September 13-14, 2008 ”“ Florence, SC Endurocross and Snowshoe, WV GNCC

The GEICO Off-Road team was spread across the country once again this weekend as the boys headed south to Florence, SC for Round #3 of the MAXXIS Endurocross, while Jennifer was in Snowshoe, WV at Round #10 of the Can Am GNCC series.

While the GEICO Endurocross team was cranking out laps in South Carolina, team ATV member Jennifer Albright was tearing up the race track in Snowshoe, WV.   On the morning of Jennifer’s race, fog covered the top of Snowshoe Mountain, but temperatures were nearly perfect for racing. Jennifer found herself starting on row #1 due to her third place points standing and after rounding the first corner she started her move towards the front. She settled in and quickly found a rhythm for the 14 mile lap. After lap one the morning course was shortened to an unheard of 4 miles due to bottle necks which Jen knew would equal a long day of lapped traffic and wide open riding. It did not slow her down as she continued to push herself. Phil and crew delivered a flawless pit stop for gas and goggles and all that was left was the wait for the finish. After 2 hours and twelve minutes Jennifer took the checkered; she placed fourth in class and 8th overall. She was one of 9 riders in the morning event totaling 235 who completed all 11 laps. After yet another great ride she sits in third place in the points standings.

Just a mere 9 hours after leaving the Florence Endurocross, the team ”“ or should I say Ironmen, arrived at 4848’ above sea level atop Snowshoe Mountain for the GNCC.  Ryan Rodgers was the first to take the track on Sunday racing in the morning Sportsman class.  This is Ryan’s first GNCC back in a few years after winning the 250A class back in 2005.  Ryan jumped right back into GNCC pace as if he never left and took a 3rd overall podium position.  With little rest and a grueling 3 hour race ahead of them; Josh, JT and Eric lined up next for the 14 mile course.  Josh raced his YZ450F and found himself battling bike issues.  Josh was able to pull out a 12th place (XC1) finish after only being able to complete 2 laps.  This finish currently has Josh sitting at 14th place in the points standing.   JT jumped back aboard his trusty zinger, not even changing the tires from the EnduroX the night before and hit the trails.  Due to the length of the track and a stock tank ”“ JT had to stop each lap for gas, which allowed him time to quickly catch his breath and head back out for more, pulling out an impressive 12th place (XC2) / 35th overall finish.  Although JT has missed a few races due to injury, he is still able to hold on to 22nd place in points.  Last but not least was Eric Rodgers, who also has been MIA from the GNCC circuit for a few years.  Eric encountered a few mechanical issues early on in the race, but after his mechanic /dad (ex-GNCCer, Keith Rodgers) made the needed adjustments, Eric forged on to a 10th place (250A) finish.

The team would like to extend a special thanks to all of their sponsors: GEICO, MSR, MAXXIS, Lojak Yamaha, Rekluse, Gaerne, Factory Connection, SCOTT USA, Acerbis, HMF, Bel-Ray, and EBC Brakes.  And of course a huge thank you to our fans.

The GNCC series will continue on September 27th & 28th for the Can Am Unadilla GNCC. The Moose Racing Snowshoe GNCC will air on the VS network on December 27th at 3:00PM (ATV) and January 3rd at 3:00PM (Bikes).