David Knight

Red Bull KTM Off Road Race Team rider David Knight has claimed what many believe is the largest win margin ever at a round of the US GNCC race series when the double Enduro 3 world champion finished close to 10 minutes ahead of his nearest rival at the Snow Shoe GNCC, staged at the Snow Show ski resort in deepest West Virginia. Coming into the event with a slender lead in the championship’s point standings Knight dominated the race from start to finish to claim his fourth win of the ’07 season and place nine minutes and 48 seconds ahead of former GNCC series champion Barry Hawk.

With all competitors leaving the start five at a time in a ‘Blackwater 100’ style live engine start Knighter needed no time at all to move into the lead and started pulling away from the rest of the XC1 Pro class. With his confidence high having topped the seventh round of the series Knight found himself unsure whether he’d taken a wrong turn mid-way through the opening lap and decided to stop and wait for his class mates to arrive, just to make sure he was headed in the correct direction. Ending the first lap comfortably ahead David then started opening up a commanding lead.

With each passing lap Knight edged further ahead as his rivals struggled to make their way passed lapped riders on many of the harder sections of the track. Needing to get off his 450cc KTM and push it to the top of the hardest climb on the track just once, such was Knight’s dominance during the race he pulled two-and-a-half minutes over his nearest rival in a 30 meter section of track on lap two. Moving further and further ahead as the race progressed David claimed a deserved win to maintain his position at the top of the ’07 US GNCC point standings.

After a short two-day break at his home in the Isle of Man David will head to Australia at the end of this week where he will compete in the prestigious Australian Four Day Enduro (A4DE)

David Knight
“It’s great to head into the summer break having won this race. I was really looking forward to the Snow Show because I’d heard that parts of the track would be really rocky, and I knew that would suit me. The race went perfectly for me, apart from thinking that I’d gone the wrong way on the opening lap. I got into the lead pretty quickly and pushed hard to open up a gap, which I managed to do. A lot of the track was really fast but it was on the difficult sections where I made up my time. It was so important not to stop or get stuck.

“By getting out front early on I was able to just think about the track. A lot of the other riders were trying to race each other, which made the track twice as difficult. I didn’t have any problems at all during the race really. I really enjoyed the tough sections in the forest, you really had to think about your lines and watch out for the lappers.

“Once I knew I had a good lead I really started to enjoy the race. Things didn’t start as well as I hoped they would this season but I feel that I’m riding well now. I think I enjoyed the Snow Shoe more than any other event this season, it was a real challenge. It’s great to have finished so far ahead as well.”

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Geico/TDI Racing

GNCC, Round 8
Snowshoe, WV
June 24, 2007

TDI/GEICO Racing put up the best results overall this year at the Moose Snowshoe GNCC held in Snowshoe, WV.

Snowshoe, WV—Round 8 of the Can-Am GNCC series headed to the beautiful ski resort at Snowshoe Mountain. But as the riders soon found out, hidden beneath the beauty of the steep mountains and posh resort, some of the most gnarly and extreme terrain to ever grace a GNCC race course awaited them.

The Morning race turned out to be great for GEICO/TDI riders Duane Conner, Amanda Mastin, Mark Cline and Mark Weiland. The race was started in GP style with racers lining up in rows of 5 and starting live engine 5 seconds between each row on the main road through Snowshoe. At signup the riders pulled numbers from a box to determine what line they would start on. Duane Conner pulled line #8 and started off great on his way to the front of the pack. Duane charged hard and caught up with Mark Hyde (4 time Blackwater 100 winner) who had started in row #7 and the two quickly took over the lead. Duane and Mark passed back and forth the whole race through the tight woods and fast fire roads. At the finish Duane came in just 4 seconds after Mark beating him with time adjustment by only 1 second!

Mandi Mastin had a great race as usual racing 3 laps for 02:28:24 finishing 1st in her class and 84th overall. Mandi started on row #31 and dug deep to be one of only 86 out of 338 riders to finish 3 laps. The GP-style race start proved to be difficult for riders to know how they were doing in their class or overall. Mandi's perspective on the start " The Blackwater style start made it hard to know where you were because I started on row #31 and my main competition (Kacy Martinez) started on row #11." The course was mainly fast paced with just a few miles of trails." The trail sections were tough Mandi told her teammates “The trail got really tore-up and was very rocky and technical but was very fun." This is the seventh first place GNCC finish keeping her in 1st place in the women's class, a full 25 points above 2nd place rider Audrey Lockhart.

Vet C 35+ rider Mark Cline slogged his way through the mud and rocks to finish seventh in his class. That finish keeps him at 3rd place in the Vet C 35+ class as the series heads into summer break. Mark is just 7 points out of second place for the year.

Team owner Mark Weiland came out for his second race of the season. He guided his YZ250 to 6th place on the day, putting him in 18th for the year out of 66 riders in the Super Senior B/C (50+) class.

