Anyway, I’m just happy to have summer finally on the horizon. Which also means the heart of our GNCC season has arrived. We have six more rounds before the big summer break and that’s enough time to really make or break the season for many riders. On that note, it sounds like there’s one rider who won’t let a big crash affect his season and that’s Thad DuVall. As many of you may have heard, Thad crashed pretty hard on Sunday at the FMF Steele Creek GNCC and when he left there were reports that his ribs were bothering him pretty badly. I talked to Thad today for an update and he said his ribs are pretty tender and hurting but he’s going to wrap them up and definitely race in South Carolina next weekend. He said there was some separation in the rib cartilage—which Barry Hawk later explained to me is one of the most painful things he’s ever felt—so I’m sure Thad isn’t feeling the greatest right now. The best of luck goes out to Thad and hopefully he can take care of those things enough to feel ready to go next weekend.

Just talking with some of the guys after the race it sounds like quite a few of them witnessed Thad’s get-off in the woods and they all said it looked pretty nasty in person. Paul Whibley was kind enough to run (on foot) out of the woods to call for a medic to get Thad, which is not something you see every day. Huge hats off to Whibs for helping out a fellow competitor and former teammate like that. Josh Strang also said that he stopped to see if Thad was okay and a few others did the same – all the more reason to have respect for these guys on and off the track. Whibs sent out a race report this week that said when he returned to the race after helping Thad, he was a long way back but that’s where he thought he would be anyway due to a wrist injury he had heading into last weekend’s race. It sounds like the defending champ was in a good bit of pain throughout the three hour race but that says a lot about his will power that he kept on going, especially considering that he wasn’t in the running to even score any championship points by the end of the race. I’m not really sure if Whibs is indeed human, but either way you have to have mad respect for the guy.

Many people may have wondered what happened to Kailub Russell after the race, where he finished second place to his teammate Mullins. And especially if you were watching the GNCC LIVE stream, you probably saw him ride straight back to his motorhome after coming through the checkers. It appeared that KR was upset about coming in second place but we later found out that he was pretty sick the week leading up to the race and wasn’t feeling very well after three hours of straight up abuse to his body. KR regrouped in his pit and rode straight up to the podium area to take care of his media obligations as soon as he was able to muster up the energy to do so.

Our friends over at Vigilant Vet Racing (VVR), a not-for-profit effort to get disabled Veterans involved with recreational ATV riding and cross-country racing as a form of self-therapy, just opened up their GoFundMe.com website in order to raise funds to help keep Vets involved in racing. They are also very concerned about and aim to raise awareness of PTSD, which affects over 20% of our Veterans returning home from deployment.

Brandon Rumbaugh is a disabled Veteran from Uniontown, PA whose wish is to race an ATV cross-country. Brandon served in the United States Marine Corps and did two tours of duty in Afghanistan. On November 29, 2010 Brandon's unit was returning from patrol when a fellow Marine stepped on an IED. Brandon turned and started back to "pull him out so they could work on him" and stepped on a secondary IED. Brandon eventually lost both of his legs. 

Ronnie Wilson from The New East Coast XC referred Brandon to VVR when he told him he was interested in getting into racing. Rick Proctor, VVR Executive Director, contacted Brandon and got things rolling. Rick contacted Brian Vasko at Waynesburg Yamaha and asked if he could help build a custom ATV for Brandon that would not only be adapted to suit his needs, but also provide more comfort and allow Brandon to get away from the bike if an accident should occur. Brian instantly began to brainstorm, thinking of ways he could make a quad work for Brandon and the results are turning out to be something that the racing industry has yet to see. 

First, Waynesburg Yamaha offered to donate their time required for labor, setup, testing and the largest part, the research and development required to design something new like this - build a fully functional, adapted race quad that can run with the pros. Next, Brain contacted some companies that he has worked closely with in the past to see if they could help address the challenges involved with this new build. After an hour long conference call with Custom Axis, the decision was made to build a brand new, never produced before set of shocks for the front end of the quad that would be tailored to meet the needs of Brandon's unique riding style. Greg's ATV in Ohio also jumped on board and will be doing Brandon's rear shock for him. Lone Star Racing is fitting nerf bars with breakaway bicycle pegs and powder-coating them to match. LSR is also replacing the rear axle and hubs on Brandon's used bike and Brian found that repairs needed to be made. Fly Racing is hooking Brandon up with some of their bicycle shoes which will attach and breakaway from the adapted nerf bars that LSR is fabricating. There are more companies signing on to help out as we get into this project further. 

