Welcome to Quick Fill.

It’s finally time to go racing! Although most of us have still been going to races on the weekends, it’s not quite the same as when the GNCC season starts back up. It’s almost going to feel like Round 1 all over again, catching up with everyone and just getting back into the groove of things. As I’ve said before, I have never actually been to Unadilla before so I’m excited to see the track layout and experience a weekend of racing at the historical venue.

We’re all set to have a regular GNCC race weekend, with the exception of the PeeWee race action. The PeeWee course will run through the normal GNCC start and finish lines, therefore scoring will be done by GNCC as well. The fee to sign up for a PeeWee class”†which does include PeeWee quads”†will be $25 and a transponder will NOT be needed. Here’s a link to the PeeWee information, including WNYOA class structures and rules. For the other WNYOA participants, we will have the class conversion chart posted shortly.

I find it essential to post this message I saw on the WNYOA homepage again because it’s very important to those wanting to sign up for WNYOA series points.

Attention all WNYOA Riders, there are a couple of very important things that all WNYOA Riders will need to do at Unadilla this year. Number One!! ALL WNYOA RIDERS MUST REGISTER AT THE WNYOA SIGN-UP AREA BEFORE LEAVING THE SIGN-UP AREA. Due to the changes with the status of GNCC with the AMA, it will be imperative that all WNYOA riders sign up with Gail Wilson when you register for the race. She will be there every minute that the GNCC registration is open. You will not get scored back for WNYOA points if you do not register with her, NO EXCEPTIONS!! There is going to be no excuses why you did not register with her. You will need to provide her with your AMA/ATVA card, and your WNYOA card. Also if you run a different class in the GNCC, it will make everything go easier to get the results posted to our web site a lot faster. Please make sure this is a priority. We will be posting other updates in the near future, like start times with the Pee Wee bikes and quads, I think everyone will be happier with the times this year, over the last several years. If anyone has any questions feel free to contact one of the four Rider reps.

And now for the racing. As most of you may have heard, XC2 Pro Am ATV rider Gabe Phillips will not be racing this weekend at Unadilla, and from the sounds of it he may not make it back before the season finale in November either. Phillips had a crash and broke his collarbone, 6 ribs and a collapsed and bruised lung. That’s pretty brutal for Gabe this late in the year, especially since he was still in the hunt for an XC2 championship this season. Phillips still holds more race-wins than anyone in the Pro Am division, but it seems like bad luck has plagued him more than once this season and he just couldn’t keep consistent from week to week. At the end of 2011 it seemed like Gabe was on the fence about whether he was going to stay in Pro Am or move up to XC1 and he made the decision to hold back in order to go for the title, but since this season is shot for the front row in 2013? Best of luck to Gabe as he heals up from a bummer of an injury.

We talked about XC2 Pro Am ATV rider Roman Brown’s newest training regimen last week and it’s all tying in as Unadilla is like a hometown race for the New Yorker. Like we said before, Roman made the move from College A earlier this season and will be competing for only the fourth time in Pro Am this weekend. But it sounds like he’s really gotten serious about being fit and he’s focused on leaving the 2012 with a bang to better prep himself for a full-season of XC2 in 2013. We’ll see what the New York boy can do in from of his home crowd this weekend.

Bolton and Rodney cover a majority of the Pro battles both ATV and bike so I’ll highlight what’s happening in the morning classes. It looks like Kevin Trantham has things wrapped up in the 4x4 Lites class, as he’s taken 8 of the 9 class-wins and would most likely have a perfect season so far had he not broken something on the quad in Round 6 at the Limestone 100. It’s a bummer to break the class-win streak but I think Kevin has bigger things to be proud of this season, including 4 overall podium visits and being atop every 4x4 podium this season except the Indiana round that he wasn’t able to finish.

And then there’s the always-interesting battle between 4x4 Open front-runners Bryan Buckhannon and Michael Swift. Those guys really know how to put on a show and arguably put on some of the best racing we see all weekend. Unlike last season where the duo switched off wining races almost every other round, Swift has only secured one win this year but only sits seven points down from Buckhannon’s lead. There’s still time for this championship battle to heat up, especially with the last four rounds being somewhat of an even playing field for the 4x4 machines. Of course, we saw Andrew Langston steal the win at Snowshoe earlier in the year after Buckhannon was in the lead and ran into some issues near the end, while Swift also ran into some issues to keep him away from that second win.