The Pro race in the afternoon brought the team its best finishes this year for XC2 rider JT Bennett and 200B rider Ryan Kaintz. JT rode great during his 5 lap 3+ hour race through Snowshoe, WV taking 7th place in the Pro-Lites class and 21st overall.  "The course was pretty unique," said JT after the race, "miles of ultra fast roads and fields, but then 3 miles of the roughest terrain you can imagine.  It was fun!"  Of the 300 plus riders taking to the course in the afternoon, JT was one of only 35 riders to complete all 5 laps. The finish breaks JT into the top ten in his class for the year putting him in 9th.

Ryan Kaintz is getting back into his true form after his wrist injury before the start of the season. Ryan performed great in the technical sections at the beginning of the race and put himself in great position. The woods took their toll on Ryan during lap 3 "I got through the nasty stuff pretty clean on the first 2 laps, but ran into some problems on the 3rd getting stuck a couple times. Miles 8 to 11 were really gnarly, but a lot of fun. It was my best finish so far this year, so I hope to build on it in the coming races." Ryan finished 7th in 200B making him 14th in the class for the year thus far.

The 2007 GNCC series continues on September 1, 2 with the GEICO Mountain Ridge in Somerset, PA. The event will be broadcast on October 13, and 18 on the Versus network.

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Maxxis

Maxxis Dominates Snowshoe
Bill Ballance took a second straight win with his victory at the Snowshoe GNCC ATV race, consolidating his lead for the overall title. Riders on Razrs swept the podium at the event, with Chris Borich in second place and Matt Smiley taking third. The first-ever Snowshoe GNCC ATV was held June 23 in Snowshoe, West Virginia.

Ballance won by overcoming a muddy, rock-strewn course that gnccracing.com called “almost impassable” in sections. “There was probably three miles of the track out there that was just as gnarly as probably anything we ever see on any track throughout the whole season,” Ballance told gnccracing.com. “At one time there was five or six of us together, I think Chris and Matt and Bithell, and we come into that one section and everybody started splitting off and going different directions, and I picked a line and thought, ‘Oh Lord, this is way out of the way, I’m getting ready to get passed by a bunch of people,’ and wound up getting on through it, and wound up being an easier but longer line and I didn’t get hung up, and I think I got around those guys right there. I just put my head down and started pushing.”

Maxxis gained its 21 st straight Holeshot Award when Borich took the lead at the start of the race. Chris Jenks took seventh place, and Brandon Sommers, who scored an overall top ten finish with ninth place, took his seventh Pro Am victory of the season.

Maxxis congratulates defending GNCC ATV champ Bill Ballance, and thanks all of its sponsored riders for proving that the performance and durability of Razrs are second to none.

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Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Fred Andrews Racing/Kawasaki

GNCC
Snowshoe WV

This race took place at Snowshoe ski resort in West Virginia. The race was very rocky and had big mud bogs due to the water coming out of the mountain.

XC1
Jesse Robinson put in one of his best rides of the year on this, the toughest track so far this season. Jesse stared out with the lead pack and never gave up all day to finish 6th in the class. Jesse was in 5th on the last lap but a crash in one of the many mud holes cost him the 5th place position.
Jesse said he had a lot of fun out there today, as his Monster Energy Kawasaki FAR Pro Circuit KX250 was working great on the rocks

XC2
New Team member Josh Weisenfels and Scott Watkins both had a good start and where at the front of the pack. Then at the 10 mile marker there was a big mud hole with lots of rocks and water. Josh went into the mud  and out with no problem only to hit a rock and have his chain fall off. The Monster Energy Kawasaki FAR pit crew helpers where there to help get the chain back on hHis KX250F and send Josh back into the race. Josh worked his way from 15th to 5th on the 2nd lap only to have more bad luck and smash his break pedal. Josh ended up in 9th place for the day.
Josh said that he has never raced anything like the Snowshoe before. "I had a few mistakes and it cost me."

Scott Watkins crashed in the mud hole and had to get helped out. Scotty had to stop in the pits for gloves and goggles after the mud hole crash. Scott finished 6th. Scott said he was very upset with his finish. "The harder I tried the more I crashed. I am a better rider then this!!"

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Paul Whibley

Race Report: Snowshoe GNCC, W.V.
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: Moose, Parts Unlimited, Honda.
Bike: Honda CRF 450x

The top of the Snowshoe mountain complex offered amazing views over the surrounding forests of the area. The picturesque panorama of these unspoilt mountains promised a true GNCC course. These same forests shrouded the true texture of the track that the GNCC crew was about to spring on the racers.

The start was a little unconventional, with a live engine start in rows of five on a tarmac road. This was due to limited space at the top of the mountain but the system worked very well. I was on row 2, and got a good start around the first turn, second in my group. I moved up one position on the fast road sections early in the lap and could see the back of row 1 riders through the dust. We then hit some of the gnarly stuff. Already lines went in all directions through the forest. I would pass riders and riders would pass me, often without even knowing it. Bikes were stopped on the side of the track, with guisers of steam erupting from the radiator or a rider frantically trying to adjust a
fried clutch to no avail.

