ Monster Energy/FAR teammate, Cole Calkins, got out to a far better XC2 class start (3rd) and was running with the race leaders when he collided with a tree at the ten mile mark and broke his brake hose. The accident forced Calkins into the pits and, once he got back going and up to speed, he nailed a big rock and bent his front rotor to the point he couldn’t complete the race.
“I need to get some luck on my side one of these days,” said Calkins.
Rounding out the XC2 racers was PA Allen, who crashed on the first lap,
re-injured his back as was unable to finish the race.
In the premier XC1 class Monster Energy/FAR’s Jesse Robinson got out with the leaders (4th) and raced up front all day, eventually finishing 6th overall.
“I had a great start and that is what I needed to do on a dusty day like today,” said Robinson. “I am looking forward to the next race.”
Next up for the Monster Energy FAR Pro Circuit Kawasaki Off-Road is the Wiseco John Penton in Millfield, Ohio (May 12-13).
Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it off-road, FMX, skate, motocross,
surf, snow, BMX – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster
Energy more than anything these days. Check out all the flavors – Original
Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault and the new
Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “Khaos.” Fred Andrews and
his boyz dig ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net
at www.monsterenergy.com.
Justin Williamson
Check out www.williamsonracing.com for a race report from Loretta Lynn's
David Knight
DK wins again and moves to the top of US GNCC championship
Reigning
Enduro 3 world champion David Knight claimed his second US GNCC victory
in as many races by winning the fifth round of the Racer Productions
organised championship at Loretta Lynn’s in Tennessee. After
winning the fourth round of the series to claim his first ever GNCC
victory on US soil Knighter returned to the top of the podium at round
five after hitting the front on lap three before going on to dominate
the race. In claiming his second victory in five races Knighter now
holds a slender advantage at the top of the US GNCC points standings.
 |
Getting a less than perfect start when his bike failed to fire into life as the starter’s flag dropped, just as it did at round four of the championship, Knighter quickly worked his way forward and ended the first lap in an impressive fifth position. Up to third by the end of lap two DK then opted not to wait until the final lap to attack and move to the front as he had at the previous round of the championship deciding instead to push hard and take the lead, which he did on lap three. As some of his championship rivals slipped backwards down the XC1 Pro class results David extended his lead lap on lap to end the race one and a half minutes ahead of Charlie Mullins in second to claim a well deserved victory.
Due to having won the last two rounds of the ’07 US GNCC series David now leads the series standings by two points from Garrett Edminsten. The next round of the championship takes place on May 13 when the series travels to Ohio for the John Penton GNCC.
David Knight: “I don’t know what’s going on with my starts but my bike just wouldn’t go. I honestly thought that I was going to have to try and bump start it. Thankfully it did eventually fire up but I must have been about 20 seconds behind. The other riders were gone. It took a while to get passed riders, mainly because the track was pretty fast and even the lappers were going pretty quick. The dust was bad too, which made things difficult in places.
“I caught Wattsy and Glenn Kearney on lap two, I think it was, and worked my way passed them. Wattsy stayed with me then until the two lap board. I knew that I was starting to pull away so I took it steady on the last lap. I got caught up with two lapped riders, and even got knocked off on the first lap trying to get passed one rider, so I didn’t want to do anything silly on the last lap. Considering how bad my start was I’m really happy with the way the race went. To be leading the championship is great too.”
Hyper Wheels
BORICH AND CECCO DOMINATE ON HIPER WHEELS
Team HiPer Riders Lead GNCC Points
LAWRENCE , Kan , April 30, 2007—Team HiPer’s triple threat of Chris Borich, Traci Cecco, and John Natalie rode HiPer Tech 3 wheels to the top of the podium after Round 5 of the Can-Am GNCC series and the season opener of the PowerSports ATV Tour. All three riders now lead the season point championships in their respective classes.
Chris Borich held off a charging Bill Balance on the last lap of the Acerbis Loretta Lynn’s GNCC event. Borich’s teammate and fellow HiPer rider Matt Smiley came home in a well deserved and hard fought third. Borich now assumes the point lead after winning the last three events in a row.
Traci Cecco battled with her competition for all three laps of the morning GNCC race. HiPer rider Angel Attwell of Team LTE set the fastest race lap, eventually leading Cecco into the last few corners with Cecco just getting by at the finish for a HiPer one-two.
The GNCC series continues with Round 6 at the Wiseco John Penton race in Millfield, Ohio on May 12.
