We’re Going Racing In Georgia! (Jared Bolton)

We all know that rumors are part of our sport and this week has been no different. I’ve had about 30 texts, emails, Facebook messages and more asking if The General is going to be cancelled. Well, if you haven’t heard by now, the answer is NO the race is NOT cancelled. Yes, there’s some rain in the forecast but Barry Hawk took that into consideration and has laid out a course that will still be passable, even when it’s wet.

I’m sure some of you who raced on Sunday last year are looking back and dreading having another race like that, but after going around the track for the past few days, I can honestly say that it won’t be that bad. The track sticks to a lot of higher ground, and one of the things I noticed when we got here Tuesday afternoon was that it was drier here than normal.

Typically there are places in the woods here that always hold water. Even those spots were down from what they usually are. A brief shower last night has cut down on some of the dust today but when you dig down just a few centimeters, you find dry dirt.

While there’s still rain in the forecast, if you were worried about the conditions, stop worrying! It will be wet but with the layout of the course, you’re still going to be able to make your way around without finding your way into any deep mudholes, and still have a fun race along the way!

End Of The Streak (Rodney Tomblin)

Anyone that watched or heard about last Saturday's opening round of the 2015 AMSOIL GNCC Championship presented by Maxxis knows that the "Chris-Borich-opening-round-win-streak" has ended. I did a little research and dating back to 2005 Chris has on the opening round in Florida 8 times. The years were 2005, '06, '08, '10, '11, '12, '13 and '14. As you can see, five of those wins were in a row. Very impressive stats and yet another feat the six-time ATV Champion has the honors of holding.

What exactly does this mean? There are a number of things that can be read into this. One might say that there is a changing of the guard. Another may say it was a fluke. While yet another may say it's because he switched brands to after so much success on the other. The real answer may never be revealed. No one knows the struggles each individual is faced with at any given point in the race. Even the mighty Chris Borich found troubles in the deep sand seen off his machine pushing and struggling just to keep moving through some sections of the track.  

Without a doubt, this may have been one of the most challenging Florida GNCCs since, Palatka - 2004. Not challenging because of weather but more so because of the varying consistencies of this particular Florida sand. It ranged from a mixture of sand and clay, muddy sandy clay and deep, deep sugar sand that robbed the horsepower from machines and physical energy from even the fittest competitors. As many riders said after the race on Saturday, "there was nothing we could do to prepare for this."

As far as ending eras go, it is way too early to begin to think that. Though Borich's streak may have ended he still did what a champion needs to do to win championships - he finished. He finished a strong and respectable third place overall and will roll into this weekend with winning on his mind.

2015 Is In Full Effect! (Jared Bolton)

We’ve finally surpassed the first race of the 2015 season, and what a great weekend of racing it was! I heard more than a few people say that the course was the best Florida GNCC course they’ve ever ridden, and while it did get pretty rough by the end of the weekend, it was still a lot of fun.

There was a really good mix of fast trail, tighter trail and good flowing trail, so the course really had something for everyone. That kind of track always makes for a great race, but it’s even more awesome when it’s the kickoff to a brand new season of racing. To top it off, the weather on Saturday and Sunday was great, too, with warm temperatures, but not too hot either.

Now we turn around and head a few hours north to Georgia to get rolling on round two this weekend before taking a couple of weeks to recoup before heading to North Carolina. Doing these first two races back-to-back is never an easy task, but it’s just another one of those things that makes GNCC Racing even more special. 

Not only are the races just a week apart, but it’s also a pretty significant change in the type of terrain that you get to race on. Going from the sandy soil of Florida, directly to the hard packed clay of Georgia is a huge step. However, if there’s any group of hearty souls who can handle that, it’s definitely the GNCC Racin' Nation.

After this weekend’s race, and a weekend off, we get to head to another pretty different venue into the hills of North Carolina, once again showing the GNCC racers can strive in a variety of conditions. It feels great to be back racing, and the 2015 season is already showing promise as one nobody will forget.

