Warnert GNCC Round 7 Report

Beasley, Swift, Kilby and Cecco All Finish Top Three in Their Classes

 

Sparta, KY -- Mother Nature finally gave the Warnert/Can-Am team a break from the rain and mud this weekend as Cliff Beasley and Michael Swift continued their winning streaks at round seven of the GNCC. The Sparta, KY track may be one of the more technical tracks that the GNCC travels to, but the Warnert team was up to the challenge and showed they have what it takes to conquer the tight Spartan trails.

Beasley hasn't lost one yet.

 

Cliff Beasley took no prisoners as he continued his sweep of the 4x4 Lites class. Beasley grabbed the holeshot and continued to increase his lead over the rest of his class. Cliff ran his fastest lap time of 00:21:59 in lap two. The #206 Can-Am Outlander 500 ran a smooth race without running into any major bottlenecks or lap traffic. Beasley was the only one in his class to complete six laps and crossed the finish line with a time of 2:18:19 which earned him 1^st in his class and 19^th overall in the morning classes.

 

Michael Swift also ran a strong race this weekend in the 4x4 Limited class. Swift started in the front row and took the holeshot. “Track conditions were great, but some of the off-camber stuff was a little technical for the utility classes so in some spots we had to slow way down,” said Swift. Despite the technically challenging track, Swift maintained his lead throughout the entire race. Swift finished with a time of 02:15:56 which not only allowed him the win in his class, but earned him 5^th place overall in the A.M. classes. “We had a good day out there. The Warnert team did a great job as always!” Swift concluded.

Michael Swift on top again in Limited.

 

Scott Kilby, who has been super consistent in the 4x4 Open class this season, had another good run as well. Kilby took the holeshot, but lost his lead shortly into the first lap. Running in second, Kilby maintained his position despite pressure from Daryl Rath. “It was a fun track. There were a couple of sections that were a bit treacherous, but my bike was set up really good and it was able to handle it,” said Kilby. Scott crossed the finish line with a time of 2:22:13, taking second place in the 4x4 Open class.

 

Rick Cecco’s luck seemed to improve this round as well. The U2 class racer grabbed the holeshot and held his lead until reaching the tight technical trails, where he slipped back to 2^nd place in lap one. Cecco dropped back to 4^th in lap two, but picked up the pace and worked himself back into third where he ran consistently and unchallenged for the rest of the race. “The weather was beautiful and the track conditions were perfect. It was a nice change from all the mud,” Cecco stated. Cecco finished six laps in a time of 2:15:56, which earned him 3^rd in his class and 10^th overall for the morning.

 

In the Pro class it appeared that Chris Jenk’s luck had taken a turn for the better as he came off the line in mid pack and was p to 6^th place by the end of lap one, but Jenk’s charge ended with the second lap when he was faced with mechanical issues. Teammate Chris Bithell was one of the last off the starting line but had worked from 17^th to 8^th place by the end of the second lap and it appeared as if luck were on his side, but in lap four, Bithell also was taken out by mechanical issues.

 

Round eight of the GNCC will have the Warnert/Can-Am team heading to Yadkinville, NC on June 21^st where Beasley and Swift are hoping to continue on their winning streaks and Bithell and Jenks hope that luck will be on their side as we head into the second half of the 2008 season.