Still suffering from the mystery virus that has been affecting me over the last couple weeks, I rode a conservative race. I knew I didn't have the energy to attack the track in my usual manner. I also knew that riding and attacking the track too hard could easily end in disaster. So I rode at a pace I could last 3 hours, I knew my bike was good to go.

On the last lap I think I was down in about 9th and my energy reserves were about nil. But I wanted so bad to get some good pionts so I pushed as hard as I could. Some how, some where I passed a couple of guys and moved up to 7th. I was dead after the race, I left it all on the track but was happy to get a result.

A big thanks have to go to all the track crew, spectators and team personal who were out there in the forest pointing lines and assisting the riders.

Thanks Guys.
-Paul Whibley

Thanks to my following sponsors
Moose, Parts Unlimited, Honda, Alpinstars, Pro Honda Oils, HRCA, Smith, Sunstar, Braking, EK, Wiseco, Pirelli, Tireballs, Cycra, Motion Pro, Tag, WER, RG3, IMS, Powersport Grafix, Thumper Racing, Vortex Ignitions, Moto SR, Darbi Accesories, Stringfellows, TGG.

Race Report, District 11 (Ohio) 5 Brothers XC and Thunder in the Hills XC
Rider: Paul Whibley
Bike: Honda CRF 450X
Team: Moose, Parts Unlimited, Honda

Friday arrived with the realization that a race had not been found to compete in over the weekend. A desperate search on the internet found a 5 Brothers 2 hour XC up in Ohio. We also found another race for Sunday only 30 minutes drive from the Saturday event.

We arrived at the track on Saturday and set up pits next to GNCC regular Brian Garrahan.

My bike failed to fire first kick off the start and I looked across the line to see Brain lookin back at me laughing as we both sat there kicking our 450s into life. I tore though the pack on the first lap and ended up leading by the end of the lap. I had pushed to hard and my arms had pumped up. For the next couple of lap I road around in the lead but failed to put a gap on 2nd placed rider Cory Buttrick and Brian in 3rd. Mid race my arms came right and I was able to pull a gap and rode home to the chequers. Brian had got past Cory to bring his Yamaha home in 2nd.

Sunday and a 6 mile loop was ready to be torn up at the Hidden Valley complex. The race begain about 1 pm and I tucked in behind Cory Buttrick on lap 1 and let him lead me around. Cory has raced at this venue a lot and new the lay of the land well. I was happy in behind him as he set a blistering first lap pace that seen us gap the field instantly. I was impressed buy Cory's pace, he is definitly one to watch for in the future. Cory led the first few laps, I was waiting for a chance to make a pass. The chance came when he lost his drive coming out onto a grass section near the end of the lap.

I got the 450 cranked up and shot past, into the lead. I stepped up the pace and soon had a comfortable lead. I continued to push to the finish, enjoying the flowing track.

A big thanks to the Buttrick family for inviting us to stay at their home between events.

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Team PowerSports GrafX KTM

Click here for the race report with photos

William Yokley
The Snowshoe GNCC Race Report
Snowshoe, WV, June 23, 2007

 William Yokley finished 6 th overall, 6 th XC1 Pro today in the mountains of beautiful Snowshoe, WV. There were 219 total racers in this race including 23 XC1 Pro riders.

Summary
We were privileged to be able to race at the scenic Snowshoe Mountain ski resort this weekend in West Virginia. This amazing facility is near where the GNCC Series began in 1975 with the running of the famous “Blackwater 100” in Elkins, WV. The views were spectacular with the race starting almost a mile above sea level. The course featured some of everything; high speed fire roads, up and down ski slopes, tight woods trails with deep muddy ruts, and plenty of slick rocks and roots. I seem to do better on tracks that have more technical, difficult sections.

The start is different than any other GNCC, we started on the paved road right next to all the hotels in the main village. We were lined up in rows of 5, and each row started every 10 seconds; I was in the second row. With a live engine start, the first turn was interesting with all of us smoking our tires and backing them in like a pack of sprint cars. I made it into the woods in 7 th position.

Some of the fast sections and down hill slopes had my bike on the rev limiter, and left little room for mistakes. The tight woods sections had some man made bridges that were barely the width of the bike, and if you slid off, you were buried in deep, black mud. There were sections where there were no alternate trails in case of backups, and I knew lappers were going to figure in the outcome of the race. I finished the first lap in 4 th, and was right on pace with the leaders. My Kawasaki was working great and I felt better on it than I have all year.

The second lap, I got hung up behind some lappers in a mud pit and lost a few positions by the time I got out. This was frustrating but not unexpected. I charged on the 3 rd of 4 laps, and turned the fastest overall lap time of all the riders on that lap. I was able to finish 6 th overall, which is better than my recent finishes. I was really pleased how my bike is working; the motor and clutch worked perfect, the brakes and suspension was spot on. Best of all, I was right in the hunt for a podium finish. I feel good about how my KFX450 is developing, and can’t wait for the next race.

We now have a summer break from the GNCC Series until September 1 st in Somerset, PA. I will continue dialing my bike in and training. I also have several appearances for the National Guard at camps and State Fairs coming up, as well as some other local and regional races.

See you down the road.
- William Yokley