GNCC Racing

Borich and Fowler Go Head-to-Head at GNCC Finale

Borich and Fowler Go Head-to-Head at GNCC Finale

Wednesday, October 22, 2014 | 2:20 PM
Wednesday, October 22, 2014 | 2:20 PM

Borich and Fowler Go Head-to-Head for GNCC National Championship
This Saturday at Ironman Season Finale

Ironman GNCC Goes Pink in Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness

The 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, is set for a dramatic conclusion this Saturday, Oct. 25 with the AMSOIL Ironman GNCC in Crawfordsville, Indiana. With points all tied up in the XC1 Pro and XC2 Pro Am classes, both National Championships will be a “winner-take-all” affair with only two hours of racing remaining in the season. 

Ironman celebrates 20 years of GNCC Racing this year and there’s much hype and anticipation surrounding the event’s newest addition of the Ironman MX track. Additionally, the GNCC finale will once again support October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month in a festive way by encouraging racers and spectators to deck themselves out in pink attire for the event. While the atmosphere at Ironman is traditionally light-hearted and cheerful, tension may be flying high in the pro pits as two major championships will be decided on Saturday. In the XC1 Pro class, five-time and defending GNCC National Champion Chris Borich and Ohio’s Walker Fowler will race head-to-head for the coveted overall National Championship, while rookies Cole Richardson and Marshal Goings will battle it out for the XC2 Pro Am championship. 

Chris Borich is attempting to earn his sixth consecutive title this weekend at the AMSOIL Ironman GNCC
Chris Borich is attempting to earn his sixth consecutive title this weekend at the AMSOIL Ironman GNCC Photo: Ken Hill

Team Maxxis’ Borich will attempt to secure his sixth consecutive title at the season finale, but first, he’ll have to figure out how to stay in front of N-Fab AmPro Yamaha/Lonestar/Maxxis/MXP’s Fowler, who’s been on a hot streak at the end of this season. Fowler heads into round 13 with undeniable momentum, including a three-race winning streak and five wins through the last six rounds. This is a substantial shift from the first half of the season, where the multi-time champ maintained control of the championship with a four-race winning streak and a majority of the wins. However, the first 12 rounds are irrelevant now and the slate has been wiped clean as both riders enter the season finale with the exact same points tally. 

Coming off yet another solid podium finish at the last round, RacingPowersports.com/CST Tires/PirateMX.com’s Adam McGill sits third in the championship standings as the series winds down this weekend in Indiana. McGill has been solid all season with eight podium finishes through the first 12 rounds. Mechanical issues kept McGill off the podium—and the championship points scale—at two rounds, which hindered his chances at this year’s championship. However, the West Virginia native is the only rider to emerge victorious over the lead duo this season with a big win at Snowshoe, and that boost of confidence could help carry McGill to the center of the podium once more this season.

Walker Fowler is tied in the championship points with Chris Borich, and is looking to put an end to Borich's consecutive titles
Walker Fowler is tied in the championship points with Chris Borich, and is looking to put an end to Borich's consecutive titles Photo: Ken Hill

DWT Racing’s Jarrod McClure put on a charge during the second half of the season, where he now sits fourth in the championship standings, followed by Precision/Maxxis Tires-backed Chris Bithell in fifth. McClure’s current fourth place standing will award the Pennsylvania native with a career-best ranking for 2015, while Bithell could potentially drop one position due to mechanical issues this season.

Dave Bayless Motorsports/Dirtworks/DC Cycles-backed Brycen Neal has put forth an impressive rookie season, including one podium appearance and several top 10 finishes. Neal currently holds seventh in the overall standings but the young gun has the opportunity to finish as high as fifth place after Ironman. Waynesburg Yamaha/GBC’s Jay Shadron has moved into the ninth place position, while Brian Wolf rounds out the top 10 overall heading into the final round. 

Cole Richardson has seven victories this season, but sits tied in the XC2 Pro Am championship as we head to Ironman
Cole Richardson has seven victories this season, but sits tied in the XC2 Pro Am championship as we head to Ironman Photo: Ken Hill

There’s another head-to-head battle taking place this weekend with the XC2 Pro Am championship between SICC Racing/Maxxis-backed Marshal Goings and N-Fab AmPro Yamaha/Lonestar/Maxxis/MXP’s Cole Richardson. The rookie duo sits tied in the championship standings after an epic season of close battles. While Richardson holds the most wins of anyone with seven, Goings has managed to score class points at each round and that, in addition to five victories, has kept him in the running for the championship.

New York’s Martin Christofferson sits in third with an extremely consistent season behind him, while New Jersey’s Randy Hamilton holds fourth and Indiana’s Fred Marley rounds out the top five. 