Even with the free R&D, labor and discounted parts, this is still an expensive project. Vigilant Vet Racing is in the early stages of forming their nonprofit so Rick has set up an account on GoFundMe.com to raise money for Brandon's bike build. "We will put all money raised toward the tab on Brandon's bike build and anything extra we receive will go toward helping our next Disabled Veteran rider and/or the VVR mission,” Rick Proctor commented.

Information for this fundraising page can be found HERE and it is extremely easy to visit and donate. The VVR website and blog is still being developed however, the organization uses their Facebook page facebook.com/VigilantVetRacing frequently as well as Twitter @VigilantVet. Vigilant Vet Racing is also set up on Vendor's Row at each GNCC race. This year they are limiting it to the Saturday ATV races but plan to expand into the bikes next year when they have more resources. 

A huge thanks to Rick Proctor for all he does for our Vets and the sport of GNCC Racing. If you want to contact the VVR folks, head over to their Facebook page and hit them up!

Our friend David Scearce of 318photos.com shot photos over the weekend. You can find those on his site or the direct link HERE.

Okay, that’s it for me this week. I’m going to hit the Rail Trail for a nice evening run and hopefully you all are enjoying the outdoors in some way this weekend as well!

Take it away, Bolton.

@JaredBolton:

Well, after last weekend's Steele Creek GNCC, I guess we can officially say that the GNCC season is in full swing. We're past the madness of the opening rounds and into the rest of the 2013 GNCC season. While this year's Steele Creek GNCC may have been slightly less eventful than years past, it still produced some great racing action, and that's what we all want to see, right?

The quad race saw it's usual great battles happening through the majority of the race. It never ceases to amaze me how close the quad guys run together for the entire race, and then an all-out battle ensues through the final laps. Steele Creek was no different with the BA team of Borich and Bithell going 1-2. I call them the BA team because, well if you call them the B team due to the B's in their last name, it sounds like you're calling them a second rate team. Add that A in there to not only show that they're the A-team (which one is Mr T?) but B-A is an abbreviation for "bad ass" and we know that's what they are. May sound dumb to some, but it made sense to me.

On the bike side we did see a fairly eventful race. Whibley jumped out to his usual holeshot and led for a while. The rumor was that Whibs had been pretty sick and it showed as he began to drop further back through the pack. He also stopped to check on Thad Duvall after he crashed, so I have to give Whibs a big kudos for being a good sportsman. Thad and Whibs weren't the only ones with an interesting race. Josh Strang ran up front early but apparently tangled with a lapper and went down pretty hard. Strang actually pulled off for a few minutes but did go back out and finish the race.

Of course, the battle for the win did come down to the KTM teammates of Charlie Mullins and Kailub Russell. The duo swapped the lead several times throughout the race, and actually pulled away from the rest of the pack in the final stages of the race and would end up with Mullins taking the win, and the points lead over Kailub. Chris Bach put in a great ride as well to round out the podium in third. Bach has been looking pretty solid so far in 2013 and I believe we could see him back on the podium more. 

The race in the XC2 class was pretty interesting as well, as it came down to the final lap. Jason Thomas, Andrew Delong, Aaron Plessinger and Grant Baylor all stayed within a few seconds of each other for the entire race. When they finally came out of the woods to the finish, it would a battle between Plessinger and Thomas for the class win. Plessinger would end up edging Thomas out by less than a second at the finish, while Grant Baylor hung in to finish third.

I'd also like to give a shout out to Alex Beroth in the 200-A class who got his first ever GNCC class win at Steele Creek. Winning any A class is a pretty tough feat, and to make your first class win in the series come in the A class, that's pretty impressive.

If you're in the Carolinas this weekend, you've got a couple of opportunities to do some racing. Lexington, NC will host the Big M Farm NCHSA race, which is a 100% new event - all new trails and an all-new venue. While that's going on, Woodruff, SC will play host to the Harris Bridge Mid-East race, which has become a fairly popular stop for Mid-East racers. So whether you ride a bike or quad, you've got a chance to do some racing this weekend, and I'm sure there's plenty more races across the country. 

That's all I've got for this week! If you're going to be at the ATVMX event at Muddy Creek on Saturday, or that Mid-East race Sunday, feel free to say hi if you see me. Until next time, Bolt-On out!

And here’s @HotRodney22:

The 2013 FMF Steele Creek seemed to go by this year without any truly monumental wild and crazy stories as we have seen in the past.  This season as the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series took to the mountainous foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountain range there was a lot of anticipation as to what this year would hold. One could say from a quick glimpse that we escaped without much to ad to the lore of this majestic valley. But at a deeper look did it really go by without its unforgettable moment or moments.

