Bill Ballance picked the right place, the right time and the right track to nail his third-straight Can-Am Grand National Cross Country win. Not only did the Kentucky rider take the Weekend Warrior Spartan GNCC in front of his home-state fans, but he chief championship rival, Adam McGill, failed to finish due to mechanical problems, which landed Ballance into the GNCC XC1 Pro points lead for the first time this year.

"Man it feels good to win in front of so many friends and family," said Ballance. "These were my type of conditions, it was hard and fast and I was able to have fun."

Ballance topped his fellow Yamaha rider Brandon Sommers and The National Guard veteran William Yokley to take the win. He also grabbed the $100 ITP Holeshot Award, but trouble on the first lap saw the eight-time GNCC Champion cross the finish on the first lap in ninth place. From there he put on a charge and took the lead halfway through the race, and then held off a strong charge from Sommers and Yokley to take the win.

For the rookie Sommers, his second marked the best finish yet of his young career, after taking two third-place finishes earlier in the season. Yokley, another Kentucky native, mached his season best with third. Team Excell Motorsports Bryan Cook logged another solid run, coming from mid-pack to finish fourth, ahead of ATVRiders.com backed Jarrod McClure.

McGill led the race early but succummed to mechanical troubles on the final lap for the second time this year. He now sits second in the points, 14 points behind Ballance.

GT Thunder Yamaha's Don Ockerman topped the XC2 Pro-Am class for the sixth time in seven races this season, and also finished an impressive sixth overall. Ockerman also won the $100 Rekluse Clutch Holeshot Award. Second in the class went to Josh Kirkland, with David Crane third.

In the morning race, Yamaha's Traci Cecco won the ATVRiders.com Morning Race Overall. Once again, Kawasaki KFX700 rider Michael Benson pushed hard and nearly pulled off the win, but ended up second, with Angel Atwell third on her Tom Clark Motorsports Honda.

Look for more news from the Sparta throughout the weekend right here on GNCCRacing.com. Results and photos are posted. Enjoy!