Weekend Warrior Spartan GNCC
Can-Am and Warnert Racing
Warnert Racing Team Sweeps
the Spartan GNCC
For the seventh round of the CanAm GNCC
Series, the Warnert Racing Team headed to the hills of
Kentucky for the “Spartan” GNCC, and they once
again dominated the field. The race is held only minutes
away from the Sparta Raceway, and it has been a long time
favorite of many GNCC racers with its tight and technical
woods sections along with high speed straight-aways through
the fields.
In the 4x4 Open Class, Scott Kilby made his return to GNCC racing after missing the past two rounds to compete at the WPSA in the Quadterrain Challenge. Before making the switch, Kilby won three consecutive races and held the points lead, but since his departure, teammate, Rick Cecco, has rebounded from a season slow start to take home two consecutive wins of his own.
With two extremely talented riders going head to head, there was bound to be fire works, and the pair didn’t disappoint as they swapped the lead back and forth several times throughout the race with the pair staying within seconds of one another throughout the race ‘till the checkered flag.
In one of the most dramatic finishes of the year, Cecco and Kilby charged to the finish line nearly side by side with Cecco edging out Kilby for the win by a tire as he kept the throttle pegged till the very last second to claim his third consecutive win and the sixth straight for the Warnert Racing Can-Am Team in the 4x4 Open Class.
If the battle for the win in the 4x4 Open Class wasn’t enough, the battle was just as intense in the 4x4 Lites class between Warnert Racing’s Clifton Beasley and CanAm’s Jerime Dudding. Once again this duo battled throughout the race within seconds of each other as they nearly lapped the rest of the class. In the end, it was Warnert Racing’s Beasley claiming his sixth win of the season and extending his points lead over Dudding to three points.
In the 4x4 Limited Class, Michael Swift remained unchallenged as he ran away with his sixth win of the season by out running the closest competitor by nearly six minutes. The win extends Swifts lead to 21 points over CanAm’s Mike Penland.
With another successful weekend of racing for the Warnert Racing CanAm Team, the team prepares for the final race before the summer break in Snowshoe, West Virginia on June 23 rd, which is a brand new location for GNCC racing, and it anticipated to be one of the roughest tracks of the season with an abundance of boulders and big hill climbs
David Knight
Knighter wins GNCC Rnd
7 and also finishes second
in Erzberg Twin-cylinder class
Reigning Enduro 3 world
champion David Knight took part in two different events in
two different continents this passed weekend when he traveled
from his home in the Isle of Man to Austria where he placed
a close second in the Twin-cylinder class at the world famous
Erzberg Rodeo before jumping on a plane back to the UK and
then on to the States where he won round seven of the US
GNCC series to move back to the top of the series’ standings.
Starting the Twin-cylinder race at Erzberg as defending class champion having won first time out last year, Knighter came painstakingly close to making it two wins from two starts as he recorded the fastest time on the first of two runs up the ‘iron mountain’. Having finished eight seconds ahead of his nearest competitor on his first run things started well for Knighter on his second assault of the 100 per cent up hill course but a mistake as he neared the end of the 13.5 kilometre track saw him drift wide while exiting a corner and coming off the track and into a rocky rain gully. Losing valuable seconds getting back on to the track Knight recorded a time of nine minutes and six seconds - two seconds faster than his first run but four seconds slower than that of Finland’s Simo Kirssi. In doing so Knight finished as runner-up before heading directly for the airport.
Arriving in the US ready to make up for the disappointing fourth place result he scored at round six of the GNCC series, Knight claimed his third win of the ’07 GNCC series after a relatively straight forward race at The Spartan GNCC. Starting well Knight hit the front after one lap but then found himself back in fourth after falling when he hit a rock in a single track section of the course. Opting to follow his competitors for some time in order to work out where he was faster David then made his move, moved back into the lead, and opened up a 40 second advantage at the flag.
Following his third US GNCC race win this season David returns to the top of the US GNCC championship standings on 149 points, one point ahead of Charlie Mullins
David Knight - Erzberg
“It was a bit of an eye opener getting on the Super Enduro bike again and then racing straight away with next to no time to get used to the bike. I just tried to be as smooth as I could because the course was really slippery – if you slide coming into a corner it was really difficult to scrub off speed and turn. I found it harder to remember the track this year compared to last year. I made a few mistakes on my first run, but I think most riders would have done the same, but it went pretty well.
