Tuesday, April 2, 2013 | 1:55 PM
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – After two rounds of racing in the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series, there’s no denying four-time champ Chris Borich’s sheer domination in the XC1 Pro ATV class. However, the battle for second through tenth place is a lot less predictable with a deep field of talent on this year’s front line.
Heading into this Saturday’s FMF Steele Creek GNCC in Morganton, N.C., Round 3 of the 13-race series, Borich will once again attempt to fend off his competitors in hopes of taking home a third straight win this season. However, it was in North Carolina that Borich experienced his first loss of 2012, which may come into play during Saturday’s two-hour competition. AmPro Yamaha’s Walker Fowler currently sits in second place as he continues to chase Borich for a win. Fowler has struggled with poor starts in the first two rounds but the 20-year-old has successfully charged his way through the pack to secure two solid podium finishes so far this season.
Lonestar/Precision/ITP’s Adam McGill is coming off an unfortunate setback in Round 2, where he was forced to spend a substantial amount of time in the pits repairing his ATV after hitting a tree earlier in the race. McGill secured a second place finish in the opening round, ultimately putting him in third place in the overall standings heading into Round 3. Maxxis-backed Chris Bithell also ran into some issues at Round 2, knocking him back to seventh place after leading the early parts of the race. Bithell’s current fourth place rank doesn’t quite reflect the amount of time he’s spent in front of the pack thus far.
Yamaha/GBC/HMF’s Johnny Gallagher currently sits tied with Bithell for fourth place in points after securing his first podium finish in 10 years at Round 2. At 35-years-old, Gallagher is the oldest racer on the front line but that doesn’t stop the GNCC veteran from mixing it up with the new generation of pro racers.
JB Offroad/Can-Am’s Jarrod McClure started off the season with a top five finish aboard an all-new machine and team but things didn’t quite go his way the following round. McClure is looking for his first podium finish this weekend in North Carolina.
And then there’s Waynesburg Yamaha’s Jeff Pickens, GT Thunder’s Brian Wolf and BNR’s Kevin Yoho who have continuously battled for top five positions at the first two rounds.
In the XC2 Pro Am division, rookies Brycen Neal and Landon Wolfe have pulled an early lead over the competition. Neal has swept the first two rounds of racing, while also securing impressive eighth and fourth place overall finishes after time adjustment. Wolfe currently holds second place in the class with two consistent second place finishes, also finishing tenth and eleventh overall from the second row.
Defending XC2 Pro Am champion Patrick McGuire hasn’t quite gotten off to the successful start he did last season, currently sitting third in the overall point standings. McGuire sits only one point ahead of Fred Marley, who tops Chad Jones by just one point heading into Round 3 this weekend.
The 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series continues this weekend, April 6 and 7, with Round 3 – the FMF Steele Creek GNCC. Youth ATV racing will take place Saturday at 8 a.m., followed by amateurs, 4x4 and Women at 10 a.m. and the top amateurs and pros at 1 p.m. For more information on the series, visit www.gnccracing.com.
Tune in Saturday at 1 p.m. EST for the GNCC LIVE webcast from Steele Creek, providing audio and video coverage of the ATV Pro race. Stay up-to-date with exclusive content from the 2013 AMSOIL GNCC Series by following the series Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.