Thursday, September 18, 2014 | 9:40 AM
Welcome to Quick Fill.
It’s usually not “best practice” to dwell on the past or spend too much time thinking about things that have already come and gone but social media has once again flip-flopped the norm and dedicated an entire day to throwing it back to the past with #throwbackthursday or #tbt as the hip kids say. It’s turned into a fun way to reminisce with friends and even poke fun at some of the things we did as kids, or even adults. Well, as we’ve been preparing for this weekend’s Mountain Ridge GNCC, it’s kind of been a throwback in its own right since we haven’t been to that facility in three years.
Rodney talks about this a lot in his entry, so I won’t go too far into detail, but it’s a cool experience for me to think about because 2011 was my first season at GNCC and boy, does it seem like forever ago! Not only were my job duties a lot different back then, but it seems like the whole dynamic was different. There are some things I definitely miss about the 2011 season and some I’m glad have progressed. Like, for instance, the birth of RacerTV.com and the GNCC Live show! I’m really excited to stream from the beautiful Mountain Ridge Trail Riding Park, especially this time of year. So don’t forget to tune in at 1 PM EST on both Saturday (ATV) and Sunday (bikes) to catch the afternoon race action LIVE!
Our friends at ALCO Cleaners are running a drawing to win a Pressure Washer Prize Package and all you have to do is enter yourself to win and hope that your name gets picked! The prize package includes a pressure washer, 5 gallon size ALCO dirt bike and ATV wash and an ALCO t-shirt. So stop by their booth at this weekend’s GNCC or visit their website www.alcocleaners.com to enter yourself and check out their amazing cleaning products! I can tell you we have tons of their stuff at Racer Productions and it works for everything!
Shane Watts sent over a message this morning that they still have two spots available in this Saturday’s one-day DirtWise class, which is happening less than one hour from the Mountain Ridge GNCC. Plus, they only have one available bike (KTM 250) in their "Ready to Race" bike rental fleet, and it’s ready for someone to use this weekend for just $400! Wattsy says, “hey, that's cheaper than the damage some riders will do to their bikes in the rocks this weekend, ha!” For more info on that, visit www.shanewatts.com.
Also, we’ve been hearing a lot about Kailub Russell’s tricked out KTM 150 that he’s going to race at the final GNCC rounds after he wraps up the championship. Well folks, he has a very good chance of doing so this weekend, which means we could be witnessing KR557 running the #1 on a 150 at the final two rounds! And the best part is that once he’s done, the bike is getting restored back to showroom quality (with all the extras) and he’s raffling it off with proceeds going toward his ISDE fund and of course, donating half to Rory Mead’s recovery fund. Tickets will be available at the KTM Factory pit area this weekend or online at www.shanewatts.com. You could be the proud owner of a very historic piece, so grab your tickets now!
A couple quick reminders, it’s the final round of Micro racing this Saturday and those riders will be required to run a transponder, which hasn’t been the case in previous rounds. It sounds like most of the kids already have transponders, so be sure to write your number down when registering. Also, there will be a National #1 Plate presentation to the OVERALL Champion for Micro ATV and Micro Bike Saturday on the podium. Each winner will also have a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne, so parents if your kid is in the running, please be prepared with your cameras! And you may need to help out with the bubbly!
Before I go, I want to take a minute to share a message that I received from ATV WXC title contender Quincy Cunningham, who also happens to be a 4th year State Trooper in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania (which is a very impressive bit of info I didn’t know about Quincy, who sits in a close 3rd in the championship standings right now!) Quincy is racing this weekend in honor of the Pennsylvania State Police Corporal, Corporal Bryon Dickson, who was shot and killed last Friday, September 12th outside the Blooming Grove barracks in Pike County. This gut-wrenching story has been all over National news, as well as local Pennsylvania outlets, so many of you are probably aware of the tragedy and we will all continue to keep all the folks close to Corporal Bryon Dickson in our thoughts and prayers.
Quincy said, “I'll have stickers available in my pits and would gladly accept any donations for his family, as he is survived by his wife and two young children. Any donations will be sent to his family in the name of myself, my husband the whole GNCC racing nation. Thank you so much for putting out the word. I'm sure the family will greatly appreciate it and I greatly appreciate it!”
Quincy did say that the stickers are a limited quantity so stop by her pits early and grab yours before they’re gone, and any kind of donation is greatly appreciated. It wouldn’t hurt to give her a big thanks for joining the many men and women of law enforcement who do put their lives on the line to ensure that the rest of us can live in a safer environment.
With that, I’ll say drive safely everyone and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend in Pennsylvania!
Here’s Bolt-On.
@Jared Bolton:
Here we go again! Another weekend of GNCC Racing is upon us, and this time we return to familiar ground for a lot, and new ground for some as we head back to Mountain Ridge for the first time since 2011, and there seems to be a pretty good buzz of excitement from everyone as well.
