Welcome to Quick Fill.

This week comes to you from the mile-high air in beautiful Lakewood, Colo. as we get set for Round 2 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at Thunder Valley MX Park. This place is sort of like racing at Snowshoe, except ten times as hard on the body and machine to perform at the highest level of racing. It was interesting to watch the teams who participated in today’s press day and just how much tweaking and testing they’re doing to make the bikes adapt to the ultra thin air.

It was a bummer to miss last weekend’s Limestone 100 race for me personally because I feel like quite a bit of excitement took place in Indiana over the weekend. First off, I want to send a huge congrats to Walker Fowler on a big win in the XC1 ATV division. Not only did Walker break Borich’s five-race winning streak to get his first win of the season, but I truly think that was just what Walker needed to boost his confidence and head into the second half of the season with a bigger fire underneath him than what he may have entered with. This isn’t to say I’m pumped to see Borich lose one. I just think that the more excitement that can interject into the championship chase, the better. The guys cover this in a little more detail below, but you can’t fail to mention yet another outstanding performance by Chris Bithell. It’s almost like we’re seeing a completely different rider out there this season and I’m not sure what or to whom to attribute the success so far. Bithell is the type of rider that has a very specific way of doing things and likes to be in charge of what’s going on with his program. In the past, being a part of a team seemed to hinder his ability to let go and just ride his ATV, which is what it seems like Chris is doing this season. Anytime you see him in the pits he’s got a full on smile and he seems genuinely happy to be there. Which is an awesome thing to see from “Bam Bam.” I’m excited to see how the rest of the season pans out amongst those three, because surely we haven’t seen it all just yet.

Head over to RacerTV.com to catch the latest ATV show from the FMF Steele Creek GNCC and don’t forget to tune into NBC Sports Network this Sunday at 1:30 p.m. to catch the bike show from North Carolina. All of the past shows are also archived on RacerTV.com so head on over to catch all the race action that has taken place so far this season. And for all you hardcore GNCC fans out there, #gncclive will make its return next weekend at the Wiseco John Penton. We’re sorry there wasn’t a show at the Limestone but rest assured things will be back to normal next weekend and you’ll be able to catch all your favorite riders from the afternoon races on both Saturday and Sunday. There may be a new pit reporter for the weekend, as I’m going to miss the next round for the brand new Tennessee National at Muddy Creek Raceway.

The guys below have a bunch of awesome stuff to talk about below, so I’m going to go ahead and pass it along to them. Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend! Take it away, guys.

@JaredBolton:

Well, another week and another race has come and gone. It seems pretty strange to say that we’re pretty much to the halfway point of the 2013 GNCC Racing season but we are, and things are beginning to shape up on both the ATV and bike sides when it comes to championship battles. Regardless, we had a fantastic weekend of racing in Indiana last weekend and the weather was a welcomed relief for most after Kentucky.

Saturday’s ATV race was a little different than normal as Chris Borich was handed his first loss of the season when Walker Fowler broke through to grab the win. However, Chris Bithell kept him honest and stayed pretty close to Walker for the entire race. It was a little strange to see Borich hang back in third place for basically the entire race. Many were expecting him to charge like normal late but it never really happened.  Adam McGill stayed close to the lead pack all day as well but would ultimately settle for 4^th ahead of Jarrod McClure in 5^th. Also, shout out to Braden Henthorn who tied his best finish of the season with a 6^th place.

The Women’s ATV class once again saw Kylie Ahart snagging another win and extending her lead in the Women’s class points while Kara Merritt took second, with Quincy Cunningham in third. Now, before I go any further, I know some of you are thinking “oh great, here goes Bolt-On getting ready to talk about his BFF” (or as my fellow track crew guys like to call her, my “wife”) but, I feel like this is worthy of mentioning. Jesi Stracham was able to finish 4^th place with broken handlebar mounts that happened on the first lap. Her bars would twist completely up and down on the mounts and end up basically as far down as they could go. Now, you may be wondering, how in the world is it possible that she kept going? Well, with some help from quite a few people, Jesi’s handlebars were held in place with about 25 zip-ties, which through the course of the race kept breaking and would require replacements. Obviously she lost a lot of time dealing with that but was still able to stay on the lead lap and even late in the race turned a lap time that was competitive with the class leaders.

