Seriously, we are just weeks away from GNCC racing in Florida. Riders are out all over this nation getting ready, testing down south, training out west, or for those unfortunate few stuck in the epic snowstorm in the North, well, you folks probably aren't getting much preparation in at all.
As mentioned, last weekend I had the chance to go riding at the Ocotillo Wells OHV park in California, courtesy of Kawasaki. Kawi hosted AMA National Hare and Hound Champion Destry Abbott and SPEED TV star Jason Britton, who is usually performing street bike stunts on Superbikes! Cool thing was Abbott and Britton's wives and kids came along, too, proving, as always, that this is a family experience.
Photo By: Rich Van Every
Destry Abbott and Jason Britton love dirt bikes
Anyway, Jason Hooper has now joined me out here in Cali, but he's not sure why. A few days ago, Shane Watts called Hoops and told him to free up his schedule, because they were flying to California to shoot something. And that's all Hoops knows! This afternoon Hooper called me, and I asked where he was. He said he didn't know, and then I heard Shane yell from the driver's seat "Yeah, just sit tight!" Whatever they're working on, it should be cool. I also know Glenn Kearney and Josh Strang are out here, too, and Nathan Kanney has been doing some West coast training. But it's not all going on out West. Before Hooper left, he got the scoop from the East. Here's his report:
I just got back from shooting the Am-Pro Yamaha team photos. It was cool because even though Charlie Mullins isn't a full-on Am-Pro rider, Randy had him there for the photo shoot. As far as I can tell, Mullins has just about all the advantages of the team guys as Randy is really putting in a lot of effort to help him out.
Photo By: Jason Hooper/Digitaloffroad.com
The first photo of the champ on his new #1 bike.
"Bad" Thad was absolutely flying as is the case, and we already know that Mullins is adapting well to the Yamaha after his National Enduro and SETRA race wins. The big question mark is how Whibley will adapt to the WR, and by the looks of it he's well on his way to feeling comfortable. I talked to Paul briefly about the SETRA race, and he didn't seem too bummed about losing to Charlie. He had very little time on the bike and was riding with Thad DuVall's suspension. Randy Hawkins and Paul were swapping out components as I left the track today and I'm sure they'll have it dialed in no time.
Here's a photo gallery of Am-Pro Yamaha 2010: http://www.digitaloffroad.com/2010/02/10/ampro-yamaha-team-wallpaper/
Thanks, Hooper.
The new Am-Pro guys, Mullins and Whibs, had a little showdown of sorts over the weekend at a SETRA Race. Here's Whib's report:
Race Report: SETRA Harescramble, Abbeville, SC
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: Am-Pro Yamaha
Bike: Yamaha WR 450
Result: 2nd
Arriving at the Am-Pro base just days before and with an incredible spell of wet and cold weather for this time of year meant the event was going to be more testing than racing for me.
Lining up ready for the wave of the flag I was still unsure of the best technique required to start the WR fast. As a result I got a bad start and had a lot of work to do. Charlie Mullins got to the front quickly and took off. The track was tight and passing was tough. It wasn't until about half way through the first lap that I was able to move into 2nd and by that time Charlie was out of sight. With one lap completed in just over 30 minutes I got a pit board saying to gas on the next lap. We were told at the briefing that it would be a 5 lap race so race time was going to be just over 2.5 hrs. As the race progressed I became more familiar with the bike and was able to increase my speed and reduce my lap times, although there was no catching Charlie. The track was cutting up and I was enjoying being back in some tough woods after being home in NZ over the off season. With the last lap completed Charlie took the win. I was happy with the progress we had made and satisfied with the result.
Dale, my new mechanic, had done a great job of prepping the bike and things are looking good for the coming season. Viewing lap times after the race showed I got more comfortable as the event progressed and even put in the fastest lap of the race on the last lap.
Results:
1st: Charlie Mullins
2nd: Paul Whibley
3rd: Corey Macdonald
Here's one more update on Wattsy: they're offering up a shot at a free riding school if you make a donation to the March of Dimes. Check it out here http://shanewatts.com/node/281
Now let's pass this on to Rodney Tomblin:
Thanks Jason! I sit here this morning and my mind wanders to the future. In one week the GNCC team will be well on our way to gearing up for a whole new decade of GNCC Racing. I am anxious and nervous about what the next few weeks hold.
Photo By: Jason Hooper/Digitaloffroad.com
Boss Man Randy Hawkins can still go fast.
I know others are starting to feel some butterflies as well and one of them in particular is one of our co-contributors to Quick Fill, Rachel "I'm starting to get a little nervous!" Fluharty. I will explain more in a bit.
First, let me tell you about the GNCC Summit this past Tuesday. Once a year, prior to the kick off of the season, our team gets together and to go over the upcoming season. The good news is that there are only a few changes, and they will help make things run smoother on our end and hopefully translate into a smoother and even more enjoyable weekend for you.
Some of the big changes include the addition of Dean VanLeeuwen, our new Sponsor Coordinator. Dean is a great guy whom I got to know and work with on ATV Motocross circuit. He also worked with the GNCC Event Team at the last four rounds of last season. Dean's duties will be a good fit for everyone involved, as he will help alleviate some duties for Trail Boss Jeff Russell and Security Man, Big John Knox.