Again, I know I say this a lot but it's hard to believe that we've reached round 11 of 13 now. This season has seemed to fly by and it's had it's fair share of epic moments (since we're throwing back to 2011 with this race, I'm throwing back to 2011's most over-used word: epic) but now we're starting to close the book on it all and before we know it, we'll be opening a new chapter known as 2015.
Last time we visited Mountain Ridge, Charlie Mullins came away with the win on the bike side with Paul Whibley, Josh Strang and Nate Kanney all battling down to the wire, with Whibs and Strang finishing just a few seconds apart while Kanney ended up taking out a section of repeater banner with a few turns to go while trying to make the pass for 2nd. Kailub Russell rounded out the top 5 after leading portions of the race.
It was actually around that time that we started to see KR develop into the dominating rider that he is now. It would be at the following round at Power Line Park where KR would snag his first overall win. Since then, Kailub has gone on to challenge for the championship down to the wire in 2012 with Paul Whibley taking the title, then battle down to the wire once again in 2013, this time against his KTM teammate Charlie Mullins.
But Kailub made it work in 2013 and has returned in 2014 even stronger. However, until injuring his wrist it had looked like Charlie Mullins was going to be tough for Kailub to beat. One has to wonder, when Mullins returns healthy and gets back into his old form, could we see more epic battles?
You also have to wonder if anyone else is going to jump up and snag a win before the season is over. So far Mullins and Russell have been the only ones to take an overall win all season. Josh Strang has been riding great all year and has challenged their pace at times. Thad DuVall is always a threat as well, and Chris Bach seems to be adjusting to the Honda even more as he rode good at Unadilla.
There's also Andrew DeLong who wrapped up the National Enduro championship last weekend. A motivated rider with confidence from a championship is capable of anything, and while DeLong is from a little further east in PA, he could still have a great showing in his home state.
Well, that's pretty much all I've got for now. I'm going to get back out on the trails and finish putting up these arrows and everything else. Hope everyone has a great weekend at the races!
@HotRodney22:
I can already tell heading to this weekend that anything can happen. I keep getting these little signs like losing my bankcard, which will make it hard to purchase fuel. Then I misplaced my phone last night or lost it or whatever, bottom line is that it is gone. Now I suppose is the true test, how do I overcome these obstacles and as large as mine may be, I have to think that some obstacles could become monumental before this weekend is complete. Let's just hope I find my phone and card so this ominous feeling of doom fades away.
As the "Somerset" GNCC resumes after a two year hiatus I am rather blown away at the way things have changed in that short time. I was looking through the results archives and watching some old video clips and that was when it hit me. As much as things are the same they are as different as they were in 2011.
On the two-wheeled side, Josh Strang was defending his 2010 title on his FMF Suzuki. Wearing the number one. Kailub Russell had yet to even win his first GNCC overall as an XC1 Pro and Charlie Mullins wore the reverse number plates showing his points lead. Steward Baylor was beginning his reign over the XC2 Pro Lites and we heard the then familiar names of Mike Lafferty, Nate Kanney, Jesse Robinson and Cory "B" Buttrick.
The four wheeled frenzy we watched was one of total control by the then 2-Time ATV Champ Chris Borich. Walker Fowler was on a mission and his way to a perfect season in the XC2 Pro Am class. Taylor Kiser wore the Number 2 and was the top competitor against Borich and his title run. Adam McGill had a new life with his new grassroots program and the then infant "McGill Mafia" and the "family" was beginning to grow.
We were treated to the talents and great personalities of riders like Bryan Cook, Donnie "O" Ockerman, Gabe Phillips and Walker's mechanic and master of wrenches Mark Notman who took 11th in the XC1 Pro class last time here.
Braden Henthorn was dominating the College A class. Landon Wolfe was the leader of the College B class and Brycen Neal was dominating the then new Schoolboy A/B class in the 10:00 am race. And here is the real kicker for you. Though he did not race this round, Bill Ballance wore the Number 15 and was still a huge part of pro row. He had raced a limited schedule still healing from the previous years injuries it was the last active season we saw the Bill line up in a GNCC.
I look at the calendar and I think it has been three years and two race seasons since we were last here. As much as things seem the same they couldn't be much different. One of the biggest threats for the championship titles is brewing right now between Chris Borich and Walker Fowler. It's actually a little overwhelming to stop and think about it all at times.
One thing to remember heading into these last three rounds as far as this battle is concerned is that Chris does still maintain a 19 point lead and if he rides consistent and finishes 2nd behind Fowler each round he will still claim the title if my math is correct. However one mistake could be costly at this point. The flip side to this is that Walker basically must win and hope for the best behind him. And if the Unadilla GNCC was any indication, he may already have this figured out. Let show begin!
On a positive note personally, my phone has been located at a friend’s house where I obviously left it last night. So there ya go. Good things are happening! I am stoked! Now if my bankcard would just come to daddy I could be all set!
That's it for now. Till next time, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.