Thursday, September 26, 2013 | 5:00 PM
Welcome to Quick Fill.
As we close out another weekend for the GNCC history books, it’s kind of weird to think that we’ll have two full weekends off before begin to wrap up the season with the final two rounds of racing. If you attended the Car-Mate Gusher GNCC last weekend, then you already know why this event has been held in such high regard ever since. First off, the land in northwestern Pennsylvania is absolutely gorgeous and the surroundings alone are enough to draw a few of us (girly girls) in. Second, the woods hadn’t been touched prior to GNCC coming to town so the trail was fresh and new for all you racers, not to mention there’s a ton of land to really give Barry Hawk and the guys some variety in where they want to go. It goes without saying that the community was excited to have us because everywhere we went, people were welcoming us with open arms, which was very cool. But perhaps the best part of all was the graciousness of the landowner, Dr. Steffee and his wife and the Oil Region Alliance team of John, Mary and Chris, who really made the GNCC crew feel like a part of the family. As soon as the rain began falling and things got a little messy, Dr. Steffee and his folks had all hands on deck to do whatever needed done and that was not only very appreciated but also not necessary for them to do, so hats off to those guys for being so awesome!
We also want to give a special thanks to KR4 Performance and Marya Teal for creating the amazing wooden trophy that was presented to the Top Amateur for Sunday’s PM bike race, which ended up being Trevor Bollinger. Marya created the trophy all on her own with some incredible craftsmanship and woodworking skills and we appreciate the hard work. The trophy is awesome!
I just got word today that Dunlop Mousse inserts are no longer just available at GNCC races. These so-called "life savers" are now available for purchase online exclusively at www.dunlopmousse.com. Head over there and get your order in so you can be ready to go for the final two rounds of racing!
All right, enough with the housekeeping info. I want to start my race action off by giving a shout out to Chris Borich on capturing his fifth consecutive XC1 ATV Championship. Although he finished second in the race, Borich showed just why he is the champ by riding with composure and getting the job done, which just happened to be clinching a title that day. Also a big congrats to Brycen Neal on wrapping up the XC2 Pro Am title in his rookie season. It couldn't have gone to a more humble kid, in my opinion. Another shout to Chris Bithell for securing his first win of the season. I’ve been joking around with Bithell for a while now saying that he was the last guy inside the top four to get that win and I had a feeling he was going to do it. What better place than in his home state of PA, not to mention getting the inaugural trophy presented to him by THE GOVERNOR OF PA!! Pretty cool stuff right there.
The next champ I want to recognize is the three-time Youth champ Hunter Hart. I didn’t realize Hunter was wrapping up the Youth title so he’ll get that #1 plate next round but I know he was pumped to wrap it up on the same day as his idol CB1. I wonder what would happen if Borich started running pink plastics and glittery graphics…haha.
I also read this morning that Super Dave Simmons wrapped up the Super Senior 45+ championship with his eighth class win of the season. Dave wasn’t able to put it on the overall podium this time around but he got that class win, which is exactly what he needed to grab his 11th career amateur GNCC championship, according to the ITP press release. Not too shabby, Dave!
That’s going to be all for me this week. We’ve got a couple weeks to reflect on other class championships and really get into what’s to come with the final two rounds next month.
One last note, Ironman will be PINK this year! Everything will be pretty much the same as it’s been in the past but you can read more info HERE.
I’ll pass things over to Mr. Bolt-On.
@JaredBolton:
I think it’s fair to say that even with the rain, The Gusher was a pretty great event. I heard a lot of people say they enjoyed it even with the mud. That’s always a plus because while there are some riders who love the mud and would prefer it over just about anything, the majority of people don’t enjoy it as much. However, when people can look past that and still say they had a good time, that’s pretty awesome.
The racing itself was pretty awesome as well with the KTM duo once again battling it out for the overall lead, and swapped the lead multiple times throughout the day before Kailub Russell would end up coming away with the overall win in the end over Charlie Mullins. Of course, the battle for the final podium spot was pretty interesting as well with Thad Duvall and Jordan Ashburn. Ashburn held onto third for most of the race before Thad turned it up near the end and came away with third. Still a good ride from Ashburn, which is no surprise because Jordan likes the mud.
Then we saw a pretty stellar XC2 race as well. Andrew Delong controlled it but Jason Thomas stayed right on his rear wheel for quite a few laps and he also did so on a 125! 2-stroke fanatics go absolutely crazy for 125’s so I think it’s safe to say that Thomas had a little extra cheering support behind him. You also can’t leave out Scott Grills who put in another podium performance to come away with third place. Grills is about as privateer as you can get. From what I’ve been told, his KX250F motor is totally stock and he also has homemade quick fill tank on his bike that’s actually made from the stock tank. So huge props to Scott for putting in yet another solid podium performance, and on the season as a whole.
