GNCC Racing Partners With Shane Watts And Family to go Purple for Babies

Thursday, March 8, 2012 | 5:45 PM

Media Contact:

Jen Kenyon
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304.284.0084

For Immediate Release

GNCC Racing Partners With Shane Watts And Family to go Purple for Babies

Morganton, N.C. (March 8, 2012) - In honor of the March of Dimes mission to work together for stronger, healthier babies, Racer Productions is proud to announce a partnership with former GNCC champion Shane Watts and family to make round three of the 2012 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series a purple-themed event. The FMF Steele Creek GNCC, held in Morganton, N.C. on March 31-April 1, will serve as a fundraising platform for the off-road racing community.

The Watts Family, who resides in Catawba County, initiated this partnership in an effort to bring awareness to the work of the March of Dimes and boost their team fundraising efforts. Dubbed "GNCC Racers for Babies", the weekend's events will be geared towards getting racers and fans of both dirtbikes and ATVs to work together for stronger, healthier babies.

The Watts family was directly impacted by the work of the March of Dimes when their second child, Rionn, was born sick. After many surgeries and hospitalizations, Rionn celebrates his fifth birthday this year and just got his first set of riding gear and a PW50. It wasn't until they became involved deeper with the March of Dimes that the Watts' realized the healthy births of their other two children, Eden and Brock, were a direct result of the work of the March of Dimes and their long history of Nobel Prize winning research.

"The extended GNCC Racing family, and off road racers in general, are a natural fit for the March of Dimes mission," said former GNCC champ, Shane Watts. "There is no other sport that creates such a lasting bond in and between families and truly appreciates the role that each family member has on the success of a team. It's that dedication to family and community spirit that we hope to build upon with this event."

The main fundraising effort for this event will consist of two big ticket raffles throughout the weekend: one ATV prize will be drawn on Saturday afternoon during the pro ATV race and the other will be drawn on Sunday afternoon during the pro bike race. Additional raffles will take place throughout the weekend, featuring various grand prizes from industry sponsors. In the spirit of competition, fun and spectator involvement, there will also be some exciting events taking place at the starting line of both the 10 a.m. amateur race and the 1 p.m. pro race.

Racers and spectators can get in on the fun by wearing purple clothes, riding gear, graphics and decorations. All proceeds from this event will go directly to the Foothills Division of the March of Dimes in Conover, N.C. to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality through research, education and community grants. For more information on the March of Dimes, please visit www.marchofdimes.com.

The 2012 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series kicks off this weekend in River Ranch, Fla, in conjunction with Daytona Bike Week, with the Moose Racing Westgate River Ranch GNCC. ATV racing will take place on Sunday, March 11 and motorcycle racing on Tuesday, March 13. For more information, visit www.gnccracing.com.

About GNCC Racing

The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country series is America's premier off-road racing series. Founded in 1975, the 13-round championship is produced exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross-country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The grueling three-hour GNCC races lead as many as 1,500 riders through tracks ranging in length from ten to 12 miles. With varied terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed and draw talent from all over the U.S., Europe, Australia and New Zealand. GNCC Racing is televised and airs every week on NBC Sports Network. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.