New Track = New Challengers? (Jared Bolton)

The unique thing about heading to a venue for the first time is that you never really know what to expect. In any form of racing, certain athletes excel on certain types of tracks. However, there’s also those who seem to excel on all types of tracks. Heading to a track for the first time leaves the expectations wide open in some ways, but also stays the same in other ways.

What exactly do I mean by that? Well, with the Tomahawk being a new GNCC venue, there’s no race history to look at to see who has previously claimed wins there. That leaves the expectations for the race favorites open to anyone. However, at the same time, when a rider excels in all types of terrain, that rider is also expected to mesh with this new track right away.

Case in point is of course, Kailub Russell. KR is now 5-for-5 thus far in 2015 and most everyone expects Kailub to excel in the New York terrain. However, this is new territory for everyone, and the thing about GNCC Racing is that you never know what to expect. It wouldn’t be impossible to see someone step up and win out of the blue.

In 2012, Rory Mead ran away with the win at the first-ever Mammoth GNCC in Kentucky. He also did so aboard a KTM 300 2-stroke, which at that time most people had come to believe that a 450, or 350 4-stroke had become the machine to win aboard in GNCC Racing. However, that day Rory proved that it’s not only about the machine, but also about the rider piloting that machine. (Kailub Russell further proved that by winning last year’s Ironman GNCC aboard a 150 2-stroke)

Supercross used #WhosNext all season, but that question applies just as much to GNCC Racing. In 5 rounds, we’ve seen 1 winner. Who’s next in line to take a win? Grant Baylor came close in the rough and rutted Indiana terrain 2 weeks ago. Josh Strang has been close all season.  Thad Duvall has been a podium threat all season. Chris Bach has shown he has the speed to run up front. Ryan Sipes is also looking to improve his finishes. While Russell may be the man to beat, he still has some strong competition waiting for their chance to be next.

Bithell's Rebellion (Rodney Tomblin)

One thing can be said about XC1 Pro ATV GNCC racer Chris Bithell, and that is consistency. Chris is coming off his first win since The Gusher GNCC in 2013, and ironically it was a muddy race too. I can't say that Chris is a "mud guy," but the finger points that way except for the results Chris has always posted in dry events.

The big factor in Chris Bithell's win at Limestone 100 was the result of a few things and it all boils down to the man himself. I would like to preclude the next paragraphs with a disclaimer stating that I am not meaning any disrespect when I tell this story from an outsider's perspective. I am simply looking at it from the outside in with a little inside information. 

As I stated Chris' win at Limestone was the result of a few things that all seem to come together at the right time. First though I want to remind you of his recent career. He was one of the first Factory Can-Am riders when that all went down. He was also the rider to last the longest with a full factory support program in the ATV sector of GNCC. He pioneered a program that had never been involved in such a sport. He had highs and he had lows. He had struggles with the machine, and he could never get those fixes completely right but he always seemed to persevere. Then came the day a few seasons back that the whole Can-Am program dissolved and Chris Bithell was left without a ride. It wasn't long though before he built a grassroots program that took him back to the beginning.

The new privateer effort worked well. He developed a bike and program similar to his friend, and champion Chris Borich, riding a Suzuki. Obviously a good choice as he never seemed to miss a beat. However the cons of a limited program with limited funds will often spur some big changes. Not saying he had been spoiled a little with the factory support but it made it definitely made it easier. Things got tougher as time went on and it began to show. 

In 2014 Chris Bithell seemed to hit a bit of rough road. The consistent finishes were not as strong as they had been and a lot of this was due, I feel, to the added stress of his program being so limited. It all seemed to begin at the Big Buck when Chris was stopped for a 30 second starting infraction after the first lap. This is a standard penalty that occurs occasionally but for some reason it really seemed to rattle his cage. He was understandably angry about the situation as high-spirited competitors often are. It seemed though he had a chip on his shoulder after that.

In interviews trackside you could sense the tension that was building and as this 2015 season got underway it all become a little clearer why. Chris has been working and living a normal life while trying to keep the facade of a professional racer. Now married and working as many as 60 hours a week, training and wrenching on his own equipment it has been hard. In interviews from this year he has seemed frustrated, but at the same time proud of what he is now doing on an even more limited budget. He has mentioned a couple of times that Adam McGill is not the only privateer out there. At the same time you could tell it was firing him up for something big.

