Wiseco Tuesday Toolbox
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- Tuesday Toolbox: Tayla Jones, Grant Baylor & Jesper BorjessonAugust 15, 2017With the International Six Days Enduro just a little over a week away, and most of the riders boarding a plane or already in France as we speak, now seemed like a perfect time to talk about the KR4 pro team’s historic moment: all three of KR4’s pro riders were chosen to represent their home country at this year’s ISDE, starting August 28.
- Tuesday Toolbox: Frank KeeganAugust 8, 2017It’s hard to miss the KR4 crew at the average GNCC, as there are usually well over 20 riders and two semis with full pit setups at every race. The KR4 organization consists of three levels – a pro team, an amateur team, and of course, the Arrive-N-Ride program, where riders pay for the privilege of being able to show up at the race with nothing more than a gearbag (and maybe not even that) but get a “Factory Rider Experience” – a fully prepped bike, pit crew, a mechanic to help with setup, and best of all, not having to clean the bike or equipment at the end of the race!
- Tuesday Toolbox: Brandon IcardAugust 1, 2017Brandon Icard is a 19-year-old XC2 Pro-Am ATV rider and college student from Hickory, North Carolina. Though fairly young, he has already reached his biggest goal in racing – an XC2 Pro-Am class win at America’s Toughest Race. Along with his win at Snowshoe he also finished an impressive twelfth overall. We caught up with Brandon to see how his season has been going.
- Tuesday Toolbox: Grant BaylorJuly 25, 2017Grant Baylor is a name that needs no introduction. He and his brother Stu have been fixtures at the GNCCs for many years now. The good ole’ boys from Belton, South Carolina bring a unique flair to the XC1 ranks of the GNCCs, as well as the National Enduros and other East Coast off-road series. Just two weeks ago Grant Baylor earned his first career overall win at the John Penton GNCC.
- Tuesday Toolbox: Kenny HawkinsJuly 18, 2017Kenny Hawkins is a 48-year-old ATV and bike racer from Elkins, West Virginia, a small town just outside of Snowshoe Mountain. He races the Super Senior A classes in both divisions; he is currently fourth in points in the ATV class and third on the bike side. He earned his first amateur overall podium at Snowshoe Mountain in the AM Bike race, which he then followed up with a second place overall at the John Penton, again in the AM Bike race. In an unfortunate error, however, his overall finishing position at Snowshoe was not recognized in time for the podium ceremony. So as a peace offering, especially given his excellent standings in both his bike and ATV classes and because top-3 overall finishes are generally pretty cool, we decided to gives this week’s Tuesday Toolbox to Kenny.
- Tuesday Toolbox: Graham WiddicombeJuly 11, 2017Graham Widdicombe is an Englishman who has been racing 4x4 ATVs in the GNCC series for the last three years. He currently is competing in the 4x4 Senior class, and recently took his first-ever GNCC win at Snowshoe a few weeks ago. It was definitely not smooth sailing, but he got the job done. I gave Graham a call not long after The John Penton GNCC, to ask about Snowshoe and follow up on some of the things he talked about in his previous Tuesday Toolbox back in 2015.
- Tuesday Toolbox: Ricky RussellJuly 5, 2017Ricky Russell been a familiar face at the GNCCs since 2013, when he moved from Washington State to South Carolina to pursue the GNCC and National Enduro series, taking the advice of Jason Raines, another familiar face and Washington transplant. It was quite a gamble to take, especially for someone who didn’t even start racing until he was in high school! But clearly it has paid off, as Ricky just brought home his first ever XC1 Pro win last round at Snowshoe! I called him the Tuesday after his win, both to congratulate him and interview him for this week’s Tuesday Toolbox.
- Tuesday Toolbox: Cash JacobsJune 27, 2017One point. One measly point is all Cash Jacobs missed the 200 B title by last year. But he is back with a vengeance this year, as he is currently leading the points race in 200 A. Like most amateur racers, he works full time and struggles to get to the races each weekend. The fact that he is from Sarasota, Florida makes the traveling that much tougher.
- Tuesday Toolbox: Brittany ReebelJune 20, 2017Most riders who attend the GNCCs have a team behind them. Not a full factory effort, of course, but somebody. A parent, friend or spouse who helps the rider out. Even if it’s just someone who helps with the driving and keeps the rider company on those long trips. Twenty-seven year old New Castle, Pennsylvania native Brittany Reebel is an exception to this rule.
- Tuesday Toolbox: David QuillenJune 13, 2017David Quillen, commonly known as DQ, is a racer and mechanic from Indiana. He has never raced the full GNCC series himself, but has attended them as a mechanic for various pro riders, most recently for Thad Duvall last season. At the X-Factor GNCC, he snagged a podium in his first-ever time racing the FMF XC3 125 Pro-Am class.
- Tuesday Toolbox: Jeremy LeDonneJune 6, 2017Jeremy LeDonne is only 20 years old, but he has already experienced a lot! Racing is in his blood – both parents were riders. He grew up watching Supercross and was actually named after Jeremy McGrath. He first started riding an ATV just after his third birthday. A few months later, Rich Hetrick, a family friend, talked them into racing moto, and the rest is history. He and his parents spent 13 years driving from Pennsylvania week in and week out, pursuing the ATV National Motocross series. Tragedy struck when Jeremy crashed during a race and was paralyzed from the waist down. He was able to fight through the injury and is now racing the GNCC series. He competes on both bikes and quads – riding a Honda TRX 450 ER on Saturday and then a KTM 250 SX on Sunday. Currently he leads the 19+ C class on ATVs and is third in Open College C. In addition to racing two classes every round, he is running a race team and works full-time. Fortunately, he had a few minutes to sit down and answer some questions for us
- Tuesday Toolbox: Lucas and Logan GroundsMay 30, 2017Brothers Lucas and Logan Grounds are two GNCC regulars who hail from Martinsville, Indiana. The family has been pursuing the series since 2013, when the oldest brother was still on a 50cc bike. Both brothers were champions in their respective classes last year: The oldest boy, Lucas (age 12) won the 85cc 7-11 class, while his brother Logan (age 7) placed first in 50cc Junior 4-6 class. Both are seeking to defend their titles in 2017. Lucas is competing on a 2016 KTM 85cc, and is currently second in points. Logan leads his class on a 2013 Cobra 50cc. In addition, at the rounds where the Micro bikes do not compete, Logan has been moving up and competing on his 65cc for practice. We sat down with them for a group interview, two tribes style, after the X-Factor GNCC in their home state of Indiana.