Heartbreakers (Rodney Tomblin) 

After witnessing the Moose Racing Wild Boar GNCC, one has to think that maybe it should be named "The Heartbreaker GNCC". With the end of Chris Borich's win streak in Florida and quite possibly one of the biggest heartbreaks of all came for Adam McGill. After grabbing the holeshot and leading the entire race, Adam found one of the biggest wins in his career slip from his grasp in the last five seconds of the race.

When the green flag flew at just after 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, Adam McGill launched off the line and into the lead without missing a beat. As the race wore on Adam stretched the lead out to nearly a minute over the rest of the field of competitors at one point in the race. The final lap it looked as though this one was a done deal. All he had to do was keep rolling like he had the previous three laps. Adam did just that. He rode the final lap only one second off pace from the previous lap but what he didn't realize and could not stop a hard charging Walker Fowler determined to win more than ever since last seasons last turns, last moments loss to Chris Borich for the 2014 championship. 

As Adam approached the finish line with Fowler hot on his tail, he found himself held up by a lapper for only a brief second but it was just enough time for Walker to make the pass. Adam rolled across the finish only a little more than two seconds behind for second place. The look on Adam's face told the story from his point, as disappointment would not begin describe it. It was heartbreak. There is no doubt. The good thing is that if Adam feeds off this heartbreak like Walker feeds off last season heartbreak for him this very well could be a new era in GNCC as some folks have stated. Time will tell that tale. 

Young Bloods (Rodney Tomblin)

The great thing about GNCC is that it is a sport that nearly anyone with a passion for riding or racing can come become a part of the action. Some may choose to race while others choose to be support or just simply a fan. It's what makes up what we call the "GNCC Racin' Nation." And the "GNCC Nation' is one of all ages. Riders as young as four years old tackle the specially designed courses for our most recent addition to the championship known simply as the Micros to many.

The Micro 50cc classes may hold a future champion. We have seen this out of the youth ranks for the riders a little older and on bigger machines. Charlie Mullins and Kailub Russell are the first of the wave to achieve this on the bike side of things. Walker Fowler is quite possibly the first in line from the ATV side of things that may achieve this feat but behind him is a host of talent that have raced GNCC since they were young kids and it is likely that a few of them will someday win a title. And in my opinion the Micros may hold a future champion in its ranks at this moment.

A number of the youngsters race both ATV and motorcycles in this division. They will race for 30 minutes on a bike and run back to the start when they finish to a waiting quad. Then they race that and do it competitively in each discipline. 

One rider that did that this weekend was Tavin Cook from Waterloo, New York. He raced the bikes first and was doing well then found some early issues. He was still able to finish seventh in his class of 10 in the Micro 5-7 class. Disappointed in his performance, he then climbed aboard his ATV and took his frustration out in that race. He was able to capture the 50cc Open Sr (7-11) class and overall wins on the quad.

Tavin Cook is also a top WYNOA racer as well and is celebrating his 8th birthday today. I am sure that he got his early birthday present this past weekend and will be searching for more wins as that championship developers in 2015.

#ThrowbackThursday (Jared Bolton)

I got an email last week from Tom Leacu with FAHQ Racing (yes, the same team that backed Tommy Norton’s infamous 1990 Blackwater 100 win aboard a 125) who reminded me of another special GNCC Racing moment that just celebrated it’s 10th birthday.

In 2005, Florida hosted the second round of GNCC Racing (round one was held in Texas that year) and was Juha Salminen’s first full-season of GNCC Racing. Many were already expecting the Finnish superstar to put up a heck of a fight for a GNCC title. He did exactly that, claiming the 2005 and 2006 GNCC titles. However, the 2005 Florida race saw a different face claiming the overall win that day, but it was a face that many recognize.

Motocross superstar, Doug Henry made the trip out to Lake Winona, Florida for The Orange Crush GNCC and not only did he put in a great ride, he won the whole thing! Exhausted, Henry collapsed at the finish line and was administered oxygen and IVs, but it didn’t matter because Henry had done something that few riders have been able to do, claim overall wins in both the Motocross world, and the GNCC world. That also put Doug on the list of only three riders to claim an overall win ahead of Salminen during his GNCC career (Barry Hawk and Nate Kanney were the other two).

While that was Doug’s last GNCC, the memory of that triumphant win over Salminen still stands out as one of the greatest moments in GNCC history.