Saturday morning as I drove into the facility I was in awe of the amount people waiting in line well before 7 am. More so because I knew the magnitude of people that had arrived already on Friday. There were racers and fans pouring in from all directions. The question on my mind was, “Where they all going to going?” The obvious answer, everywhere. Scattered throughout 10 plus miles of terrain waiting for that moment when the action hits its peak.

The start this year was certainly a little different than the normal GNCC start and led the riders directly into the woods and up one of the more challenging hillclimbs the track had to offer. I referred to it as “cozy” and rather enjoyed the change of pace. It seemed even cozier on Sunday morning with nearly 600 riders gathered together waiting their shot at the Steele Creek course.

The racing began at fever pitch with the start of the Youth ATV battles. In the grand scheme of things, the race day began with at least two great battles. First it was Hunter Hart, Branden Frazier, John Glauda and Seth Wilson in a relative dogfight. Hart was able to capture the win but the boys behind him are finding their speed and it looks like the training that Glauda did this offseason is starting to pay off. It actually is for all these young men and women. The fitness level seems to be finding whole new levels even for these youth. The second battle was in the new 125 Sr. 12-15 class, where Cullin Dennis and Carter Kerens dueled it out early on. Carter actually spilled over in the first turn and worked his way into fourth by the end of lap one. Kerens finished second and actually pulled to within 15 seconds of Dennis at one point. Dennis and Cullen both started the season in the 90 Mod class but have both moved to the 125 Sr. class where it could end up being a showdown with them and current points leader Eric Bayne.

The 10 am race has certainly given the excitement we have expected as well so far this season and Steele Creek is no exception. We are also seeing the rise of the youth classes into these ranks and now even contenders for the overall. The Schoolboy 12-15 class has been to say the least exciting to watch prosper. Westley Wolfe and Cody Collier have set the morning race on fire so far this season and are nearing the likelihood of taking the morning overall race win. Collier finished second overall this past weekend winning his class and Wolfe took third overall and second in the class. These kids are no stranger to the podium and will surely be threats in the future for wins. Dave Simmons is still going to be tough to beat, but any given raceday anything can happen and the odds are leaning toward the kids right now. Wolfe interesting enough is also racing for a championship in the Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship.

The afternoon race seemed to be setting the stage for something off the scale as Chris Borich snagged the holeshot and took the early lead. Traditionally Borich waits till the end to really push to the front but he wanted to be as close to the front early on this year knowing his struggles and issues in the past with everything from mechanical issues to the final turns battle that led to his defeat last year against Taylor Kiser. This year under pressure till the end, Borich was able to secure the win and bring himself one step closer to the all time GNCC wins leader. Borich now sits at 62 now if I am not mistaken. The goal is 68 to tie Bill Balance and 69 to take the record.

Saturday evening welcomed round 2 of the Micro 50cc class championships. Cade Henderson of Pacolet, South Carolina in his first showing to the series found the overall win from the Micro Sr 50cc 7-9 class. The 50cc Jr. 4-6 class-win went to Andrew Segars who actually took 8^th overall in this race but 2^nd overall at round 1 in Florida. The Micro ATV 50cc saw the overall going to Avella, Pennsylvanias Logan Carlisle. Logan rides both bikes and quads and is going to be one to watch.

As far as Sunday racing goes it was again exciting from the first kick-start with the youth race. Braxton McGhee took a mere 3-second win over Cole Mattison that went right down to the wire. McGhee ended lap one in 11^th in his class and put his down and started charging. McGhee worked his way up to 4^th by the end of lap two and then into second heading into the white flag lap. McGhee was 18 seconds down and finished 2.5 seconds ahead. Talk about an amazing ride. Braxton McGhee I tip my hat to you young man. Keep up the good rides.

The 10 am race saw nearly 600 riders and was more than cozy heading into the first turn. At this point the start became rather intimate. Vance Earl who has retired from his real job and is planning on going after the championship and the #201 plate from Randall Riggs took the win from the Masters A 50+ class and the overall. In exciting fashion once more the Women were once again a big part of the action all day. Maria Forsberg snagged 2^nd overall and the class win over Kacy Martinez and Jessica Patterson in third. Patterson though did put in an impressive ride in the mountainous terrain as she left the start well after the class took off and only seconds before the next class started in the beginning of the race. She had worked her way up to 4^th and eventually finished an impressive 3^rd place in the class.

The final race of the weekend left the explanation point on this year’s Steele Creek GNCC though. The amazing rides put in by Kailub Russell and race winner Charlie Mullins was superb. The XC2 Pro Lites battle between Jason Thomas and the newcomer Aaron Plessinger was as about of an exciting finish one will ever see in GNCC. The two-way battle to the final turns when Plessinger made the pass and literally stole the win away from the defending champion.