Now, I mention that not just because it’s an impressive feat to keep things together through an entire 2 hour GNCC race like that but also because I feel like that’s one of the times we could say “that’s what GNCC Racing is all about”. The fact that a racer was able to hold their machine together with zip-ties and ride almost the entire race like that, and never even go a lap down is pretty impressive. Things like this happen at every single race and usually go unnoticed. I’ve stuck a rider’s broken handlebars back together with a stick before and watched him finish out that entire lap, and people have thousands more stories like that. A lot of times we don’t think about it but overcoming adversity in a racing environment by having to go out of your comfort zone is something unique about us as racers. An average person wouldn’t be able to do that. Any time any of you are in a situation similar to the one Jesi was in, give yourselves a big pat on the back because that’s pretty impressive, folks.

Sunday’s bike race was an interesting one as well as the top 3 riders all stayed within sight of each other for basically the entire race. Once again it was the FMF/KTM teammates of Charlie Mullins and Kailub Russell who would control the race but Thad Duvall would come from back in the pack to challenge them as well, and even made his way into 2^nd place at one point during the race before Kailub Russell would pass him back in the final stages of the race.

That’s pretty much how the day ended too. Charlie Mullins snagged yet another win with Kailub Russell in 2^nd and Thad Duvall rounding out the podium. Rory Mead returned to the 2-stroke and had a solid ride running as high as third place in the opening stages of the race. In the end though, Paul Whibley would work his way back into 4^th place while Mead would battle with Chris Bach for 5^th with Mead eventually coming out with the advantage.

Speaking of Chris Bach, he went down on the start and was accidentally ran over by Kailub Russell. Bach would spend most of the day working his way back up through the pack as he was in the mix with all the XC2 guys after that crash.

The XC2 race was pretty interesting as well with Grant Baylor taking his first ever XC2 win and also becoming the youngest rider to win the XC2 class. Jason Thomas in 2^nd, who was also able to take over the points lead after Andrew Delong ran into issues on the day. Jed Haines ended up with his first podium of the season with a third place finish. Shane Hufford continued his top 5 success with a fourth place finish. Makes you wonder when we’ll see this guy on the podium!

Wow. I’ve already talked about so much and there’s plenty more I could go into but hey, we’ve got other weeks of Quick Fill where I can go into the other stuff. So that’s going to do it for me this week. Until next time, Bolt-On says bye. (gotcha!)

Here’s Chuck LeMaster with what’s happening in the world of Team Faith.

The Limestone 100 was a huge success!  The youth played 9 SQUARE at the Team Faith trailer until it was too dark to see.  I believe that game will be coming back!  However, at the John Penton, a "watersport" will be appropriate!  Stay tuned!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to help with the Mark Heresco bake sale/fund raiser.  This following weekend at John Penton we will have a giant "Get Well Soon" card for Randall Riggs - please stop by and put your autograph on it! 

That'll do for now - see you in a week!

Thanks, Chuck! And now I’ll pass it over to Rodney Tomblin.

@HotRodney22:

As the 2013 Amsoil Grand National Cross Country Series rolls into the midway point of the season, things begin to heat up as expected and the 2^nd annual Dunlop Limestone 100 GNCC made for an exciting round 6 of the championship. It was a weekend of slain giants, firm holds and dominance. And of course there were surprises that still leave many with their imagination open.

First off, I have to say the Youth ATV races are starting to heat up and new challengers are becoming more numerous. Hunter Hart has won every round so far and is among only 3 riders sharing the 6 wins so far this season. (Kylie Ahart- Women Class and Bryan Buckhannon – 4x4 Open also have perfect seasons underway) Hart has seen some challenges from Brandon Frazier, John Glauda Jr. and Seth Wilson early in the season, but lately it has been 125 Sr. 12-15 rider Carter Kerens making some waves. Kerens pulled to a 2^nd place position at the Limestone but if had not been for mechanical issues this season, there could have been more and there can surely be more to come.

