The Big Buck GNCC ATV Race Report

Union, South Carolina, (April 4, 2009)-- William Yokley finished 16^th Overall and 13^th in the XC1 Pro Class today in South Carolina.  There were 203 total entries with 20 XC1 Pro Riders.  Team Rider Mark Notman finished 90^th Overall and 22^nd in the 31 rider XC2 Pro Am Class.

Summary

After a busy 2 weeks preparing both my Polaris 450 Outlaw and my RZR for the UTV race, we arrived late Friday night.  The Big Buck facility is always fun and challenging, with both technical woods and a lot of high speed sections.  The weather was perfect, with lots of sunshine and good track conditions.  The National Guard had a huge display tent, rock climbing wall, and several vehicles for everyone to check out.  Recruiters cruised around the property meeting and greeting all the fans.  It was cool seeing about 60 US and foreign journalists covering the races, and it was fun talking to them and showing them our sport. Today would be a busy day with both the ATV race and the UTV race immediately following; my UTV race report will follow this report.

I got a decent start about mid-pack, and the entire first lap everybody in the top 15 were pretty much nose to tail.  The course was quite long today, about 13 miles, and we didn't run into lappers until late in the race.  I finished lap 1 in 10^th, and lap 2 in 9^th, and felt good.  On lap 3, the machine started to kick around more due to the track getting rougher and the suspension heating up.  I finished up in 13^th place in the Pro Class after losing a few positions on the last lap.

My teammate Mark Notman has had some really freaky bad luck so far this year, and today was no different.  His bike has been working great in testing and practice, but when he went to start it at the drop of the flag, nothing happened.  The solenoid on the starter failed, and by the time his crew improvised a fix, he was a good 3 minutes behind.  This makes your day tough!  He did improve his position each lap, finally finishing 22^nd in the XC2 Pro Am Class.  When these bad luck gremlins quit happening, he will be fine.

We head to Loretta Lynn's Ranch in 2 weeks, I always like that area and it's not too far from home.  We will continue to test and develop our bikes, and will be ready for a good run there.  See you at the races!

Yokley Racing Team Sponsors are The Army National Guard, Polaris Industries, Kenda Tires, Elka Suspension, Roll Design, HMF Exhaust Systems, IMS/Roll, PURE Polaris Lubricants & Fuels, Intense Fabrication & Design, Douglas Wheel Technology, Moto Pro Training, Tire Balls, Andrews Cycle, Tsubaki Chains, IMS, Four Apparel, ASV Levers, CV4 Hoses, Hygh Octane Design, PIER Graphics, Universal Handlebars, Scott Goggles, ATVRiders.com, Hetrick Motorsports, Powermadd, and Rekluse Clutches.