HiPer Technology, Inc is a Kansas company specializing in carbon fiber products utilizing a proprietary injection molding process. HiPer is the industry leader in ATV and Micro Sprint car wheels. HiPer Technology has grown to be a technology leader in materials, design, and product function since its founding in 2000.
Team KTM/PowersportGrafX
GNCC Round 5 April 29, 2007
 |
Hurricane Mills, TN—The Loretta Lynn’s GNCC was quite a challenge for the KTM/PowersportGrafx team riders.
In XC1, Jason Gilleland got a great start and was 4th into the woods. Unfortunately, a previous injury kept him from pushing hard. He dug deep to hang on and finish the race in 14th position.
XC2 rider Dustin Gibson (911, above) was second off the start and worked hard for 4th in class at the finish. Dustin was 10th overall.
Kailub Russell continued his domination of the 200A class and finished 15th overall. Kailub was top amateur rider for this event.
In 250B, Jordan Ashburn had a great ride to second place in class and continues to lead class points.
Next Event: The John Penton, May 13.
We appreciate the support of our sponsors
KTM,
PowersportGrafx, KTM Hard Equipment & GENUINE SPARE
PARTS, MAXXIS tire, Sidi boots, SCOTT goggles, NGK, CV4
products and MOTOREX.
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki FAR
Round 5 GNCC Series
Hurricane Mills. TN
April 29th
This weekend race was very hot with the temps reaching the low 90's when the race started.
Last week’s XC2 class winner Scott Watkins got off to a last place start. Scotty rode as hard and fast as the dusty conditions to finish in 5th place. Scotty said he crashed hard on the first lap while try to go to fast in the dust. “After this crash I had to regroup and do the best I could,” said Watkins. “It’s a long year and I need to stay healthy.”
Cole Calkins got a great 3rd place start and was with the leader when at the 10 mile marker he hit a tree and broke his brake hose and had to pit and get it fixed. We got Cole back out ASAP but Cole had lost a lot of time in the pits. Cole went back in 12th place, 4 minutes behind the leaders. Cole was going as fast as he could, but it was not Cole’s lucky day as he hit a rock an bent his front rotor and was forced out of the race. “I need to get some luck on my side one of these days,” said Cole.
PA Allen crashed on the 1st lap and hurt his back again. PA gave it all he had but the pain was too much and he had to quit.
XC1 rider Jesse Robinson had a great 4th place start and ran up front all day. On lap 2 of the race Jesse had to fuel and that is when 2 riders past him. Jesse charged hard all day and finished in 6th place for the day. Jesse said: “I had a great start and that is what I needed to due on a dusty day like today. I am looking forward to the next race.”
Monster Energy Team
Green Riders
Andrew Matsuik did not race today. He will be back for the next round.
Brett Zofchak won the Open A Class on his KXF450.
 |
Shane Watts
Fun Mart Cycles/Maxxis/cyclehutt.com racer Shane Watts performed
strongly at Round 5 of the GNCC series held at the famed Loretta Lynn’s
Ranch in Tennessee over the past weekend.
Quite warm conditions greeted the racers as they roosted off the line, with Watts again snagging an excellent start on his Yamaha YZ250 to be in the lead pack of riders as they headed into the trees. From there Watts followed fellow Aussie Glenn Kearney for the first lap, then slipped into the lead for the next lap and a half. By then David Knight came charging past, apparently on a mission, so Watts easily picked up the pace and tagged along with Knight for the next two and half laps as they distanced themselves from the rest of the field. At the start of the sixth and penultimate lap Watts pitted for a quick splash of fuel and charged after Knight again so as to catch him and be ready for a showdown on the 7th and final lap with the Manx man. Unfortunately in his haste to get back with Knight, Watts suffered a major crash which took him out of the running for the race victory, and relegated him to a fifth place finish.
“Having the chance to ride the Yamaha a few more times since the last GNCC let me set the bike up more to my liking and let me feel more prepared to take the victory again. Definitely the first five laps of this race shows the potential that I have to win with the YZ250 so it was disappointing to have that crash. It was spectacular, as I bounced off 3 consecutive trees before looping it out as the Yamaha actually rode up the trunk of the last tree. The front end got pretty tweaked so I had to stop several times to try and straighten things out.”
“I was happy with how easy it was to run David’s hectic pace especially seeing I had to continually catch back up to him after losing some distance due to lapped riders. What I was amazed with was the way he passed the lapped riders .”
“Overall though I had a strong ride and think that I proved that myself and the Yamaha are a great match, and will be shooting for the podium at the next round on May 13.”
