Even in the darkest of days, it seems as if the off-road racing community is able to find some light. It’s so touching to see the outpouring of support from friends, family, strangers and even competitors out there, because at the end of the day, the racing community is truly a family and it’s comforting to know that no matter what, this family is here for you.

For Rory, the outpouring of support from everyone around him seems to have lit the fire inside, and this kiwi is in it to win it! But most importantly, it’s Rory’s positive attitude and determination to overcome this battle that really sheds some light on the situation, and frankly it gives me chills.

Here’s a quote from Rory that came from a press release sent out by his Maxxis/KLIM/DirtWise Race team owner, Shane Watts.

"No one ever likes to get hurt, but it is a fact that we need to face every now and then. As they say, it is what it is, but you can be assured that I am ready to fight with all my might and do whatever is necessary to give myself the possibility of a full and quick recovery. I am so thankful for the outpouring of support that my family, friends, and the Offroad motorcycle community had provided to me since the accident - it has been overwhelming! I want to thank my team mate Jason Thomas, and fellow competitor Jesse Robinson, who sacrificed their own race result to stop and stay with me for the duration, plus to all of the other riders who stopped during the race to offer assistance."

To help offset the extensive medical expenses incurred with a serious spinal cord injury, the following fundraising efforts are in place to help Rory Mead during this difficult time.

First off, there is a direct donation option set up by Rory's Ohio-based riding partner and Pro Supercross racer Levi Kilbarger, through the GoFundMe organization. There has been an overwhelming level of support shown so far as the total donation amount to date nears $25,000. The link to the Rory Mead donation account is HERE.

Next Monday, April 7, the DirtWise team, along with help from their team sponsors and XC1 Pro rider Steward Baylor, will announce and commence a Fundraising Raffle where a huge amount of awesome items will be on offer for the lucky winners. This raffle will run online throughout the week and will then culminate that weekend with a ticket sales booth at Rider Registration at the GNCC in South Carolina. The winners will be drawn immediately following the Bike Pro race on Sunday afternoon.

In the meantime, and to put a smile on your face or get a bit of a laugh, check out the dirtbike race rap song rendition that GNCC Youth rider, and fellow DirtWise supported rider Jesse Ansley (currently undefeated in the 12-13 85cc class for 2014) performed on video back in 2012 where he lyrics about Rory Mead being in the GNCC lead at the 1:04 mark. With beats like that, young Jesse just may end up being the next Vanilla Ice!

That’s it for me this week, stay tuned for all of the raffle details and list of prizes when they become available on Monday, April 7.

@JaredBolton:

I’ll say it again…I’m sick of the mud! I think a lot of folks will agree, and Steele Creek is one of those places where when it rains, it gets really tough. That’s exactly what happened. No matter what, at some point you’re going to have to go up a pretty steep hill there. Otherwise you’d just be riding in circles in the parking lot and well, I think everyone also knows how nasty it was out there.

However, from my point of view, when it went bad with the rain, it went good for that situation. What I mean by that is, even when it was wet, all the hills were still passable. They weren’t easy by no stretch of the imagination, and some may have required a little help, but there was nothing that became impassable, and that’s definitely a way to look on the bright side. Basically I’m saying that it could’ve been a lot worse.

As for the racing at Steele Creek, well, that was pretty awesome! With the RacerTV live coverage and post-race PRs, I won’t go reiterating too much of what you’ve probably already seen or read. Rodney will go into detail on some of the quad action, but on the bike side, how about Kailub Russell?! From what I saw, it looked like Kailub was on a completely different track than the other guys as he pulled an early lead and never looked back. Steward Baylor put in a heck of a ride early and showed he has the speed to run up front. Stew ran into a few little issues throughout the day and faded a little but he was the main challenger to Kailub early in the race.

But the most exciting part was the finish! Mullins and Strang had a good battle down to the wire but Mullins came out just a few seconds ahead. However, the real battle was between Baylor and Thad Duvall. While it may not have been for the win, Thad was the one making this year’s “Dramatic Steele Creek Finish” as he and Baylor battled through the final few feet of the race before Thad was able to stick a pass. There’s no doubt that Thad was 100% committed to going for it either. It wasn’t exactly an overly stylish lead up to the pass, in fact, it was a make it stick or crash trying type of pass but it worked and it made for an excellent finish.

On the XC2 side, it was cool to see the “hometown favorite” snag the overall win. Trevor Bollinger came away with his first ever XC2 win and did so in front of a true hometown crowd. Bollinger is from Morganton, just on the other side of town, so it’s definitely cool to see him grab the win. That also slides him into the XC2 points lead which is pretty darn good for a guy who’s a true privateer rider! However, he’s still got his work cut out for him as Grant Baylor definitely wants to become only the second rider to ever repeat as XC2 champion (Kailub Russell did it in 2009/2010) and Ricky Russell has also shown himself to be a tough challenger in XC2 this year as well.

