What’s not flying is a ton of juicy info. Which is to be expected, as we’re still pretty early into the summer break. Most everyone is still doing a little racing with National Enduros or various local series, and also taking some time here and there to relax and head to the beach, which based off some of the cool Snapchats and Instagram posts is exactly what Kailub Russell has been up to this week. And I’d expect to see the same out of more folks in the coming weeks. It’s definitely that time of the year and if anyone ever wants to take me to the beach with them, I can probably make myself fit in a large suitcase.

One interesting bit of info that just recently came out is that apparently 2007-2008 GNCC champ David Knight has now parted ways with Sherco. While many were quick to point out that Knighter has gone through his fair share of rides over the years, Knight himself stated that the contract had expired and would not be renwed due to Sherco’s desire to focus solely on the Enduro World Championship while Knight wants to do more on the Extreme Enduro side. 

He had also mentioned that he’s now looking to do some stand in or 1-off rides at various “enduros, extreme enduros, Endurocross or GNCC”. So, could we see Knighter back racing at a GNCC for the first time since Snowshoe in 2009? (However, he did ride practice day in Florida in 2011 but backed out of the race) Maybe someone will step in and give him a chance to race, or maybe he’ll pull together his own effort similar to what he did on the Kawasaki at Snowshoe in 2009. Could be interesting!

Last week I briefly scrolled through some of the various A class point standings, picking up where I left off there, we’ll dive into the 200-A class. Now, 200-A is pretty unique. While any brand 125 and the KTM 200 are all wildly popular motorcycles (as was the KDX200 in it’s day) it seems as if the 200-A class in any series has shrunken down to a select group of hardcore 125/200 riders. Actually, some smaller series have done away with their 200 classes as a whole, forcing these guys to race in the 250 classes. However, the GNCC 200-A class still draws a good turnout and one rider has found great success in that class this year. Jonathan Johnson leads the class points with 5 wins so far on the season and has only finished outside of the top 3 at one round. Michael Pillar holds onto the 2^nd place points spot and has managed to snag some wins as well this season, while Logan P’Pool rounds out the top 3. 

The 4-Stroke A Lites class has actually seen a variety of class winners so far this season but it’s Alex Teagarden holding down the class points lead over Brady Myers who made the switch to the Lites class this season after spending some time on the bigger bike in Open-A. Jake Froman rounds out the top 3 in the class and has a couple of wins on the season to show for it as well.

Joe Marsh has been dominating the Vet-A class this season winning all but 2 rounds so far. If I’m not mistaken, I believe Marsh is also riding aboard a 125, which means he’s probably having an absolute blast riding that thing as well. Shawn Remington hangs a close 2^nd in Vet-A points with Curtis Ryan in third.

Well, as always, I hate to cut it kind of short but hey, we’ve got the rest of the summer break to save info for. So until next time, Bolt-On out! 

@HotRodney22:

The heart of summer break is upon us and as I scan through social media there is some buzz from some the GNCC Racin’ Nation. A few are racing, a few are riding and a few are…. at the beach taking advantage of summer. I myself am packing up and getting set to roll out to the legendary Unadilla Valley Sports Center for round 7 of the Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship. It is kind of my person prelude to the approaching Unadilla GNCC coming this fall. It is also a great chance to watch the best ATV motocross riders in the world do battle on one of the most historical tracks in the world. Pretty big stuff I say, so if you are the area this weekend you should stop by.

Looking at the GNCC Racing breakdown as I had mentioned last week I have elected to begin with the Youth Division. Though I may not catch a lot of things going on, what I do catch has made for a rather dramatic season for the youth of the GNCC. The youth is our glimpse quite often to what we will see in the future. If you remember Walker Fowler was merely a youth GNCC ATV racer only a few years ago and now he is contending for race wins and the XC1 Pro championship. Then there are the rising stars of Braden Henthorn, Brycen Neal, Jay Shadron, Josh Merritt and Landon Wolfe who also have made the climb through the ranks to the XC1. Next season will see more and the field will soon be predominately over taking the veterans in number and soon taking the reins for the title contention. Thus a new era in GNCC is now at our doorstep. The winds of change are already blowing and there is storm rolling in with it.

The youth classes are so exciting from the standpoint of class battles and for the overalls. The obvious goal is to win your class and then once you are position to do that you then start riding for the overall adjusted time. At least that is what I seem to gather from these youth. It is the same in all divisions so why am I so surprised here? I say simply because the passion the youngsters seem to possess. Boy or girl, the idea seems to be the same across the board. The innocence and companionship rarely tainted at this level as they remain friends on and off the track. There may be some animosity amongst some parents at times but the kids seem to work it all out and keep it fun which brings and keeps this segment of our GNCC Racin’ Nation together.

The “unofficial” Youth Overall point standing calculated by Mike “Super” Trapp for QuadZone.com throughout the season shows a very diverse look in classes for the standings. The overall leader is Brandon Frazier in the 90 Open (12-15) class. Second place overall is Rhett Cox and third overall is “Little” Ronnie Rusch both from the 125 Sr. (12-15) class. The fourth place overall rider is Devin Corrothers from the 125 Jr. (8-11) class with Tanner Talbott from the 125 Sr. (12-15) class in fifth overall.

My point is the diversity in age and class. That shows heart from the competitors in itself. And as far as the rest of the top ten overall, Hannah Hunter from the Girls (8-15) class is 9^th overall, which gives us, 4 of the 7 classes all top ten overall racers. The diversity at this level only makes it more apparent that we are looking at a new era in GNCC and something tells me that someday we may see one of the young lady riders could very well one day be lining up in the XC1 class. When or who is a question still left to be answered but it is coming.

I just realized that I have so much to talk about in this division. This apparently is my set up for next week when I will break down class by class. And again I encourage you to send me your story for the season so I don’t miss an angle I may not be aware of.

However, before I head out on the road, I have one story from the Youth division I want to share. First let me start out by saying congratulations to what appears to be our new 70 CVT champion Parker Henderson. Parker and his brother Keaton race GNCC and are quite literally a true “GNCC Racing Legacy.” Many fans may remember their father, Brian Henderson, who is a former Pro rider. He held the #5 plate “back in the day” racing along with Barry Hawk, Bob Sloan, Chuck Delullo and Ricky Matteson.  He was also featured on the last event t-shirt for the Blackwater 100.