GNCC Racing

Coastal Racing ATV/SXS Team Report: Ironman GNCC

Monday, November 7, 2016 | 11:55 AM

The 2016 Grand National Cross Country Series concluded its 13-round season over the weekend with a big event in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The Coastal Racing ATV and Side-by-Side teams experienced tough luck at Saturday's Ironman GNCC finale but the young team showed tremendous speed and talent throughout its first season together.

ATV REPORT

In the 1 p.m. ATV race, Coastal Racing/MSR/Maxxis/Waynesburg Yamaha's Brycen Neal got off to a great start in the XC1 Pro class where he jumped into a top-three position on the opening lap. Neal pushed ahead to overtake the 2nd place position on lap two where he then challenged for the lead position. Unfortunately Neal ran into an issue on the next lap that dropped him back to the 5th place position. Neal was able to maintain a 6th place position for the remainder of the two-hour race where he ultimately finished for the day. 

"We had another great race going but ultimately ran into mechanical trouble again. The team as a whole has come so far and improved every race - every problem has been fixed and we will come back more ready than ever in 2017 to get the championship."

Brycen Neal had a solid ride through the first half of the race. Photo: Ken Hill
Brycen Neal had a solid ride through the first half of the race. Photo: Ken Hill

Neal finished out the season with 4th place in the Overall Championship Standings, claiming six podium finishes and a total of nine top-five finishes.

Coastal Racing/MSR/Maxxis/Waynesburg Yamaha ATV rider Eli Kiger missed Round 13 due to an injury sustained over the summer break.

SIDE-BY-SIDE REPORT

In the XC1 Pro Class, Team Driver Sean Bogdan and his passenger Jade Kiger began on Row 2, where they powered their Coastal Racing/CST/OMF/Walker Evans/Racer Tech Polaris to the front to capture the holeshot and early jump on the group. The duo was running in a favorable position until they went through the creek section and acquired water in the intake, causing the car to bog down. Once the water finally cleared, they charged ahead to lay down the second fastest lap time. 

Just as they were gaining momentum, it all came to an end when the team broke an A-arm going through the field section. They salvaged their way through the remainder of the lap to finish 18th in the XC1 Pro Class. Despite not earning any points at the final round, Bogdan and Kiger ended the season with 9th place in the Overall Championship Standings with a season-best finish of 4th at Round 12.

Sean Bogdan grabbed the holeshot once again from Row 2. Photo: Ken Hill
Sean Bogdan grabbed the holeshot once again from Row 2. Photo: Ken Hill

Coastal Racing/Polaris/CST/OMF/Walker Evans/Racer Tech's Bill Patterson and his passenger "Skinny Mike" began on Row 4 where they powered their Polaris RZR 1000 to the first turn, leading their row into the woods on the opening lap. Patterson was on the move as he physically caught the row in front of him before the end of lap one, rounding out the lap in 7th overall. Patterson ran into a mechanical issue that dropped him back in the running and ultimately ended his day after only three laps of racing.

Sean Bogdan grabbed the holeshot once again from Row 2. Photo: Ken Hill
Sean Bogdan grabbed the holeshot once again from Row 2. Photo: Ken Hill

Coastal Racing/Racer Tech's John Henry began on Row 6 - which was the first row in the XC2 Pro Sport Class. Henry launched off the start to take the holeshot from his row and assume the early lead in the class. Henry pushed hard in the first two laps to create a gap over the rest of the XC2 field, while climbing his way through the overall running up to 8th. However, Henry experienced an issue with his wheel hub while leading the race and was forced to sit out the remainder of the race.

John Henry had a stellar start to the Ironman GNCC, leading the first two laps. Photo: Ken Hill
John Henry had a stellar start to the Ironman GNCC, leading the first two laps. Photo: Ken Hill

Henry ended the season with an impressive 3rd overall in the XC2 Pro Sport Championship Standings following one victory and three podium finishes for the year. 

Results from the Ironman GNCC - Saturday, October 29, 2016 

XC1 Pro ATV Results 

1. Jarrod McClure

3. Chris Borich

3. Landon Wolfe

4. Brian Wolf

5. Matthew Lindle

6. Brycen Neal (YAM)

XC1 Pro UTV Results 

1. Kyle Chaney

2. Cody Miller

3. Tim Farr

17. Sean Bogdan

18. Bill Patterson (POL)

XC2 Pro Sport Results

1. Jonathan Powers

2. Joe Krcelich

15. John Henry 

Overall ATV Championship Standings 

1. Walker Fowler (326)

2. Adam McGill (280)

3. Chris Borich (269)

4. Brycen Neal (212)