Besides that, the off-road side of things has been pretty quiet as far as I’m concerned. As Bolton talks about below, a lot of guys actually just got done racing here in Michigan for the Loose Moose National Enduro, but other than that I haven’t seen a whole lot of action. I’m thinking, and hoping actually, that most of you have taken a week or two to enjoy the summer activities and maybe even sneak a nice little vacation in!

Just in time for the fourth of July weekend, Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., has opened voting for the top GNCC Amateur or Pro-Am racer representing great All-American ATV Racing values in the industry-first “Yamaha All-American ATV Racer” contest. Folks can now vote and are encouraged to share the contest with other friends, family and fans to build support for their favorite competitor. The racer who earns the most online votes will receive a racing package valued at more than $11,000, which includes an Assembled-in-U.S.A. YFZ450R and free entry to the 2015 GNCC racing season. There are a whole crew of GNCC Racers who have submitted their bios and are vying for a chance to be Yamaha’s All-American Racer, so take the time to head over and VOTE so you can see your favorite guy or gal get some support for 2015. You can see all the nominees and vote HERE.

We’ve had some pretty cool stuff taking place in the Racer Productions office over the last month or so. If you follow the happenings of RacerTV.com, or on social media @RacerTV, you may have seen some chatter about the all-new Racer X Show hosted by Greg White presented by Chaparral Motorsports. It’s basically an all-encompassing highlight show that features dirtbikes and ATVs in motocross, off-road racing, flat track and even road racing. It’s a one-stop-shop to catch everything that took place the previous weekend in a bunch of different disciplines, kind of like the Sports Center of racing. Anyway, the second episode went up this Tuesday and it recaps the Loose Moose National Enduro, the fifth round of the ATVMX National Championship, WMX and much more. So if you get the chance, check it out on RacerTV.com and make it a part of your weekly knowledge bin.

That’ll do it for me this week. If you’re going racing this weekend, good luck and be safe. If you’re celebrating the July 4th weekend, good luck and be safe!

@JaredBolton

We can officially say that we’re full swing into the summer break and while a lot of riders have still been getting their fix at various races, we’re already about to hit that point where people start counting down the days until Unadilla. But hey, don’t wish the summer away because as much as we love racing, it never hurts to get in a few other summer activities while you’ve got the chance.

I mentioned that there’s still racing going on and last weekend’s Loose Moose National Enduro in Michigan was one of those events. After landing his first podium of the season at Snowshoe, Andrew Delong backed up that performance by taking the overall win at the Loose Moose. Delong has had some flashes of brilliance in both the GNCC and National Enduros all season but hadn’t quite been able to seal the deal until the last two weeks. 

Regardless, those two rides for Delong will be huge confidence boosters and I know from having talked to him throughout the season, the Snowshoe podium and the Loose Moose win are a couple of things he’s been wanting to make happen all season. What’s next on his list? An overall win in one of the final four GNCC rounds. He’s been close to making it happen in his XC2 days, so we know it’s a possibility. The question is, when?

Another GNCC regular that put in a great ride at the Loose Moose was that of Steward Baylor. It’s no secret that Stu has been trying to regain his mojo he had before breaking his wrist in 2012. He’s another that’s had some glimpses of brilliance here and there but just hasn’t been able to hang on until the end. Well Stu also had his two best rides of the season back-to-back with a 4^th place at Snowshoe and 2^nd place at the Loose Moose. Could we be seeing the old Stu Baylor come back?

Speaking of Baylors, Grant was able to log a 4^th place finish at the Loose Moose. For those who may not know, Grant has actually been riding a 450 in the National Enduro series. It turned a few heads at the beginning of the season because a smaller bore machine seems to be the popular choice for the tight woods of the National Enduros. However, Grant has been able to make it work and it seems like it’ll help him transition into the XC1 class in 2015. 

With the summer break in full effect, it comes time to start taking a look at how the points situations are shaking down. While the focus is always on the XC1 and XC2 classes, I scrolled through and took a look at some of the A classes this week. Georgia Hunter Williams holds the lead in the Open-A class with a little bit of a lead over Timmy Murphy. After taking last season off and focusing on his local series, Hunter has been on a tear this year. 

