As Bolton mentions below, many of the riders who have migrated south are not just training for the 2014 season but they’re actually racing too. Georgia hosted Round 3 of the SORCS Winter Series and looking at the Overall Quad results and it looked pretty close to a regular GNCC lineup. I actually received a quick note from Mike Wolfe, who was obviously impressed with both Landon and Westley’s performances. Landon, who finished fifth overall in his GNCC XC2 Pro Am rookie season (chalking up two wins along the way) lined up with the Quad Pro class, finishing fourth overall behind Jay Shadron (who made an impressive jump to XC1 at Ironman with a fifth place finish). Ahead of them were GNCC veterans Jeff Pickens in second and Jarrod McClure, who took the W. Experience definitely outweighed age in this one, as one would expect, but it’s going to be interesting to watch these young guns like Shadron and L. Wolfe continue to gain experience and challenge the veterans of the sport. I truly believe that’s going to be one of the biggest storylines of 2014 on the ATV side. I mean, obviously the vets have it dialed in – Borich, Fowler, McGill, Bithell and many others are solid contenders and it really takes something major to knock those guys off the podium. BUT you can’t argue with explosive results like what Shadron pulled at Ironman or even Brycen Neal’s sheer consistency up front last season. Those two will surely be a great addition to the front line this season.

The young and talented no longer live just in the afternoon race, thought. Since the rulebook states that no person under 16-years-old can race a 450 in GNCC, we’re now seeing kids who are probably capable of contesting the A classes in the PM race who just simply aren’t old enough to do so. Which is why we’re seeing an increased amount of competition taking place in the morning race….from the Schoolboy class! Cody Collier and Westley Wolfe added another element to the AM races last season as they entered the overall podium battles with “AM podium veterans” like Dave Simmons, many of the top 4x4 classes and of course, the Women. This diverted tangent that I’m on actually came about after seeing that 14-year-old Westley Wolfe landed fifth place overall behind his cousin Landon, taking the W in the Quad A division. That is pretty impressive, especially considering he beat Quad A second place finisher Jordan Phillips by five minutes! And Jordan is one of GNCC’s top 4x4 racers so he is no slouch out there. It sounds like Westley has been training with Landon and the boys, which could be a huge factor in stepping up his game for 2014. For a full list of the ATV results from the SORCS race over the weekend, click HERE.

I received some great news this morning from B-Hawk, who informed me that late last night the decision was made to change the date of the Alligator Enduro to Monday, March 10. Historically the Alligator Enduro has run on the Thursday before the GNCC, while GNCC typically races on Sunday and Tuesday but both events switched things up this year, which ultimately ended up pitting them against one another on the same day. Well, riders will no longer have to make a tough decision and can race on Sunday and Monday! That’s going to be an intense weekend of racing but I have a feeling that quite a few racers will be up for the challenge.

XC1 Pro rider Thad DuVall and his XC2 teammate Layne Michael will be visiting the RP office tomorrow (Friday) to talk about a sponsorship opportunity for the upcoming season. We’re hoping to get some good info out of those guys that we can share with you all next week.

That’s all for me this week. We’ve been getting a lot of great information from riders, teams and sponsors so don’t forget to check out the rest of the GNCC website and Industry News for the latest happenings.

@JaredBolton:

Another week has flown by and that puts us another week closer to kicking things off in Florida. Now, I’ve seen and heard a few concerns about the new Mud Mucker GNCC in Florida. Yes, the website tells you plain as day that they do a lot of mud bogging there. However, keep in mind that it’s 3,000 acres. That is a HUGE amount of land. To put into perspective, GNCC events typically use hundreds of acres but I’ve put a 2.5 mile GP race on less than 30 acres and have been involved with 2 different local races that put over 6 mile courses on just around 180 acres. So 3,000 acres is a lot to work with.

So, not only does that mean there’s a lot of room to work with, but that also means there’s opportunities to mix things up for everyone. A lot of places don’t allow for courses to deviate much between quads and bikes, but with that much to work with, there’s a good opportunity to add in a little something special for everyone. As racers, we all love “something different” and this is an opportunity to do so.

I caught up with Chris Bach this week for Tuesday Toolbox and got some of the details on his new Honda ride. It’s definitely exciting to see the addition of the JCR Honda squad to pro row and it sounds like they’re excited to be there as well. Chris had a stellar 2013 season ending up third overall in the final points on a true privateer effort. I saw first-hand just how truly privateer the effort was in 2013.