This means JR will be able to assist more with track layout and design along side of Lt. Trail Boss Buren Hamrick, which should translate into even better tracks. You know what they say, "two heads are better than one" and the ideas that those two will bring should be great.
Big John on the other hand will be more readily available in the general pits, as Dean will cover the vendor area and pro row. Covering both had Big John running ragged from about 3 o'clock on Thursdays till the last semi pulled out on Sunday. So I guess it's a good time to let you folks know that this will also free up Big John to police things as far as pit riding goes!
One of the main topics during the Summit was to enhance safety consciousness at the races. "Pit Riding" has always been a "no no" at the races and we have tried to enforce this as much as possible. It has gotten a little more out of hand in recent times. That is something we are going to be working on curbing in the future. And remember, UTV racers, these are not pit vehicles, either. Leave them parked Sunday after the race. Your cooperation is also appreciated with this.
I am excited to say that we welcome a new voice to the announcing team this year. This is why Rachel Fluharty is so nervous! This young lady has come along way in the past year. She had barely even heard of GNCC this time last year and now it is a huge part of her life. And to mark the start of her second season she has been assigned to the announcing staff to bring wit and knowledge of the teams and riders. She will be getting her feet wet slowly, but will become more and more of a familiar voice as the season progresses.
Hannah Reid will also return as a part of the team. Her duties will increase with assisting the TV crew and announcing more during the afternoon events as well. Both Hanna and Rachel will work the pits talking to teams and getting the "Scoop" on what is going down during the race. So teams and riders, be ready to have a microphone shoved in your face as soon as something goes down and remember people will be listening. We are hoping this will add even more excitement to an already exciting weekend.
Meanwhile, the toughest man I know, 1982 AMA National Harescramble Champion and GNCC Sweep Master, Tommy Harris, is preparing the tools and equipment and loading up the trucks. The clock is ticking closer and closer to "TENNNNNNNNN SECONDS", for now I say, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs!
Thanks, Rodney. Yup, the ladies are going to get the scoops from the pits at the races this year. So let's turn it over to Rachel right now:
Thanks, Rodney! Nervous doesn't even begin to describe it! I'm excited for the opportunity to announce at the races and especially to work with Hannah. It'll be fun, for sure.
Photo By: David Scearce
Not enough people are talking about Jimmy Jarrett as a title and race win contender this year, so he're's a picture to remind you: he's fast.
I talked with Glenn Kearney this week in Tuesday Toolbox and Glenn is more than ready for the start of the season. We talked to Glenn around this time last year, too, but he should have a better start this year, though, because last year he broke his leg just 19 days before the season opener in Florida. This year is already looking up. Glenn's on a new bike this year and has his brother Ben as his mechanic. Glenn's fiancee' Krystle will also be here for the entire season and with that kind of support network behind Glenn, he'll be sure to be a force on the track.
http://www.gnccracing.com/articles/1924_tuesday-toolbox-glenn-kearney
And even though it's still several months away, I've been on the phone a few times with Rider Down's Bruce Vermeulen about this year's Rider Down Golf Tournament at Snowshoe Resort. We already have big plans for the tournament, like specialized competitions and even a celebrity golfer. (Probably not Tiger Woods). We know Freddy Andrews will be there (right, Fred?), but does any one else have thoughts about it? If you do, and have suggestions to make this year's tournament the best ever, email me at
We got this email from Gateway Cycles this week.
Gateway Cycles, with 2 locations in Kentucky, will be supporting a race team in the 2010 GNCC series. Gateway Cycles is one of the top Team Green dealers in the country and has a strong racing background. Gateway has a program for everyone from the "C" class to the "Pro" division. Contact Carl @ Gateway Cycles about their race support program at (859)-327-3535. Chris Douglas will be racing a Kawasaki in the Four-Stroke Lites A class with support from Gateway Cycles, Kawasaki and Moose Racing. Chris has been training in Florida for the past few months and looks to improve his results in 2010. For a complete list of sponsors please see his website www.cjdouglas.com
Finally, Ryan Smith filled us in on Kevin Yoho's plan for the 2010 season. He said, "GNCC number 19, Kevin Yoho, will be riding for me on the Big Nutz
Racing/BNR Motorsports/GT Thunder Ride. He will be in XC2 again."
That's it from my end!
Thanks, Rachel.
Weege back again here. Next week we will have a new reporter, Shan Moore, helping us out with Quick Fill. Shan is a veteran moto-journalist and he'll be joining the GNCC team to help with our photos and race reports in 2010. After years of covering enduros, trials, motocross and Supercross, Shan is ready. But as we bring in the new, we say goodbye to an old friend. Matt Ware has been working in our building with Racer X for the last ten years, and in 2009, he took up the GNCC cause and attended each round, shooting photos for our site. After a decade in the industry, Matt is packing up his photo equipment and heading to New York City to try his luck there. You know what they say, make it there, make it anywhere. Good luck, Matt, we'll miss you in Morgantown.
As for you folks, we miss our racers, but we know we'll see you soon!
Photo By: Jason Hooper/Digitaloffroad.com
This is either Barry Hawk or someone that looks good in his gear.
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