“The second run went well really. I felt I was riding pretty smooth but it was so easy to make a mistake. I didn’t push quite as hard as I could on some of the hairpin turns, just to be safe. One of the corners was off cambered and I got pulled into a ditch full of rocks at the side of the track. I had to slow down a lot to get back onto the track. I reckon that without the mistake I could have done a time under nine minutes. It’s disappointing not to have won, but it was close. It was good fun though.”
David Knight – Spartan GNCC
“I guess
I got the result I should have also had at the last round of the series.
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel after flying from Austria to
the UK and then on to the States and racing twice all in three days
but things worked out perfectly. I started ok, got to the front, made
a mistake and crashed, and then followed the other riders for a while.
I was faster in a few sections so I passed Charlie and things were
good after that.”
Am-Pro Yamaha
Round 7 of the GNCC series took place this weekend and it was another great event put on by the Racer Productions crew. The course feature a lot of "fresh" cut motorcylcle trails, grass track, rocky creek sections, and open woods sections. The weather was a hot 80 degress with not much humidity. The track was perfectly tacky in the woods, but extremely dry and dusty on the open grass track portions of the track.
Here is how are boys did after the dust settled.
Jason Raines
Jason made his GNCC return in the 12-35 year old sportsman class that runs Sunday Morning before the pro race. Jason's YZF 450 fired on the first kick and he rounded the first turn in 3rd and took over the lead in the second turn. "I got into the lead at by the time I got into the woods and it was weird being out in the lead and having to set the pace, the trails were fresh cut and it was really tough to go hard because you could hardly see the ground!" Jason continued to lead his class and by the end of the first lap he had over a minute on the field, the next lap he continued to stretch his lead on the riders in his class. On the last lap he had a 2 minute lead on the nearest competitor in his class but his pit crew didn't remember to take into account that the riders in the second row had past into second and on adjusted time the other rider was in the overall lead. "On the last lap I saw my pit crew yelling and screaming to go, go someone's coming! I had no idea how someone could make up that time on me!' On the last lap Raines charged hard to try and gain the minute (adjusted time) up but fell short by 20 seconds. "I wish I would have known earlier, I was being told I had a big lead the entire race and I wasn't pushing hard and I was taking my time getting around the lapped riders, and by the time they figured it out that I was not in the overall lead it was too late, I tried but fell a bit short." Jason finished 1st in his class and 2nd overall to Duane Conner.
Barry Hawk
Barry's day started on a decent note and he rounded the first turn in the middle of the pack. He stayed smart and picked off rider one by one and by the end of the first lap he was running a solid 6th place. The next lap he picked off a few more and moved up to a heated battle for 3rd. The battle waged on and for a bit it looked as if Barry and Jimmy Jarrett were pushing each other enough to reel in the lead pack of Knight and Mullins, but they never did. The entire last half of the race it was either Jimmy on Barry or Barry on Jimmy. They went back and forth numerous times. Heading into the start of the last lap Jimmy was leading and Barry was searching for a way around and about the halfway mark of the last lap Barry found his opening to make his move. Jimmy went wide in a turn and missed the inside line and Barry darted through the line and made a clean pass that stuck. Jimmy fought back but Barry never made any mistakes and never left the door open again. Barry held off Jimmy until the finish and crossed the line with a well deserved 3rd place for the day.
Charlie Mullins
Charlie's YZ250 lit on the first kick and he rounded the first turn about 5th. He moved up into second very quickly and on the start of the second lap he took over the lead and tried to break away from the pack. Charlie pulled about 10 seconds on the pack, but when Knight made his way into second position he started to make up time on Charlie. By the end of the second lap Knight had caught up to the back tire of Charlie and they were pushing each other pretty hard and put a 40 second gap on the field. Knight made his move into the lead at the start of the 3rd lap and Charlie tried to re-bound. "When he passed me it was right before the grass track and I wanted to see his lines and key off of him but it was just too dusty and I had to back it down so I could see, and he pulled a little gap on me." That little gap allowed Knight to get just out of sight of Charlie and he struggled to fight back into contention. "I felt a little un-comfortabe in the rocks today, I wasn't pushing as hard as I should have because I felt on the edge in the rocky sections of the track." Charlie hung tough and although he never was able to catch up to Knight again, he kept charging and was still putting time on the rest of the pack the rest of the race. He never stopped trying which shows a lot for his drive and motivation. He finished a strong 2nd place on the day, and is heading to the rocks to get some more time in them to help build his confidence before the next round in West Virginia, which will be an extremely rocky race!
