CASAR, NC ”“ Team DeRisi Racing joined the GNCC racing family for the final race of the season at the historic Loretta Lynn’ Ranch.  Each team rider showed up confident and ready to battle it out in the hills of Hurricane Mills, TN.  With class championships on the line, it proved to be a trying, yet successful weekend of racing.

Braden Henthorn came into the last race leading the XC2 ProAm class points, and needed a solid finish to secure the Championship.  Unfortunately, lady luck was not on his side and a fluke mechanical failure brought his machine to a halt on lap one.  All that was left to do was to watch his friend and championship rival, Pat McGuire, as he pushed his way to the finish and won the XC2 title.  Although it wasn’t the outcome that he wanted, Braden still had an amazing season in taking 2^nd in XC2 points in his rookie year.  Braden will be moving into the premier XC1 Pro class for the 2013 season.

After having his own share of bad luck at the previous round, Eric Hoyland looked to redeem himself in the XC1 Pro Class.  Eric once again got a good jump off the line, and settled in with the lead pack early on.  By the midway point, he found himself locked into a heated battle with Yamaha’s Johnny Gallagher.  Eric would eventually overtake Gallagher on the last lap and finish 7^th in XC1 Pro.  This also secured 7^th place overall, which is Eric’s best career finish.  Eric finished 4^th this season in XC2 ProAm points, and is now focused on the XC1 Pro Class for 2013.

The youngest member of Team DeRisi, Carter Kerens, once again showed his impressive speed by taking the win in 90 Open (8-11).  By taking the race win, Carter also won his class Championship.  Throughout the season, Carter made it evident to his team and supporters that he was determined to do his very best on the track.  We are confident that he will carry this determination into next season, where he is sure to continue winning races.

In the Junior A class, David Reeves fought all race for the lead position and ultimately finished in the 2^nd position.  With his solid finish, David was able to secure 2^nd in Junior A Championship points for the season.  His competitor and brother, James Reeves, rallied to a 4^th place finish at Loretta’s.  This enabled James to lock in 4^th in Junior A points.  James proved to be one of the most consistent racers by never finishing outside of the top 10.  For those who may not know, James works tirelessly in the DeRisi Racing trailer on race weekends, servicing customers’ shocks and helping setup the team quads.  Often times, James gets little sleep and no time to relax, which makes his season’s finishes that much more impressive.

Kylie Ahart put in one of her best rides of the season in the Women’s Pro class.  Kylie latched on to the leaders on lap one and made a pass on lap two to move into second position.  Kylie then started digging deep and making up time on the leader.  Unfortunately, she ran out of time to make a run at the lead, but came across the line in 2^nd and within thirty seconds of first.  Kylie had a great rookie season and finished 4^th in Women’s Championship points.

Brycen Neal had already wrapped up the College A Championship at the previous round, so he elected to move up to XC2 ProAm for the final race.  Somehow on lap one, Brycen lost his tether cord which killed his machine.  After a couple of minutes, he was able to get his machine restarted and put on a charge to make up ground.  Amazingly, Brycen came from last on lap one to finish 8^th in the ultra-competitive XC2 class.

“We have had an incredible season with all of our team riders finishing in the Top 5 in points of their respective classes” , said team owner, Santo DeRisi.  “With the support of so many great companies, families, and fans, we were able to make this a season to remember.  We are excited to get to work during the offseason and carry our success into the 2013 season.”Â

“Thank you so much to the following companies for their loyalty and support; Rath Racing, Fox Shox, GBC Tires, IMS Products, HMF, HiPer Technology, Power Bar, GPR, Fasst Co, DC Cycle, Wiseco, RG Honda, Twin Air, Rekluse, Dirtworks, Tireballs, DP Brakes, G4 Graphics, PowerMadd, Motion Pro, Quad Tech, Antigravity Batteries, RPM, Outerwears, Bell Helmets, Spider Grips, Silkolene, Moose Racing, Scott Goggles and Liquid Performance.”Â