I may be biased here, but I have really enjoyed watching the Women’s bike class this year, more than ever before. Obviously Maria Forsberg has things wrapped up for the championship and we’re okay with that. But I feel like the rest of the girls have really stepped things up this season and it’s not quite the Forsberg show anymore. Hannah Otto currently holds second in the championship standings but LeeAnn Bange is only 11 points down with four rounds to go. Otto has been pretty consistent inside the top three but she did have an eleventh place at the Mountaineer Run that brings her down a little in points. But since the Women follow the amateur championship points system, her eleventh will get thrown out and most likely secure her second place position in the overall scheme.

Remember in order to be in the running for end-of-the-year-awards, amateurs must enter a minimum of 9 events and the class championship will be determined by the rider’s best finishes in a minimum of 9 events. So when you’re calculating points for the end of the year, be sure to take account for the drops.

That will be it for me. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend at Unadilla! Safe travels and be sure to pack those warm clothes because according to the Robinson family it’s been getting pretty chilly in the evenings. Here’s Bolt-On.

@JaredBolton:

It’s here! It’s here! It’s here! The wait is finally over. It’s time to return to racing this weekend at Unadilla. There’s no doubt that many of you have been on pins and needles for weeks now waiting to get back on the track. I know I’ve been anxious myself. Well, the wait is finally winding down and surely everyone reading this is ready to hear Rodney give that “ten seconds” call once again.

I’ve been giving you a rundown of points, who to keep and eye on and more for the past few weeks, and surely many of you have been doing some bench racing of your own. There’s one thing that’s for sure though, it’s hard to pick a clear favorite on the bike side to take the win this weekend. Speaking of wins, Charlie Mullins snagged a win at the Leadbelt National Enduro in Missouri. Russell Bobbitt was second while Steward Baylor rounded out the podium. That win must be a good confidence booster for Charlie heading into Unadilla, and as I mentioned previously, don’t forget that Charlie was the winner at Unadilla in 2011.

While Charlie was taking the win at a National Enduro, our current points leader Paul Whibley was racing to a win at the Mid-East Hare Scramble in South Carolina. Second place went to Jesse Robinson and Takeshi Koikeda was third in the Pro class. That’s a solid ride for each of those guys and will also have Whibley set up to be rolling well coming into Unadilla. Whibs doesn’t have quite as impressive past finishes at Unadilla previously but he has snagged a win here before and if there’s one guy you can count on to do well just about anywhere, it’s Paul Whibley.

A little further up the road from Whibley’s win in South Carolina, Chris Bach was taking the overall win at the NCHSA event at Camp Walter Johnson in Denton, North Carolina. This is the event I mentioned I had been helping put on, and Bach was definitely riding pretty good. The course is a little tighter than what Bach usually likes but it didn’t seem to have an effect on him at all as he put in consistent laps to take the overall win.

That’s 3 GNCC front-runners who put in solid rides at various races last weekend to get in some last minute race time before Unadilla. Each of these guys can and will run up front, so it should be interesting to see who’s strongest when the racing weekend rolls around. There’s also the slew of other regular contenders such as the guy who’s challenging Whibley for the championship, and that’s Kailub Russell. Kailub has been really quiet all summer, which could be quite the mental game because he could come back like he did earlier this season when he logged 3-straight wins. He’s proved he can do that once, could it happen again at the end of the year?

Then there’s Thad Duvall who’s been up front on and off all year but just hasn’t been able to break onto the podium. Thad has had his most consistent season in a long time but many are wondering when we’ll see him a little further up front. Oh, and what about one more guy who’s come on strong in 2012 and has snagged a pair of wins on the season? Yes, I’m talking about Rory Mead. There’s no doubt that Rory has the speed to run with the top guys and his podium at the Penton proved that he can run up front somewhere other than the technical tracks.

Of course, being that it’s Unadilla, you can’t fail to mention Nate Kanney. Since his 4^th place finish in Georgia, Nate has kind of been off the radar lately but if there’s one guy that knows how to come out of nowhere to run up front, it’s Nate Kanney, and Unadilla is one of the places he has the potential to do so, right in front of the hometown crowd.

There’s no doubt that we’ve got the potential for some great racing this weekend at Unadilla. I’ve mentioned all of this without even bringing up the XC2 class, which always proves to have great racing of it’s own. I’ve also left out the ultra-competitive A classes, Womens, B classes, C classes, Minis, and all the same on the quad side! It’s crazy to think about all the racing we’ve got coming up this weekend and just how competitive it can be.

With that said, I’m going to cut myself short here so everyone can get ready to roll. Hope everyone has a great time this weekend at Unadilla. Until next time, Bolt-On out.