The 10:00 AM race welcomed back a familiar name in former XC1 Pro rider Donald Ockerman. Ockerman raced the Sportsman A class which doesn’t actually score points or count in the overall but he rode to a time that would have had him 3^rd overall and 2^nd in his class behind fellow Hoosier, Kevin Cunningham. Cunningham rode well enough to finish in adjusted overall 1^st place, and like Ockerman, was out to have a little fun.

The big surprise in the morning ATV classes may have been Westley Wolfe capturing his 2^nd overall win of the season. Wolfe finished an impressive 2^nd in adjusted time compared to A riders in the morning program and is quickly becoming a threat to win the #201 plate for 2013. This could be something of historical proportions but we all know it is a long season and this is something that may be worth keeping an eye on. 

Kylie Ahart, a.k.a. The Marietta Missile, shares the distinct honor of only three now in the championship with 6 straight wins in 2013. The making of the perfect season and is upon this young lady and each week the wins keep piling up. Ahart has worked her way through the GNCC ranks and though it was expected for her to be making some noise, the explosion in speed and talent has been somewhat of a surprise. I for one think she is way ahead of the curve and could be on her way to something big by season’s end. I would not be surprised to see a Women class rider dawn the overall podium again soon.

The 4x4 Class has been one of intensity over its history as well and the 2013 season is nothing less of a battle. Bryan Buckhannon has swept the season so far in the class and is poised to be tough to beat minus a huge mistake or mechanical failure. Sometimes it is your time and this may just be Buckhannon’s time.

The biggest surprise of all obviously came in the XC1 Pro Class when Walker Fowler stopped Chris Borich’s perfect record for 2013. Fowler and Chris Bithell hooked up early on taking advantage of a poor start by the point leader and defending champion. Borich had moved into 3^rd place by the end of the first lap and was looking at a little over 11 second deficit. By the end of lap two, Borich had lost another 16 seconds on Fowler and Bithell, and as the two lap board came out, Borich had a look of intensity I haven’t seen in his eyes before. I can say that I have never seen that so early in the race. Borich had thrown the goggles by the end of lap three and had his head down pushing. At this point Borich and Adam McGill had been rider together but McGill dropped to nearly 22 seconds back. As good as this was, the duo of Fowler and Bithell pulled another 15 seconds on Borich, putting him now 45 seconds behind. It was becoming obvious that Borich would likely not catch the battle up front unless they made some mistakes or had some sort of problems. Borich did run a 16 second faster lap on the final lap securing 3^rd place and scoring valuable points. Borich may not have a perfect season running any longer but the most wins record is still out there and the obvious goal of championship number 5.

Now of course the questions begin to fly of whether or not Fowler will back it up. I for one have to say that Fowler alone may not be Borich’s thorn. Remember, Chris Borich came in 3^rd and Chris Bithell rode with Fowler all day finishing 2^nd. I feel this coupled with previous results Bithell has been turning in since making the switch to his own program and on an equally prepared machine could herald the coming of some fierce competition to take us through the rest of the year. Between Fowler, Bithell, Adam McGill and a host of new comers the life of being an ATV GNCC champion is not going to be an easy one.

One cannot go on this week without commenting on the amazing championship battle shaping up in the XC2 Pro Am class. Defending champion Pat McGuire on the Project 591 machine has his hands full in defending this championship. Plagued with bad starts and late race mistakes, McGuire has been watching the points lead slip away to the XC2 Pro Am rookie Brycen Neal. Neal has finished on the podium in every round except for the mud of Kentucky where he finished 13^th. Determined to be back on the radar in Indiana, Neal made a statement in this round when he came in behind Fred Marley 10 seconds down at the end of lap 2 to only be leading by 47 seconds at the end of lap 3. Neal finished nearly a minute ahead of battle for 2^nd with Fred Marley and Pat McGuire who finished 3^rd in the class. Keep an eye out on the rest of the season in this one.

That’s about all for this week. Till next time, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.