Looking at a few other classes, there are some interesting championship battles shaping up. Hunter Williams currently leads the Open A class after logging a fifth, second and sixth. That’s kind of wild but everyone’s finishes have been all across the board due to various struggles in the early mud races. Florida race winner Zack Hayes struggled in Georgia and had a DNF at Steele Creek while Georgia race winner and overall amateur, Cliff Ousley, logged a twelfth in Florida and ninth at Steele Creek.

On the WXC front, Kacy Martinez is three for three so far this season while Becca sheets has came away with second place in the last two rounds which has moved her into second in the class points. Multi-time class champion Mandi Mastin sits third while Sarah Baldwin has moved her way into fourth after landing on the podium at Steele Creek. Jessica Patterson rounds out the top five in points after a DNF at Steele Creek. Jessica came out of the opening rounds with a pair of third place finishes but the DNF at Steele Creek hurt. However, it’s still early in the season and it’s much easier to rebound from a DNF now than it is late in the year.

If you’re looking to do some racing this weekend there’s a ton of choices all across the country. The National Enduro Series will be back in action in Tennessee. Charlie Mullins will be looking to go three for three this season but he’s got a number of challengers including Jesse Groemm who put in another excellent ride in Texas a few weeks ago and also Grant Baylor who seems to be enjoying the 450 he’s been racing at the enduros. It’ll definitely be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

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

@HotRodney22:

It goes without saying it, but the 15^th running of the FMF Steel Creek GNNC leaves us once again with some monumental memories that should not be soon forgotten. Some memories were good while some were not so good, but on in all one can say it was another great year.

Congratulations to Chris Borich for capturing his 69^th career win, which made him the undisputed all-time wins leader. It’s hard to believe that this may be a record that is never matched again, or if it is, it will probably be a long time. I have been wrong before but looking at the state of affairs the way it stands right now, I really and am not sure if anyone will be able to withstand the onslaught of talent that is fast approaching the XC1 Pro Class in ATV racing. Chris is going to be tough to beat for a while I am sure and “The Old Man” as Walker Fowler likes to rib, is a long way from done from being a championship contender/champion.

Something that is rather peculiar though is that according to calculations three years ago, if things would have gone according to tradition, Chris would have wrapped up this record in the middle of last season. However, the competition has gotten so stiff that any mechanical issues or mistakes have been capitalized on more often and made it a little more difficult for Borich to achieve. Add to that the fact that competition has gotten more consistently challenging and produced some rather exciting GNCC ATV battles which Chris has always performed well at but came up a little short in.

One may wonder if that while the record got closer if Chris Borich felt any heat or pressure. I will answer that the best way I can, being so close to the situation and reading Chris and his emotions. First and foremost winning championships is Chris’ main objective. Second, Chris wants to win races. Third, if Chris cannot win, he wants to do as good as possible to ensure no major points be lost even on a bad day. But as far as whether or not Chris was pressured by the approaching record my answer is yes and no.

At first when the subject first came up it honestly seemed so far off in the future that it really didn’t seem to be an issue. Once Chris hit win number 50 I began the countdown and would mention it on occasion. About this same time is when the first wave of youth graduates lead by Walker Fowler began to make their mark on the scene. There was still no pressure but last season it all began to culminate together and all of a sudden, it was starting to pressure him at times. The great thing about Chris Borich though is that he is able to put that all out of his mind and concentrate on winning the championship so the record became kind of second chair when it came to the pressure.

Then of course Chris spent the entire winter tied for the All-Time ATV Wins record with his biggvest nemesis Bill Ballance. Then finally in Florida Chris was able to surpass Bill’s record and be tied with Barry Hawk at a total 68. Chris was happy with that but after losing in Georgia, Chris Borich came to North Carolina in a state of mind I had never seen him before. He actually seemed a little amped up about breaking Barry’s record and moving on. He even brought it up in the ITP Pre-Race Interviews saying he was reading to go out and get the win and get “this monkey off my back.” When I asked him if it was starting to get to him finally and he said, “Yes! I need to go out and break Barry’s record so people leave me alone about it. That’s all I read on the internet and all I want to do is get it over.” All the while a little more aggravated about things than normal. When I saw Chris on the podium I don’t know if I have ever seen him happier than he was that moment. You could see that he felt more accomplished that day with that win than any in the past and I am glad that I got to be a part of that moment.

Now, when will Chris Borich’s reign be stopped? That’s a great question and I have to say it will probably be a while if it ever happens before Chris decides himself enough is enough and says, “Top that record boys!”

Thank you Chris Borich for being such a great champion and winner and thank you for some of the greatest racing moments I will ever remember and for the ones to come that I am sure will blow our minds. Chris Borich for President!