Thad Duvall
The week leading up to the race Thad was struck by a virus that put him down and in bed all week. He was able to ride one day before the race and was a question mark as to if he would even be able to finish the race at all, but being the young soldier that he is, he gave it a shot. His WR250F fired up and he rounded the first turn in the lead group and continued in the top three for the entire first lap. The second lap saw him stay steady and was still maintaining a good top 3 position, but you could tell he had no charge in him and he was just trying to maintain his position. The third lap he fell back to 5th and he had to stop because he was feeling so sick. He felt that he may not be able to make it, the heat and rough track were taking their toll on him, but he decided to continue on and try to salvage as many points as he could. He really surprised a lot of people including himself and rode hard the rest of the race and battled with a few riders before crossing the finish line 5th place in the XC2 class. After the race he was feeling really sick and drained but he really proved his staying power by toughing it out even though his health was so bad.
Randy Hawkins
Randy Hawkins made his return to racing after almost two years off after a broken humerous (upper arm). He is not looking to make a "comeback" into full time competition, but just wants to ride and enjoy riding and focus more on running the team. He rode the sportsman 36+ class Sunday morning before the pro race. His WR450 didn't fire right off and he was the last rider to leave the starting line. He charged back very quickly and actually caught the leader halfway through the first lap! But after that Randy's arms pumped up like rocks and he was left trying to just survive until his arms calmed down. "I felt good the first lap considering I only have ridden 3 times since my arm injury, but man when my harms pumped I was totally useless!" He kept riding trying to hold on and finally at the beginning of the last lap his arms loosened up and he put in a good, solid lap to finish out the day. We weren't too sure exactly where he finished, but he finished strong, had fun and enjoyed the day riding his motorcycle for the first time in a long time.
Thank you to all of our fans and sponsors who support us week in and week out, hope to see you at the races!
Jason Raines
www.jasonrainesfullcircletraining.com
TDI/GEICO Yamaha
Good Race Overall
for TDI/GEICO at Weekend Warrior Spartan GNCC
Mandi Mastin does it again,
taking the win in Sparta, KY. Mandi had taken the lead
by the second turn of the race and held onto it all day
long. JT Bennett charged hard all day as well, taking a
rough start and making up 9 places in the 5 lap race.
GNCC, Round 7 – Sparta, KY – June
10, 2007
The morning
race proved to be great for Duane Conner, Mandi Mastin, and Mark
Cline. Duane started the race on the second line due to a large
class that was split according to age. He got off the line great
and took the hole shot. Duane said " I knew that I had to
pass most of the guys in the first row because of the dust early in
the race to get up to Jason (Raines)." Duane did pass everyone
but Jason Raines by the time the checkered flag was thrown and with
the adjusted time he bested Raines by :36 seconds. On the podium
Conner thanked all of his sponsors, especially Doug Blackwell of Elka
suspension by saying "Where’s Doug Blackwell? God Bless
him, the suspension today worked awesome!"
Mandi Mastin had a great day as well off the start just missing the holeshot taken by #481 Kelly Hall. She then took over the lead by the third turn and never relinquished it. Mandi said "It was a really fun course, kind of fast but had a lot of technical sections and I just pushed to take the win." She took the class win by more than two minutes over second and ended up 19th overall for the day. This keeps Mandi in 1st, 20 points over second place so far this season.
Mechanic, Mark Cline rode well to a 4th place class finish. Mark had this to say after the race "The race went well today I felt that I am up to speed. I battled with the guy who got third (Steve Dickerson) all day passing back and forth but he ended up beating me by seven seconds." Mark sits in 3rd in the standings and concluded with: "The track was awesome, the best track this year I believe, nice tight woods with good traction, it was a lot of fun."
The afternoon pro race went well for XC2 rider JT Bennett and 200 B rider Ryan Kaintz. The track twisted through the rolling hills of Kentucky for a grueling 15 miles. The dust in the pits was bad but the woods were dust free and cool. JT Bennett was optimistic about the days race and said " I think this is the most prepared I have been up to this point this year." Suspension has been an issue with JT all year but he is getting the kinks worked out and said "We’re working real hard with Dough Blackwell from Elka suspension and we’re making some headway." JT now feels he has the confidence in the suspension to push the bike. After taking a look at the course JT said "It looks like my kind of track, the fields seem kind of hard packed but I'm looking forward to the trail and I hope to get into the top ten." JT rode well all day and took an 11th place class finish for the day.
Ryan Kaintz had a good start and went into the woods in 5th. Ryan said "I was hanging with the lead pack then got into some arm pump and started to drop back." Ryan worked through the arm pump and rode well until the 3rd lap when he ran into some arm fatigue putting him down hard a few times to end up in 14th place.