Chris finished on the podium in Kentucky, but once the bike finished, it never started again. Dale Cooke (AKA Cookie, his mechanic) had to push the bike through the mud and onto the podium. I saw the motor once it was apart and well, you pretty much could’ve gone swimming inside of it. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a guy whose effort was backed by a shoestring budget but Chris didn’t let it get him down. Scott Miller of Carolina KTM was kind enough to loan Chris his PERSONAL bike through Snowshoe, then again for the final 3 rounds. Definitely an impressive season for Bach. Anyway, if you missed that Tuesday Toolbox, it's worth checking out. You can see that HERE.

Last weekend saw another highly-contested round of the SORCS Winter Series with The Rattler in Sparta, GA. Haven’t really heard any of the deep details on the race but it looks like Grant Baylor ran into some issues but it was Russell Bobbitt taking the overall win ahead of Mike Witkowski who even beat out early race leader, Nick Fahringer!

This weekend will see one of the big off-season races for the bikes with the Burnt Gin Hare Scramble in Wedgefield, South Carolina. In years past this race has always drawn a large number of both GNCC and National Enduro competitors. In fact, it has drawn so many riders that the starting line is almost too small at times. But, it still works out and makes for a heck of a race. In years past it’s been the opening round of the National Hare Scramble Series but not this year, so no AMA is required and if you live outside of the SETRA sanctioning area (NC, SC, GA, FL, TN, AL) a SETRA membership isn’t required either (or a 1-day membership is available if you do). Check out www.setra.org for the details.

I’ll be heading down there Sunday morning to throw together a little bit of a video, so check back next week for some of the details on the race and of course, the video too! If you see me there, feel free to say hi or do something cool/funny/goofy for the camera.

SERMA, the club that puts that event on, will follow that up next week with the long-running Sumter Enduro. That’s a great event as well but if you haven’t pre-registered, be ready to ride some sand whoops if you plan on coming, which will actually make for some great practice.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for this week. Until next time, Bolt-On out!

This may be a tough Quick Fill contribution to write this week only because my fingers are nearly frozen stiff. It was 9 degrees I noticed while out running errands and that was late morning nearing noon. Luckily for many they are in the comfortable confines of a little warmer southern region and training continues as the big day and the Mud Mucker GNCC approaches.

This week I am preparing to leave for Auburn, New York as I have been invited to host this year’s WYNOA Awards Banquet. It is a rather neat format where there will be a separate youth banquet around lunch time and then the amateur divisions celebrate at around dinner time. I am excited to be going and thank the WYNOA Banquet Committee for the invite. It won’t be any warmer and there will be more snow, but at least I will be with a great group of people.

As far as what’s going on I haven’t got much. Well to be completely honest, I have one small tidbit and it is answers a question that has been plaguing my mind since last fall. If you don’t recall, the #4 GNCC XC1 Pro Chris Bithell was involved in a crash sustaining a pretty nasty shoulder injury.

Quiet as always, there wasn’t much if anything coming out of the PA Head Quarters of Bithell since the accident. It left a lot open to speculation and obvious wonder. I got some information as the silence has been broken forth Precision/Maxxis rider that many are going to be pleased to know. The reports are in and Chris Bithell made his first appearance back at the FTR race this past weekend.

Bithell was able to secure the win by over a minute over Am Pro/Yamaha rider Walker Fowler. It is said that it was Chris’s first time on the quad since the injury and that the shoulder was doing great. Training now begins more intensely as Bithell realizes the fight that lies ahead. He too knows that not only does he have Borich and Fowler and the rest of the veterans to contend with, but the new wave is coming and Chris is preparing for the challenges that wait in 2014.

The program for Bithell in 2014 will be backed by Precision and Maxxis Tires with a host of new and returning sponsors to the program. Bithell is looking for his best season yet and is focused on making that happen according to reports. It looks like the gloves are off in GNCC ATV racing with the talent field deepening; everyone must find their place soon and everyone wants to be on top.

I also spoke with Rich Kerens who is the father of Youth Division’s lightning fast wild child, Carter Kerens. He asked me my opinion on what I felt they should do for 2014. They have considered taking a season off and building a new machine for the bigger classes that Carter will be running in 2015 or to focus on trying to win a Youth Division Overall Championship in 2014. It is a tough question to answer is what I told him as there is a lot to consider. Rich also posted the same question on Facebook and has gotten several comments. I would like to see him go for it but again it is a family decision. If you have any suggestions, ideas or advice for the Kerens, find Carter on Facebook and let them know.