The Open-A class is stacked full of competition, not just by the likes of Timmy Murphy, but also South Carolina native, Zack Hayes who sits tied for third in class points with last year’s Open-A champ, Bob Dunlap. Currently sitting 5^th is our buddy Phil Smith who has dominated the Vet-A and Senior-A classes for a number of years but made the switch to Open-A this season to challenge some of the young guys, and he’s definitely holding his own!

Then there’s the ultra-competitive 250-A class with the likes of Craig Delong and Austin Lee battling it out for the class title with Mike Witkowski not far behind them. These three riders will be the next ones chasing an XC2 championship, and to watch this class on the track is almost just as interesting as the XC1 and XC2 classes.

I’ll dive more into some of the other classes in the coming weeks. As always, if you have any cool stories or info to share, feel free to drop me a line at [email protected]. That’s all I’ve got for this week. Until next time, Bolt-On out! 

@HotRodney22

The 2014 GNCC summer break is here and as this off weekend for me approaches I kind of have a moment to sit and reflect on what has been going on. There has been so much happening on so many levels in so many classes that it is even hard to know where to begin and to sort it all out. I suppose it is a good thing to take this break when we do because the last four rounds of any GNCC season are where and when champions are made.

The beginning of the year seems so long ago but at the same time it seems like only a few days ago. It is certainly an interesting way to feel about things however I have no other way to describe it. I suppose the intensity of the wait after the long winter break could play a part in this. It’s as if even though the break is long we never really seem to be ready. We hit the ground running and scrambling and before we know it we are in South Carolina at The Big Buck as we tell ourselves “this year is going fast”. Then we find ourselves at Snowshoe reeling from eight rounds looking at number nine. Teams nursing wounds and trying to just make it through one more race. Unfortunately if you are beaten up, down and sideways it is an even bigger challenge. But as a proud member of the GNCC Racin’ Nation we push on.

To look at the big picture in a nutshell from the ATV side of things is certainly a challenge, but take a look at all the divisions and one may be left with their head spinning. There has been a lot going on there and I suppose this summer break is as good of a time to look closely as any.  To make it all a little easier I have decided to make the next few contributions to Quick Fill and look as deep as we can. Next week will begin the youth portion. The next will be the 10 o’clock race, which features several classes to be watching as well as the overall. Then of course the afternoon race which goes much deeper than the XC1 and XC2. The afternoon race has so much to discovery we can spend a few weeks there as well.

Realizing that I cannot catch everything that is happening or the back story of why something happened or quite honestly many of the details of the struggles and triumphs that have been happening so I am calling up on you to send me any tid-bits you may have to offer. I have my view and opinion of things and maybe even overlook some very interesting points. If you have any input please feel free to email me at [email protected] or message me on Facebook. You don’t have to write a story by no means but just send some details and I can put more of the story together for the folks reading.

I have to get to the doctor this morning for an exam and I will have to leave you a little short and possibly hanging but this may be a good time to get your wheels turning for yourself. If you missed the conversation I had with Ken Hill about the season so far you can catch that here. There are a couple of good points in there and some really neat perspective from Ken you may find entertaining and informative.

What I can say before I go is that I am really a little excited to take the time and do this. I have let things slip in all the craziness and now with this time to put it all together will be fun. Think about it from the top levels, there have been a number of streaks broken and the idea now that Chris Borich has his challengers is exciting all by itself. Throw into this mix the amazing and talented rookies, the up and coming XC2 riders and the phenomenal A class racers and you have possibly one of the most interesting seasons GNCC may have seen from an ATV perspective in quite some time if not ever.

The addition of the 4x4 Pro class is a new addition to the morning and that is a great battle shaping up there. Add to that class the WXC, the Schoolboy, Super Senior A 45 plus class will make the morning race a rather lengthy portion but I know once we start digging there should be some of the most interesting stories you may ever hear in racing.