Shane Watts is supported by the following companies: Fun Mart Cycles, Maxxis tires, cyclehutt.com, Yamaha, Progrip goggles and grips, Spectro oils, Shift apparel, GPR stabilizers, DeCal Works graphics, Dirt Tricks sprockets, Race Tech suspension, Bullet Proof Designs radiator protection, Springfield Armory, Flexx handlebars, Synergy seals, Cycra plastic, Clarke fuel tanks, Alpinestars, FMF, and E-line guards.
Am-Pro Yamaha
The GNCC series keeps rolling along and this week’s location was non other than the infamous Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. The track was around 12 miles in length and the track has a lot of different aspects to it. From the shale rock lined trails, to fast grass tracks, to the amateur national MX track there is a little bit of everything to keep the riders on their toes.
It was a beautiful sunny day with the temperature hovering around 72 degrees, the track was dry and a little dusty but not too bad.
Here's how our guys did after the three hour event
Barry Hawk
Barry's day started on the right foot and he had the best start he has
had all year, he rounded the first turn in 5th and when they headed
into the woods he was up to 4th. As the first lap continued he
lost a little time on the leaders, but was still maintaining a good
pace. The next lap he was feeling like he was riding as fast
as he could without crashing and just couldn't make up time on the
leaders and was being passed by other riders. "I just felt really
un-comfortable on the bike all day, I would try and push and would
make mistake after mistake and then I was getting caught by other riders,
I didn't know what was wrong" Barry said. As the race continued
it kept getting worse for the former GNCC champion. Later
in the race a lapper pulled to the side of the trail to let a group
of riders by and when Barry pulled up and tried to go around the rider
pulled into Barry and they hit and he went into a tree. Barry never
gave up and rode the best that he could. "It was a very frustrating
day," he said. After all the frustration, he wound up
finishing 12th overall. It was a very disappointing day for him,
but unlike most racers, Barry was back on the bike Monday morning
to figure out what was wrong, him or the bike. After back-to-back
test sessions with two identical suspension set-ups, he found
the problem. There was a malfunction with his race shock,
nothing anybody could have prevented, sometimes mechanical things
have their way of breaking no matter what you do. So the day wasn't what
he had wanted but it was a great relief to find out that it was something
that will be easily fixed. "I thought it was me and I didn't
know what was wrong with me, I was so relieved when we found the
problem and now I can move on."
Charlie Mullins
Charlie blasted off to yet another great start and rounded the
first turn in 2nd. By the time they reached the woods he moved into
the lead. He kept the lead until the 4 mile mark and then he took a
wrong turn on the course. "I was leading and came up on a split
in the trail and I went left, but I saw the arrow out of the corner
of my eye and it was pointing right!" He turned around and re-entered
the course very quickly but had dropped to 5th. The next few laps he
stayed right there with the lead pack and maintained his 5th place
position. As the race continued he kept his focus and composure
and knew his hard work training during the off-season would pay
off in the end. The last two laps of the race saw Charlie's training
pay off. He moved past into 3rd when the two lap board came
out and he was still feeling strong but the other riders were tiring. Beginning
the final lap, he was 35 seconds down from second place. He put his
head down, pushed, and rode mistake free until he caught up to the
rider. As they came closer and closer to the finish they traded
places a few times on the MX track. They had two turns to
go until the finish and Charlie was right on his tail. "Garrett
took the inside in the second to last turn and I knew the only way
around was the outside, it was either crash or pass him and I went
for it," he said. The last-ditch
effort to get past worked out and Charlie got around and crossed the
finish line with a hard-fought 2nd place. He showed a lot of strength
throughout the race and never gave up until the end.
Thad Duvall
Thad rocketed off the line on his WR250F and entered the woods towards
the front of the pack. As the riders battled for position on the first
lap, Thad made it clear that he wanted to be up-front. His race
was an all day long battle with none other than 5-time GNCC champion
Rodney Smith. Thad and Rodney pushed each other the entire race and
passed back and forth numerous times. As the race continued it was
clear that it would come down to either Thad or Rodney for the class
win. They had a very quick pace established and were moving up past many
top XC1 riders and into the top 10 overall. In the end Rodney's
experience in the "entry level" XC2 pro class gave
him the victory. Thad never gave up and finished a very close
second place in class and 8th overall. He continues to improve
his consistency and smoothness during the races and it won't be long
before he gets that first victory in the XC2 class.
Points Standings
Charlie Mullins: 2nd overall
Barry Hawk: 6th overall
Thad Duvall: 5th (XC2) 13th overall
Thank you to all of our continued help from sponsors, family and fans. We appreciated all that you do for us and look forward to seeing you at the races.
