The Powerline Park GNCC ATV Race Report
St. Clairsville, Ohio, October 11, 2008

William Yokley finished 12th Overall today at Ohio's Powerline Park.  There were 200 total entries with 24 XC1 Pro Riders.  Team Rider Mark Notman finished 15th Overall and 2nd in the 26 rider XC2 Pro Am Class.

Summary

Powerline Park is a great facility with a variety of riding conditions; there are fast, open trails that take you over big, rolling hills, and technical woods sections with mud and other interesting obstacles.  It has been a very busy two weeks since the last race; I prepared my race ATV and also my Polaris RZR for the UTV race this weekend.  I also prepared my Polaris RZR and ATV Show Bikes for a National Guard Convention in Orlando the week prior to this race.  So, I have been wide open!  I did fly to FL for the convention and then flew out on Friday to Ohio for a busy two race weekend.  I'll send out a separate race report for the UTV Race.

William Yokley.

We set up at the track on Friday night and went to dinner and the hotel.  The track looked good and not as dusty as last year.  Saturday arrived and the weather was great.  The National Guard recruiters were there and looked good riding around the grounds talking to potential recruits in my race Polaris RZR.  I headed to the starting line and prepared myself for the race. 

I got a decent start but so did about 20 other racers and we all arrived at the first turn pretty much together.  After some bumping and rubbing tires, I went into the woods in 11th place.  The first two laps were pretty uneventful, and I moved to 7th place.  I was having trouble feeling comfortable on my bike, and it felt like it was kicking me around more than usual.  Laps 3 and 4 were not good for me; I could not hold the pace and was passed by several riders, eventually finishing in 12th place.  I tried to hold positions and move forward, but I realized I was taking some big chances, and I better be smart and not splat on a tree or something.  I really don't have any good excuses other than I just got beat; these kinds of days happen sometimes.

My teammate Mark Notman had another great race finishing 2nd in the XC2 Pro AM class and 15th overall.  He got off to a great start with the holeshot, and battled back and forth for 2nd most of the lap.  Mark made a quick stop for fuel on the 2nd lap.  On the 3rd lap, he overshot a corner and got stuck on a soft powder berm forcing him to get off the bike to lift it out, losing valuable time.  Heading into the last lap, Mark was 40 seconds behind 2nd place; he charged hard and made the pass with about 3 miles to go.  Mark said, “I couldn't be happier with how the day went.  It's been an amazing year so far and I can't wait for the Ironman; it's one of my favorite tracks on the circuit!”Â

We now go home to regroup for the last race of the year at the Ironman in Crawfordsville, IN.  I want to finish strong and we will be ready.  See you there!

Mark Nottman.

Yokley Racing Team Sponsors are:  The Army National Guard, Rocky Mountain ATV, Polaris Industries, ITP Tires, Elka Suspension, Roll Design, HMF Exhaust Systems, IMS/Roll, Tire Balls, Andrews Cycle, Douglas Wheel Technology, Baldwin Motorsports, CGR, O'Neal Clothing, Panolin Lubricants, IMS, Hinson, 317 Graphics, Intense Fabrication & Design, Tsubaki Chains, Hardkor, Shoei Helmets, Axcalibar Axles, Streamline, Powermadd, KG Clutch Factory, Moto Pro Training and ATVRiders.com. 

The Powerline Park GNCC UTV Race Report
St. Clairsville, Ohio, October 11, 2008

William Yokley finished 1st Overall today at Ohio's Powerline Park UTV race.  There were 54 total entries with 12 Open Modified teams.  William's wife Tina was the mandatory passenger in the machine today.

Summary

Today was Round 3 of the GNCC UTV Race Series in St. Clairsville OH.  This series is a blast to compete in, and the number of competitors is increasing at every event.  The 2 mile course makes it interesting for the spectatoas, but with 54 machines racing, it makes for a lot of traffic.  My wife Tina was riding with me today making this her first race event.

The flag dropped and my Polaris RZR got a great start; we were 2nd coming out of turn 1.  As we made the first few turns, I heard a machine screaming through the tall grass and T-Boning the leader.  He creamed the leader right in the side, turning both machines over several times.  Wow, 30 seconds into the race and 2 machines were upside down!  Apparently, he misread the turn big time!

We continued on and had a pretty calm race after that.  The only tense times were when we were lapping other machines, and some occasional heavy dust.  Our Polaris ran and worked really well, and other than me hitting a few trees and stumps, we had a flawless race.  At the end of 10 laps, we took the checkered flag just ahead of Jarrett Stephens and Shane Turner, my Tompkinsville, KY buddies.  I did notice after the race that our neat National Guard door panels were pretty torn up from some miscellaneous impacts.  Tina had fun and a better understanding how much fun passing in the dust can be, and what it feels like to hit a ditch at 60 MPH! 

We have one race left to run and I'm leading in the points.  I know anything can happen, but I feel confident we will be competitive at the Ironman in two weeks.  Thanks to the great folks at Polaris for providing me with a fast, reliable machine.

I'll see you later.

       - William Yokley

    

Yokley Racing Team Sponsors are:  The Army National Guard, Rocky Mountain ATV, Polaris Industries, ITP Tires, Elka Suspension, Roll Design, HMF Exhaust Systems, IMS/Roll, Tire Balls, Andrews Cycle, Douglas Wheel Technology, Baldwin Motorsports, CGR, O'Neal Clothing, Panolin Lubricants, IMS, Hinson, 317 Graphics, Intense Fabrication & Design, Tsubaki Chains, Hardkor, Shoei Helmets, Axcalibar Axles, Streamline, Powermadd, KG Clutch Factory, Moto Pro Training and ATVRiders.com.