On Saturday morning for the Limestone 100 Chris seemed a little more light hearted than normal. Sitting patiently in the front seat of his pick up truck parked by a 10x10 EZ-UP waiting for 1 o'clock to roll around and his interview. It was then he spilled most of the beans about what was going on in his life. He spoke of how frustrating it was to be working so hard for such little reward in the end. He said I enjoy this but can't keep doing it like this. He announced that unless something big happens that this was his last year chasing the championship in XC1. He said maybe a few close events but not to be looking for him after 2015. Then he went out and won.

One can say it was the rain and mud. One may say it was pure luck. And someone else may say it was because he has no more pressure. I'm going to say it may have been a little of all three. The important thing is that he won and is now in the hunt for the title as the season heads to the midway point. He now sits in 5th place in points, and only 8 points behind Chris Borich. In the season past one may say he doesn't stand a chance, but now the way things are going it could be any one of five different riders making a run at this year's championship.

The number 7 on Chris Bithell's machine looks a little out of place. It seems like forever he has ridden the number 4, but last year’s stumbles dropped him back a little. The neat thing about all this is that he has nothing to lose and everything to gain as he has already stated it will most likely be his final season. There is no pressure; there is no overwhelming fear of letting someone down, and there is no reason to ride but for the fun of it. Let's just hope something happens to keep this "Bithell Rebellion" against the odds alive this season.

Summer Racing (Jared Bolton)

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I've moved the annual Zoo City GP up to a summer date. Well, we're still sticking with a summer date but due to a local series rescheduling one of their events, I've moved the race up one day to Saturday July 11th. 

It promises to be a pretty fun event and while it may be hot in North Carolina that time of year, the race will be easy on your bike and your body. The two 30-minute, plus one lap motos on a roughly 3.5 mile course will make for an awesome time. Moving to Saturday also frees up time to start early and would make it easier to add some ATV classes if there's any interest.

So, if you're an ATV rider who would be interested in trying the race out, I need all of you to let me know ASAP. Unfortunately North Carolina doesn't really have a high concentration of ATV racers, so I really need to have some interested parties to be able to add you guys to the event. Drop me a line at [email protected] and let me know if you would come race! 

It's Hot in the GNCC Racin' Nation (Rodney Tomblin)

The 2015 season has not been without its ups and downs. The ups have been amazing racing and then the downs have been the chilly temps and rain at a few events. It was very warm at the Big Buck then not so much at the Limestone 100. The funny thing about the new Tomahawk GNCC at Seneca Highlands is that it is going to be a hot one. Well, maybe not hot, but pretty doggone warm. Especially considering when I spoke with Chuck Reed one of the folks helping organize this event that he has seen snow still in the deep woods this time of year in the past.  

The good news is I checked the forecast and it says temps will be in the mid 80’s and only a slight 40% chance of rain on Sunday. This is a good time to remind folks to take extra precaution this weekend even though it is not going to be a heat wave and dangerous levels we have seen in the past. The thing we must remember is that many of us have seen cooler temps and rainy conditions so the heat could be a factor. So drink plenty of liquids and by all means don't forget the sunscreen. Especially for the kids and the light skinned. It is early spring and these things can sneak up on us. 

As the temperatures raise so do the levels of competition. The big questions this week for the quad sector is will Chris Borich finally find a win? Can Walker Fowler regroup? Is Adam McGill done with his early season terror and how will the points look after this weekend? On the bike side of things the questions are a little more simple. Can Kailub Russell make it 6 wins in a row for the season? Is Grant Baylor ready to challenge again? And is the "Freight Train" Josh Strang going to be back on track and ready to rail this week to make his own challenges to Russell?

#ThrowbackThursday (Jared Bolton)

Headlines

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What's New on RacerTV.com?

The Racer X Show with Greg White returns to RacerTV.com featuring highlights from a full action-packed weekend of racing in Las Vegas and more!

The final rounds of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship and AMOSIL Arenacross, featuring Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross took place this past weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada with an exciting battle down to the wire for the AMSOIL Arenacross Championship, as well as an exciting Monster Energy Supercross round, featuring the East/West 250SX shootout. GEICO AMA EnduroCross also took place in Las Vegas over the weekend for round three inside the Orleans Arena. Colton Haaker would break through for his first win of the season and this week’s show features highlights of the racing action.

This week’s show also features round three of the Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship that took place at Muddy Creek Raceway in Blountville, Tennessee with the Spring National where Joel Hetrick would claim the overall win.

For this week’s Yoshimura Road Racing segment, host Greg White recaps the past weekend’s MotoGP racing action held at Circuito De Jerez in Cadiz, Spain. Weekly favorites also return this week including information on where to watch racing action on television, or live in person.