The Weekend Warrior GNCC was won by David Knight. The results move JT up the ranks into 11 th place, just 10 points out of 10 th. Ryan has moved into 15 th place in the 200B. Mandi remains to sit in 1 st place and Mark Cline is currently in the #3 seat in the Vet C class.
The Sparta, KY event will be broadcast August 4 on Versus, starting at 3:30 EDT and August 9 on Versus, starting at 4:30 EDT.
Green Demon Motorsports
Top Ten in XC-2 Pro Lites, Top 20 Overall for Travis Green
at Sparta GNCC
Grantville, PA An eventful weekend for Team
GDM/Husqvarna at Sparta, Kentucky for Round #6 of the Grand
National Cross Country Series.
Travis Green rode an excellent race through the dry rocky course aboard his Husqvarna TC 250 to place a series best of 6th in the XC2 Pro Lites class. Travis also broke into the top twenty overall with 17th at the Weekend Warrior GNCC.
“I rode a pretty good race. I got a good start and was just trying to put in consistent laps. At one point I caught up to Rodney Smith and Justin Williamson, but I started getting arm-pump and was forced to drop back a few positions. Then on the second to last lap I caught back up to Thad Duvall, but my camelback was out of water and I didn’t have enough energy to make a charge, so I just tried to maintain my position. Overall it was a good weekend,” stated Travis.
Pro Lites rider Morgan Green put in a great ride for 13th
in class
“I got a decent start and was running good,
but I dropped off the pace on the third hour and had a
few guys get by me. I just started riding last week from
my injury at Millfield, so I’ll need a few weeks
to get adjusted again,” explained Morgan.
About Green Demon Motorsports
Green Demon Motorsports, LLC (GDM) operates professional offroad motorcycle team, Team GDM/Husqvarna, in the AMA Grand National Cross Country Series, AMA National Harescramble Series, and AMA National Enduro Series.
Team GDM/Husqvarna is supported by, Husqvarna USA, Toy Tech Husqvarna, Moose Racing USA, Johnnysigns.com, Fast By Ferracci, Rooster Performance, Scott USA, Enduro Engineering, Vortex, SDG USA, IMS, Maxima, Tire Balls, Motion Pro, Zip-Ty Racing, Twin Air, and Purple Buffalo Screen Printing. The team’s Media Partners include Motorcycle Racing Action and OffroadChampions.com.
To learn more about Team GDM/Husqvarna please visit www.teamgdmhusqvarna.com
Team KTM/PowersportGrafx
Click here for the race report with photos
GNCC Round 7 June 10th, 2007
The Spartan
Team riders continued their quest for year end points under beautiful skies this weekend. Jordan Ashburn won 250B by over 2 minutes to finish 51st overall and highest finishing B class rider. Jordan has an 11 point lead in his class.
Kailub Russell overcame a disastrous fuel stop to win 200A by over 4 minutes. Kailub’s fuel can malfunctioned, spraying fuel over him but quick action by his mechanic, David “Hollywood” Cripe had Kailub cleaned up and going with little drama. Kailub continues to lead the points in his class.
Jason Gilleland had problems off the start, but put his head down to finish 12 th in XC1. Jason is finally seeing the treatment to his right arm pay off and finished the race in 18 th overall.
Dustin Gibson (#911) raced his way into 4 th place in XC2 with a consistent ride and finished 14 th overall. Dustin is 5 th in class points with one drop figured and is 15 th in overall points.
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.
William Yokley
The Spartan GNCC Race Report
Sparta, KY, June 9, 2007
William Yokley finished 10 th overall, 10 th XC1 Pro today at scenic Sparta, KY. There were 225 total racers in this race including 23 XC1 Pro riders.
Summary
We have had a four week break since
the last race at Millfield, OH. I have been busy testing
some new parts, practicing, and working on my fitness.
I also traveled to the Boone National Guard Headquarters
in Frankfort, KY on June 1 for a meet and greet with the
soldiers and their families. Everything was first class,
and I soon realized the soldiers and I have a lot in common,
as they ride and race ATVs also.
The Sparta GNCC starts right near the NASCAR track in a beautiful area of rolling hills in KY. The course typically has it all, rocky technical areas, off cambers, and fast, dusty open sections. And it is usually pretty hot. I was anxious to see how my testing would help the bike.
The 10 second signal waved and my KFX 450 started quickly and I was right in the mix in the first turn, then I hooked wheels with someone and could not get loose. So, I was about 14 th heading into the woods. There were some new, virgin trails this year making for a very tight and cautious first lap for everyone. I came through the first lap in 7 th, and felt good. It was extremely dusty in certain areas and you almost had to stop to see anything, but it’s the same for everyone and that’s part of GNCC racing.
