ITP Race Report from Big Buck GNCC

Team ITP racers came away with six class victories and 15 total podiums competing in the Grand National Cross Country series, World Off-Road Championship Series and the New England ATV Motocross series. Schoolboy A/B (13-15) racer Westley Wolfe won his class and the 10 a.m. overall at round four of the GNCC series in South Carolina. At the fourth round of WORCS, held in Hurricane, Utah, ITP-backed Chris Willing earned the SxS 850 class win. Josh Creamer earned two podiums in NEATV-MX Pro-level action at the series opener in Wallkill, N.Y.

Westley Wolfe won the morning overall and the Schoolboy (13-15) A/B class using ITP Holeshot GNCC tires at the Big Buck GNCC Photo: Courtesy of ITP

"Our team of racers had a good weekend at the South Carolina GNCC, winning five classes and the morning overall with Westley Wolfe," said Pat McGuire, Public Relations/Race Support. "SxS drivers Kyle Chaney and Marcus Pratt also grabbed impressive second-place podium runs at Big Buck. And we also had ATV Pro Josh Creamer earn two second-place finishes a very competitive and challenging NEATV-MX race in New York."

Kenny Rich Sr. is undefeated this season in the Masters (50+) class on his ITP Holeshot GNCC-equipped Suzuki ATV Photo: Courtesy of ITP

GNCC - Round 4

The VP Racing Fuels Big Buck GNCC was held in Union, S.C., in nearly ideal conditions for cross-country racing. The early morning session started off well for Team ITP as Carter Kerens took second overall on the 8 a.m. youth podium and second in the 90 Open (12-15) class. Jordan Digby won the 125 Sr. (12-15) class and earned fifth overall in the youth session on ITP tires and wheels.

The 125 Sr. (12-15) class was won by ITP-supported racer Jordan Digby Photo: Courtesy of ITP

The 10 a.m. session also featured an ITP-backed racer on the overall podium as Westley Wolfe was the top finishing amateur and also won the Schoolboy A/B (13-15) class. Kenny Rich Sr. also won his morning class, taking the win in the Master (50+) class. He's a perfect 4-for-4 this season racing on ITP GNCC tires. After a disappointing DNF at round three, Dale Batson rebounded quite nicely, grabbing the victory in the 35+ C class with his Suzuki ATV dressed in ITP tires. Other ITP racers to earn podiums during this time slot were WXC class racer Angel Knox and Women's Amateur (15+) competitor Kelley Deloach. Both racers finish third and currently lead their respective classes in points heading into round five.

Using an ITP Holeshot tire up front and Holeshot XC rear tire combination on his Honda, Justin Paul won the Junior 22+ class at the Big Buck GNCC Photo: Courtesy of ITP

Justin Paul put in a very successful race in the afternoon session, winning the Junior B (22+) class on ITP tires. With three consecutive podiums and a second straight win, Paul is now fourth in the class point standings despite missing the opener. Aaron Pridgen was eighth in the same class. Vet B (30+) racer Mark Batson, who is the current class point’s leader, earned his third podium in as many races with a second-place run at Big Buck.

Riding on ITP Terracross R/T HD tires, Turnkey UTV/Can-Am/ITP racer Kyle Chaney finished second in the XC1 Modified class at Big Buck Photo: Courtesy of ITP

Round two of the GNCC SxS Championship series was also held at Big Buck. Team ITP earned a podium in both the XC1 Modified and XC2 Limited classes. In spite of a fourth-row start, Chaney Racing's Kyle Chaney and co-pilot Chris Bithell took a hard-fought second overall in the XC1 class with a ITP Terracross-clad Maverick SxS. Marcus Pratt (Jack's Excavating/Can-Am) finished second in the XC2 Limited class and 12th overall, and is second in the class points.

Round five of the 2014 AMSOIL GNCC series is the Limestone 100, which is slated for Saturday, April 26, in Springville, Ind.

WORCS

The fourth round of WORCS was held in Utah's Sand Hollow State Park, an off-roading hub located in Hurricane, Utah., that features dunes, desert, whoops, dust and rocks. ITP had racers competing in every major SxS class.

"The course was mostly deep sand, with hidden, sharp rocks and some slick rock-crawling sections. The ITP Black Water EVO tires once again proved to be a dominant tire. We walked away with a third in the SxS Pro class and a first in the SxS 850 class," said Ryan Edwards, ITP tech support representative/West Coast race coordinator.

Nick Thompson earned third place in the SxS Pro class, using 30-inch Black Water EVO tires on his XP1000. He completed the four-lap race in 50:31.6 to earn his best finish of the year. Thompson was in 18th after lap one, but continually picked off riders after each lap to claw his way on the podium. Another top 10 finish in the SxS Pro ranks went to IMG Motorsports/ITP racer Michael Camp, who took ninth. Can-Am/ITP/Murray Racing member Dave Martinez took 12th, battling back from 19th after lap one.

Also riding on ITP Black Water EVO tires, Chris Willing drove his No. 252 RZR to the SxS 850 class win at the Sand Hollow WORCS race in Utah Photo: Courtesy of ITP

The SxS 850 class victory went to Chris Willing, who used 27-inch ITP Black Water EVO tires on his Polaris. He led every lap of the race to notch his first win in three races this season. In an RZR800 with a 26-inch ITP Black Water EVO tire setup, Drew Schultz took home fourth in the class. Dallas Hash was the top SxS 1000 class finisher for ITP, taking seventh riding on Black Water EVO tires. Team IMG Motorsports/ITP racer Sara Price was 14th.

BCS Performance/Can-Am/ITP Pro Josh Creamer pulled some stellar holeshots with his ITP QuadCross MX2 font and QuadCross MX PRO Lite rear tire setup in New York Photo: Courtesy of ITP

NEATV-MX

The New England ATV Motocross series opener was held at the Walden Motocross facility in Wallkill, N.Y. Many top-named U.S. and Canadian pros attended the opening round since the AMA ATV MX series had an off weekend. Team ITP Pro Josh Creamer (BCS Performance/Can-Am) earned one moto victory and four total podiums, but had to settle for second place in both the Pro and Pro-Am classes.