The best part about the webcast is that not only can GNCC fans see the race action as it unfolds, but the shows are also archived for later viewing on RacerTV.com. You can view The Maxxis General Bike show HERE, but we’re still working on getting the others loaded into the site.

This year’s schedule offers one extra week off because of the Easter holiday so we actually get two weeks off in between Round 2 and 3, which may not be such a bad thing after talking to the riders after Georgia. Most guys were pretty beat up after two intense races in less than a week’s time. I enjoyed getting the opportunity to interview the XC1 and XC2 guys almost immediately after they came off the track because I was able to see firsthand just how spent these guys are after 2 and 3 hours on the course. It sounds like the Georgia course was one of the rougher tracks we’ve ever seen, which means Trail Bosses Jeff Russell and Barry Hawk must have done something right! You can bet that almost every guy inside at least the top five came off the track with little to nothing left within themselves, as it was all on the track.

“It was a pretty rough one today, I’m pretty tired. After Florida and Georgia beat my butt so I’ll be good for a week off!” –DeLong

The one rider who just never seems to be fatigued is 4-time ATV champ Chris Borich. That guy looks like a million bucks after a two-hour race when the rest of his competition is at least breaking a sweat! I talked to Borich after Florida and he said his hands were feeling great and he was too; which isn’t quite what the rest of the guys were saying. I was amazed to see the crazy blisters on the ATV riders’ hands compared to the smaller amount on the bike side. I suppose the thumb VS twist throttle could have something to do with it or maybe it just depends on the riding style. Either way, some of the ATV guys had gnarly blisters!

This weekend was the season opener of UTV racing and surprise, surprise it was once again the Yokley duo of William and Tina taking the XC1 Modified and UTV Overall win at The General. The Polaris National Guard Team took last year’s number one plate and they’re off to a great start in 2013. Team Jacks and Team Can-Am/JB Racing each landed themselves atop the first podium of the season as well. I know the Can-Am guys are all really excited about the new Maverick machine this year. I know from looks alone the thing seems super high tech and aerodynamic but we may need to get Bolton hooked up with one of the Can-Am team members to get a full-on report on what the new machines really bring to the table.

By the way, I just wanted to reiterate this year’s UTV schedule as we’re working on making it more apparent on the new website. UTV races will be as follows: The General, Big Buck, John Penton, Mountaineer Run, Powerline Park, Ironman.

That being said, here’s a look at the 50cc Micro races this season as well: River Ranch, Steele Creek, The Mammoth, Limestone 100, Unadilla and The Gusher.

We grabbed Barry Hawk for this week’s edition of Quick Fill since there’s no possible way he’s busy, considering we don’t race for another couple of weeks. All right, so he’s probably pretty busy but we thought it would be a good time to check in with the champ and see his thoughts on the first two rounds of racing.

@Bhawk8:

After two and a half weeks on the road, I finally got home Tuesday morning around 2 AM. Looking back on the Florida and Georgia events, I think they went well. Considering when we got to Florida and I went for a ride in the woods and I seen they cut most of the trees on the best part of track. I was disappointed but we tried to make the best of the situation and make the coarse go through what trees were left, which meant using huge amounts of moose tape, string and pink tape to keep everyone on a defined track. Then when we got to Georgia we found that there was a field fire in some of the parking area which left us scratching our heads wondering if we needed to change the layout, but then we realized it was nothing our water truck couldn't take care of to keep the dust down.

As for the racing on the ATV side, I'm not surprised with Borich getting both wins, but what I am surprised with is the ATV racing spreading out more than usual. Generally there's five or six guys going back and forth the entire race but that didn't happen as much the first two races. What I was most pumped for in Georgia was the ageless wonder Johnny G getting a podium! I was at the finish line when he came through and he had a bigger cheer from the crowd than Borich did for winning. Not that Borich didn't deserve the win, but because most everyone there was happy for Johnny because, well, he is Mr. GNCC.

As for the bike side, the racing was a lot closer than I expected which is good for everyone except maybe the pit crews. What is the more surprising to me on the bike side is last year’s champions (Whibley and Thomas) not getting a win yet. Thomas got a podium in Florida but was a minute off of Delong, and in Georgia really wasn't in the lead group all day. As for Whibley, I'm wondering if there's something else going on that we don't know about, but I really don't think that's it. Just from hearing what people are saying and watching him ride I'm leaning towards him not having the motivation to lay it on the line, it's almost likes he's just out there riding and not racing. Don't get me wrong, I like Paul and I'm not putting him down it’s just hard to keep the dedication to go for a championship year after year and its as mentally tough as it is physically tough. I know this because I've been in his position before. If I could give him some advice right now I would tell him to not get on a bike until a couple days before North Carolina so he can recharge his batteries and make him want to get back on a bike.

And here’s Jared.

@JaredBolton:

So now the 2013 GNCC Racing season is in full swing and we’re already starting to see things heating up all across the ranks. I’ve been talking for the past few months about how much potential the 2013 season has to be one for the record books and so far it’s proved to be pretty interesting.

In the first two rounds on the bike side, the KTM teammates of Charlie Mullins and Kailub Russell have proved themselves to be the ones to beat with each of them grabbing wins in the first two rounds. Then there’s also Josh Strang and Thad Duvall who have both been on the podium or in the top 5 in the opening rounds, and both have led a portion of both races.

Some are saying that Paul Whibley seemed to be a bit off pace in the opening rounds but he’s still snagged those holeshots that he’s become so good at and set the pace early. I think we’ll see Whibs back up front contending for wins soon enough as he may just be getting a slow start to the season like Barry Hawk used to do (remember that?)

Chris Bach has also put in solid races in the opening rounds and landed in the top 5 at The General. As the season goes on, we could very well see Bach landing some podium finishes. Bach and Josh Strang had a pretty good battle in Georgia with Strang edging out Bach for fourth place. Newcomer Ricky Russell has also been putting together solid top 10 finishes and I think he took quite a few people by surprise as I had several people ask me “Who’s the guy on the 212 Yamaha?” Takeshi Koikeda has also put together solid top 10 finishes aboard his new Honda. Takeshi is another rider I think we’ll see working his way up to the front of the pack as the season goes on; much like his did in 2012.

The XC2 ranks have also been pretty interesting to watch as Andrew Delong has proved himself as the man to beat in the opening rounds by snagging both wins. However, Zach Osborne used his time off from West Coast Supercross to land on the podium in both of the opening rounds but he’s heading back to Supercross soon and will leave that 2^nd place points position up for grabs. Grant Baylor entered his rookie XC2 season with a lot of expectations and has put together two solid races with a fifth and second in the opening rounds.

Jason Thomas put in a solid ride in Florida and ended up with 2^nd place but had a pretty hard crash in Georgia that rung his bell a little bit. He was still able to remount and finish out the day in 5^th. It’s only a matter of time before the defending XC2 champ makes his way back onto the podium as well but he’s got some stiff competition this year.