Marshal Goings has five wins this season and was able to score points at every event heading into the GNCC finale this weekend
Marshal Goings has five wins this season and was able to score points at every event heading into the GNCC finale this weekend Photo: Ken Hill

The first-ever 4x4 Pro class championship will be decided this weekend at Ironman as ATV Parts Plus/Can-Am’s Bryan Buckhannon looks to fend off Can-Am X-Team’s Kevin Trantham in the final two hours of competition. With a 23-point lead over Trantham, Buckhannon would need many different factors to swing the opposite way in order to lose the title but there are no guarantees in this highly competitive class. Buckhannon has enjoyed four victories thus far, while Trantham is close behind with three. However, there are several other riders who will look to claim the final win of the season including two-time winner this season Robert Smith on his BNR Motorsports/Loctite Can-Am machine, as well as two-time winner Jordan Phillips. And there’s no counting out Factory Polaris/UXC Racing’s Michael Swift, who has one win behind him this season, or Factory Polaris/Coldcock Whiskey’s Rick Cecco, who has made several podium appearances this season. 

Side-by-Side racing returns to the GNCC lineup this Saturday at 4:30 p.m. with the final round of the six-race championship. Team Can-Am/Chaney Racing continues to lead the way in the XC1 Modified class where they look to secure their first career Side-by-Side Championship at Ironman. The competition is stiff in the XC1 class, as veteran teams such as Coastal National Guard and Polaris National Guard look to capture the final victory of the season. Big Country Powersports, who sits second in the standings, will attempt to secure a second victory, while both JB Off-Road/Can-Am teams continue to battle with the front-runners.

Don't forget to wear pink all weekend to show your support for Breast Cancer Awareness!
Don't forget to wear pink all weekend to show your support for Breast Cancer Awareness! Photo: Ken Hill

GNCC Racing encourages racers and spectators to show their support for Breast Cancer Awareness by dressing in pink all weekend long. The race facility will be adorned in pink, including pink-themed trophies, awards, t-shirts and plaques. Ridepg.com will also sell exclusive GNCC breast cancer awareness race stickers for a minimum $1 donation and pink wristbands will also be sold at the track for a $1 donation. Donations will go to the FAITH Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support for those affected by breast cancer—serving as a breast cancer resource for Montgomery County.

Youth ATV racing will take place on Saturday at 8 a.m., followed by amateurs, 4x4 Pro and Women at 10 a.m., and the top amateurs and pros at 1 p.m. Side-by-Side machines will compete on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Adult (12+) gate admission is $20 for the full weekend and $10 for kids (6-11). Kids five and under are free. Local racers are invited to compete at this event, as GNCC Racing offers classes for riders of all skill and experience levels. The amateur racer entry fee is $40 and riders can sign up at the track. 

Tune into RacerTV.com on Saturday at 1 p.m. EST to catch LIVE coverage of the Pro ATV race, and again at 4:30 p.m. for Side-by-Side coverage. For more information on GNCC Live coverage, visit www.racertv.com.

Stay up-to-date with exclusive content from the AMSOIL GNCC Series by following the series Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Previous Round Results

ITP Powerline Park GNCC
St. Clairsville, Ohio
Round 12 of 13
Saturday, October 4

XC1 Event Results:

  1. Walker Fowler (YAM)
  2. Chris Borich (SUZ)
  3. Adam McGill (HON)
  4. Jarrod McClure (HON)
  5. Jay Shadron (YAM)
  6. Brycen Neal (HON)
  7. Kevin Yoho (YAM)
  8. Braden Henthorn (HON)
  9. Josh Merritt (YAM)
  10. Brent Sturdivant (HON)

*Overall National Championship Standings: 

  1. Chris Borich (278)
  2. Walker Fowler (278)
  3. Adam McGill (229)
  4. Jarrod McClure (196)
  5. Chris Bithell (157)
  6. Cole Richardson (154)
  7. Brycen Neal (144)
  8. Marshal Goings (126)
  9. Jay Shadron (123)
  10. Brian Wolf (123)

*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2014 National Champion.

XC2 Event Results:

  1. Marshal Goings (HON)
  2. Cole Richardson (YAM)
  3. Fred Marley (HON)
  4. Ryland Johnson (HON)
  5. Matt Hanna (YAM)
  6. AJ Koontz (YAM)
  7. James Green (HON)
  8. Randy Hamilton (HON)
  9. Nathan Wallpe (HON)
  10. Luke Upah (HON)

XC2 Series Standings:

  1. Cole Richardson (310)
  2. Marshal Goings (310)
  3. Martin Christofferson (218)
  4. Randy Hamilton (174)
  5. Fred Marley (164)
  6. James Green (156)
  7. Thomas Koontz (143)
  8. Jonathan Fugate (141)
  9. Blake Kramer (134)
  10. Luke Upah (121)