The morning bike race was another good race as well. Vance Earl who’s won quite a few morning overalls this year was absent due to a scheduling conflict with a local race he promotes but that didn’t make the racing any less interesting. Maria Forsberg grabbed another women’s class win and the morning overall. Keep in mind, we take the Sportsman class out of the overall but even with the Sportsman class IN the overall, Maria still physically finished 2nd overall. Maria has also taken control of the Women’s class with a 2-point lead over Kacy Martinez.
Bouncing back to the afternoon bikes again, Trevor Bollinger landed another top amateur finish and 4-Stroke A Lites class win, keeping his undefeated streak alive in 2013 (he missed Florida and Georgia so you can’t call it a perfect season, but “undefeated” counts) and Trevor also has control of the 4-Stroke A points.
Everyone is kind of wondering what Bollinger will be doing for 2014 and where he’ll land. I’d say it’s a good chance we’ll see him in XC2 but the big question is, what machine will he be on? I’ve heard some rumblings here and there that suggest a certain brand but there’s nothing solid just yet.
I also want to apologize to everyone for missing Tuesday Toolbox this week. I didn’t get back from Pennsylvania until Tuesday evening and had some technical issues as well, but it’ll be back next week with what I hope will be a pretty cool and interesting interview.
One more thing before I go, thanks to all the spectators at The Gusher. I found less trash in the woods than I’ve ever seen and as far as pulling arrows/Moose tape and trash from the woods was concerned on Monday, it went smoother and quicker than I can ever recall.
I hate to cut myself short once again but we’ve got a longer break between races due to the ISDE, so we’ll save some info for later and have some cool ISDE coverage as well.
Until next time, Bolt-On out!
And here’s @HotRodney22:
The saga for the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country championship is starting to reach fever pitch on all fronts in the GNCC Racin' Nation. As one champion was crowned one stepped closer to the goal and another still lurks in plain view and doesn't look ready to budge these final two rounds.
Chris Borich claimed championship number five with his second place finish at the inaugural Car-Mate Gusher GNCC. What a great place for a race and echoing the masses...it’s really too bad it rained. However, it did not slow down any of the excitement either day.
The history books got to only record one bit of history for Chris Borich. He was hoping to win the championship and tie Bill Ballance's ATV all-time win record at 67. That didn't happen and the best Chris can do as far as being the all-time win record holder surpassing Barry Hawk's 68 will have to wait till next year. The best he can do is beat Ballance's record and tie Hawk's and then in Florida 2014 the stage will be set for Chris to become the all time wins record holder that again could take a long time for anyone to break. Remember Chris Borich is still in his prime and he cold be around for a long time and I am sure there will be many more than 69 as the all time win record.
A lot has been said about the Mullins/Russell battle for the bike championship and any GNCC fan knows that the next two races for those guys will be monumental. Both have some momentum as Mullins just captured his second National Enduro Title and Russell has five straight wins to his credit and looks to be rolling into Ohio, which is a place he can win at.
If you aren't doing anything this weekend, come join us Sunday for the Inaugural Dave Coombs Memorial Hare Scramble at High Point. It will be preceded by the DC Vet National on Saturday and we are planning a bon fire and good times Saturday night. Call up some old racing buddies and come hang for the weekend.
I am truly sorry I don't have much to say today but there is more brewing and I promise I will break down some interesting points over the next couple of weeks. No need in putting it all out here this week. 
Also, a couple of notes from the weekend from my perspective: I was happy the sound worked better this week until Sunday at the start of the XC1 class...well actually right about the time of the prayer, the system cut out just before Ricky said Amen and he looked at me and said, "What are you doing to me Rodney?" Unfortunately I had no answer for Ricky because I had no idea. It had worked flawlessly all weekend until that point. One thing is for sure, there is a backup protocol now and hopefully all our sound issues are going to be a memory we all bench race about some time. 
Also, I met Maria Forsberg Hahn's husband Ted. A really nice guy whom I called Mr. Forsberg. I was amused, I hope he was. He smiled anyway. Any way congrats to her on the overall win on Sunday.
Saturday ATV Women racing welcomed back two former champions who tried to slide in under the radar with their new last names but I figured them out before the green flag flew. It was good to see Angel Atwell and Kristen Atwell back on the start line even if only for a visit.
That's it for now. Till next time, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.