Race Report: Round 9 GNCC Series, Pennsylvania
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: FMF Suzuki
Bike: Suzuki RMZ450
Result: 4th

With testing and practice done in the weeks leading up to this race I felt more prepared to race in the rocks.

Off the line I had to double kick my bike to get it to fire up, so I brought up the rear of the pro pack as we rounded turn one. The first section was pretty fast and a little dusty, but I made some risky passes and moved up to about fifth mid lap.  We headed into the woods and into the slick rocks. I bounced my way through and with the sick softer suspension setting that RG3 had come up with inspiring some confidence, I pushed on toward the leaders.  Near the end of the first lap I was following Strang and Kanney and riding comfortable. With slightly longer than normal laps we were soon into the pits for our gas stop.  After getting gas and back out on the track I lost contact with Strang and Kanney and found myself in a battle with the two Yamaha pilots, Raines and Hawk. In one rock garden Raines got up beside me and showed me a wheel but I managed to keep his attack at bay. I also got into a race with Hawk until he went down. With the Yamaha duo behind me I pushed on trying to catch back up to Strang and Kanney.

I had chosen to run a Q silencer at this event, this is FMF's enduro spec silencer.  I used it to smooth the power out and it worked great allowing me to find some traction in the slick conditions.  It also made the four stroke roar more pleasing to the ear (something that needs to be addressed, especially in the quad classes) although it did make passing lappers a bit harder as I don't think they heard me coming.

On the last lap I had closed the gap to 20 seconds behind Strang and Kanney who were battling it out for 2nd, but that wasn't going to cut it so I pinned it a little bit more.  I eventually caught sight of Kanney, who was in 3rd place, on the last quarter of the lap.  This was a fast slightly dusty section and I never got close enough to attempt a pass.

I was disappointed not to be up on the podium, although I was close. Just needed another lap.

One other product I used at this race was the G2 throttle cam.  This product allows a rider to select a cam that allows for faster or slower throttle openings.  With the slick conditions out on the course I chose a slower cam that provided smoother bottom power allowing me to find some traction on the slick rocks.

Well, there is a break in the GNCC schedule now but I will be doing some other races to stay sharp for the remaining rounds when the series resumes in September. 
 
1st- D. Knight
2nd- J. Strang
3rd- N. Kanney
4th- P. Whibley
5th- J. Raines