On the 3 rd of 4 laps, I had a couple of situations where the trees seemed to just jump out in front of me, and I didn’t miss them all! I found out later that I had knocked both front tires off the bead making for less than precise steering, but thank goodness for Tire Balls enabling me to finish. I finished the race in 10 th position and found out that I had a damaged water pump cover and the radiators were bone dry after the race. What an amazing engine to be able to finish the race! Congrats to Bill Ballance for the win.
I was not pleased where I finished, but was happy that the little things that had been happening to me this year seem to have been corrected, and that helps your confidence a whole lot. I am in 10 th place in the point standings with one GNCC race left at Snowshoe, WV in two weeks before we take a summer break. Snowshoe is a new venue this year and we race up, down and around the ski resort, which should be great fun.
See you soon,
William Yokley
Paul Whibley
Race Report: Round 7 GNCC Series, Sparta
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: Moose, Parts Unlimited, Honda
Bike: Honda CRF450X
The Spartan GNCC didn't hold any better luck for me on this roller coaster
season. After suffering from a mystery virus leading up to this race I was
only 80% fit and strong when I rolled to the start line.
After a bad start I began to work my way forward. At the end of lap one I had fought my way up to 10th. The lap was long again, around 15 miles and the dust had been minimized by a lot of fresh trail being used.
On the second lap I got into a race with Wattsy and we caught young Aussie Josh Strang. I ended up in front of them both, as Wattsy had a big endo into a root infested creek crossing and Josh wiped out on a choppy right hander. I caught up to Edmisten in 7th, who was just behind Russell Bobbitt in 6th, when bad luck struck again.
A rock (I think) hit the chain guide and it began rattling around. I stopped and checked out what was causing the noise. A quick look revealed the mount had been busted off the swing arm and one bolt was holding the guide on. I knew if it came off I was in trouble. I made it back near the pits and saw Katherine holding a pitboard. I stopped and told her to tell the pit crew that I was coming in for repairs. Morrie was onto it and was ready when I got to the pits. The best we could do was run a heap of zip ties around it and hope it held on.
I went back out and made up a bunch of positions but the chain guide ended up breaking free and derailing the chain. With some help of some friendly spectators I got back to the pits and the chain was overtightened to stop it jumping off the sprockets, so I could try to finish the last lap.
I had lost a lot of time and positions. I managed to finish the race 13th in class and 22nd overall. Not what I had hoped for.
One more race before summer break, the Snowshoe. A new venue at a ski complex that promises another long challenging lap.
Thank you to the following sponsors for their support
Parts Unlimited, Moose, Honda, Honda Riders Club America, Honda Pro
Oils and Chemicals, Pirelli, Sunstar, Braking, RG3, Wiseco, Motion
Pro, EK, Tag, Cycra, WER, Powersport Grafix, Thumper Racing, IMS,
Vortex Ignitions, CTi, Smith, Alpinestar, Tire Balls, Moto SR, Stringfellows,
Darbi Accessories.
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Fred Andrews Racing/Kawasaki
Sparta Ky GNCC. June 10th
XC1 Class
The weather was hot with temp in the high 80's. When the flag dropped for the
start of the race Monster Energy Kawasaki FAR rider Jesse Robinson got off
to a good start, only to get stuck in a first turn crash and end up starting
in last place. Jesse worked his way up to 9th place by the 3rd lap of the
5 lap race. That was as high as Jesse could get. Jesse said he rode as hard
as he could. But just could not make up and more ground then 9th.
XC2 Class
Monster Energy Kawasaki FAR Pro Circuit rider Cole Calkins and Scott
Watkins got off to a 1st and 2nd place starts as the two went off into the
woods. Cole Calkins crashed on the 1st lap dropping him back to 4th on the
1st lap. Then on lap 2 Cole crashed again on a slippery rock and put a stick
into his radiator hose. When Cole started his Monster Energy Kawasaki FAR Pro
Circuit bike all his coolant was coming out the hole from the stick, putting
an end to his day.
After Scott Watkins got of the line in 2nd place it was a trying day. Scott could never find his speed he needed to run with the front runners. Scott gave it his all but a 7th place was as good as he could get. “I just never felt like I could get going. My Monster Energy Kawasaki FAR pro Circuit bike was working great, but I just could not get going.”
Monster Energy Kawasaki FAR Pro Circuit team rider Kyle Greer rode a great race from a last place start to finish 3rd in the 4 stroke C Lites
Monster Energy Team Green rider Andrew Matusek was back to his winning ways with a 1st place in the 4 stroke A Lites class.