@HotRodney22:

It’s here! The break is finally over and as short of a time span since last we raced, it sure seems like a lot longer than it actually was on the calendar. Fall is in the air now, Chris Borich may just wrap up a fourth consecutive title and the bike championship is going to be wide open with only 6 points separating Paul Whibley and Kailub Russell for that title. Do you smell smoke? I think someone may have caught the barn on fire cause I smell a “Barn Burner” and it’s about to ignite.

Mathematically speaking, Taylor Kiser is still within striking distance of stopping Chris Borich if Borich ends up having some trouble the last four rounds. And I mean big trouble, which is not likely, but definitely not out of the realm of possibility.  Regardless, the final four rounds of the XC1 ATV will be nothing short of exciting.

Taylor Kiser has one win on the season and knowing Taylor he is using that as some major incentive to be back to the center of the box. His teammate Walker Fowler will also be looking to take his first win in the XC1 class.  Though Fowler has two overall wins from his XC2 days, he has yet to beat Chris Borich heads up.  He has been close, but has not been able to seal the deal.  This will be the incentive for Fowler through these last few rounds.

 Speaking of Walker and Taylor, I got a note from Walker last week letting me in on what’s been going on over the break.

“I changed up my workout program these 2 weeks before ”˜Dilla. My sister is helping me with all my weak points, of course aiming to fill the holes in my training the first part of the year. I have been running with my dog also (lol). Plus, I just bought a tractor and a water truck to maintain the MX track that Norm Bickley built me. He's actually built 4-5 tracks this summer break for GNCC racers, Brian Wolf and Braden Henthorn being 2 of them.

I spent 3 weeks before Labor Day weekend in Kentucky to get myself back into riding shape and just back to riding 4 days a week minimum. Biggest thing was that I killed everything I owned so Broc doctored all my quads back together and sent me home with 2 awesome rides. Bill did his usual shock testing and has found and trying something completely ridiculous with a good chance of it functioning better than our already near perfect set ups. Taylor has been riding better than I have seen him ride all season, looking like the Taylor during Florida training pre-separated shoulder.  He says he's feeling strong and fast also. A new found confidence in TK from what I see.”Â

I have joked recently about Chris Bithell dropping out of sight for the break after last being seen some place in the Deep Creek Maryland region.  It seems that he has reemerged and is another set to come back with a vengeance.  He has had more than solid results but has had to work for everything with odd mistakes and incidences that have not allowed the results to reflect how good he is really riding.

Adam McGill as reported is looking back up to speed as mentioned a couple of weeks ago.  He is another looking for wins to close the season. Adams efforts have been monumental though this season regardless if he pulls any wins out the last four rounds or not.  Fighting the building of a new program and injury has been an uphill battle that honestly does not seem to really affect McGill’s confidence or heart. 

Brian Wolf may be one you may not want to forget about either.  Brian has been pretty quiet this season after being poised to be a major threat to the championship this season and having the preseason injury turn into way more than anyone ever thought could be possible.  Wolf showed some speed prior to the break leading a good portion of the Snowshoe GNCC.  The summer break has been a simmering session for Wolf and he could unleash the beast these final four as well.

The motorcycle racing is as potentially exciting, especially the battle between the Whibs and KR.  There could be some big spoilers these last rounds that may a championship for both of those riders a hard earned one. Â 

Rory Mead has been on fire as of late and the more technical the more he seems to excel. Unadilla should turn into a technical track as it always does.  The constantly changing and rough track conditions may work in Meads favor. Rory sits about 45 points behind Russell which seems like a stretch but right now he is not out of the hunt to win the title. 

Thad Duvall sits a little further back in the points but has seen the most consistent and competitive seasons he has had since the XC2 days.  If Thad can continue his early season consistency he may be able to finish the strongest season to date as a pro which will only add fuel to his fire for 2013. Thad has a good support network behind him and will be worth watching these last rounds or 2012.

What about Jordan Ashburn?  He has more and more speed and confidence with each race.  Already posting a podium finish in his rookie season, Jordy stepped up big time in 2012 when he got the call. Some wondered if he may be quite ready, but it looks like Randy Hawkins saw something and went with it when he moved him up to the XC1 class.

Of course we cannot forget ole #1 himself, Charlie Mullins.  Charlie had some injury that has taken him out of championship contention, but once he gets back in the mix, Hot Rod is going to be tough.  He has watched the title slip away this season and has not been able to do anything about it.  What he wants to do now is come back and make a statement that he could be contending too. Don’t be shocked if it happens.

That’s it for now.  Don’t forget to bring some warm and dry clothes this weekend.  Though there is only a chance of some needed showers on Friday, the rest of the weekend looks like it will be a little cooler than we have been used to lately. 

God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.