WXC Is Heating Up! (Chelsea Taylor)

Since we are on break from GNCC racing, I’ve been hanging around at the Pro Motocross events.  Last weekend at Budds Creek was an experience to say the least with the severe thunderstorms on Saturday and even a tornado touching ground not too far from the track!  This weekend I’ll be headed to RedBud for the holiday weekend.  I’m excited to see what the weekend holds in Michigan, because I’ve heard so much hype about RedBud!

Things have been relatively quiet in the world of off-road racing, because I suspect many of you are also starting to get in the summer mood. After talking to a few of you at Snowshoe the general consensus was that everyone was going to take a couple weeks to enjoy vacations and other summer festivities before jumping right back into training for Unadilla and the last four rounds.

One of my favorite things about this job is watching people work hard to achieve their goals, all while learning more about themselves and growing as individuals.  At Snowshoe I was able to watch Kacy Martinez wrap up her second consecutive WXC title.  From all of us here at the Racer Productions office, congrats Kacy! It was also really cool to award Rachel Gutish her season best finish of second place.

In the ATV ranks of WXC racing, there is a close battle brewing between the top three ladies in the points. Alicia McCormick remains the leader, but she is closely followed by Kylie Ahart, who is just one point behind. Angel Knox continued her win streak at Snowshoe and made it four-in-a-row and currently holds the third place position in the points championship.

Even if you didn’t finish that well at Snowshoe you still rocked it out there!. Snowshoe is known as the most difficult GNCC of the season and between that and the rain, as cliché as this may sound, you all are all winners just for being out there and competing.  

How Are You Spending Your Summer? (Jared Bolton)

While most folks plan to spend the beginning of their summer taking a break from riding and racing, some never stop. Or some may stop to mix things up a little bit and try something different. Well, last weekend saw the Mid-East Youth Regional Loretta Lynn’s Qualifier at Sunday Creek (or John Penton GNCC as you may know it!) 

There were a number of familiar GNCC faces working the race, but one that may have been a surprise for some was that of Kailub Russell. After Snowshoe, KR made the trek over to Ohio to train with the rest of this year’s ISDE Trophy and Junior team riders. Once they had finished up with their training camp, Kailub actually stayed behind to help his dad, Jeff, and grandfather, Howard, at the family track.

For those who may not know, Kailub is actually pretty good on dozer and helped the guys whip the track into shape for the weekend’s race. Then helped work staging throughout the weekend. It’s pretty cool to see things like this, and it’s definitely another thing that makes GNCC Racing even more special.

While most of the top Pro Motocross riders are super nice guys and not afraid of hard work, the chances of seeing them working at an amateur race are pretty slim. However, the defending GNCC champion and current points leader took time to come out and work on the other side of the racing world instead of going straight home to relax. That’s definitely pretty cool! Of course, KR isn’t the only GNCC racer who isn’t afraid to jump in and do some hard work. A number of the top pro riders lend their hands when needed and it’s not uncommon to even see some out giving youth riders a little assistance the morning of a race.

There’s also multiple riders who offer up occasional riding classes. Steward Baylor has done some in the past, and both he and Grant are actually doing a school/ride day at the Powersport Grafx shop on July 12^th in order to raise funds for their ISDE trip this year. They’re not alone either as Chris Bach is also offering up a “Speed Camp” the following weekend in Morganton, North Carolina.

So, if you’re interested in getting a little advice from guys who know what it takes to run with the front of the XC1 pack, you’ve got the opportunity to learn from some of the best. If you’re interested in the Baylor school, it’s $100 for the class which will run from 9am-12pm, and includes riding the rest of the day. Or, if you just want to ride, that will take place from 12pm until dark, and it’s just $25.  You can drop Steward a line at [email protected] for additional info.

Chris Bach’s school will be a little more in-depth, as the focus will be more on learning to simply ride safer, smarter and of course, faster. That will be July 18^th in Morganton, North Carolina and space is limited so you have to get in touch with Chris immediately to reserve your spot, and he’s asking for serious inquires only, so drop him a line at [email protected] 

Eye Opener (Rodney Tomblin)

In my life I have been very blessed and I’m thankful for the many journeys I have taken and the many places I have seen. I have witnessed some great and awesome things. I have met inspiring people that sometimes make you wonder; “how do they do that?” Or what drives them to do that? People like John Penton, Big Dave Coombs, Al Chuppa, John Gallagher (Johnny G's dad) Mike Penland, Barry Hawk, Bill Ballance, Scott Summers, Shane Watts, David Knight, Juha Salminen, Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, Travis Pastrana and many more countless individuals that just make me stop for a moment and say "Wow!"

Lately some of the most inspiring people I know and have met have been people overcoming major obstacles and hurdles in life that would make most people question a lot of things. People like Rory Mead, who found himself in a wheelchair and fighting to regain some movement and mobility, embracing his condition and trying to make the best out of a bad situation. And who cannot be inspired by Jesi Stracham's story? She is one of the most positive people I have been around in a long time. Seeing her back on the track racing the Polaris Ace has been rather heartwarming. It is the positive attitudes that carry people like this to new levels and help them accomplish great things no matter the circumstances. It also is part of who they are deep down inside and sometimes it takes such tragedies to bring to surface some of our greatest abilities.

Recently at the John Penton GNCC on Saturday evening, I took some friends who were visiting me out to see the GNCC Racin Nation firsthand. I rolled up into the pits where some bright lights were shining, which ended up being the Coastal pits and I ran into John Yokely, William's brother and John Allen's dad. There I met someone that may have been one of the biggest inspirations yet. At first when I met this guy he seemed like a normal everyday run of the mill race fan. He was a young man in a wheelchair and seemed to know his stuff about racing. Then someone said talking said to him, "Man you were flying today! I swear when you went by the rotors on your quad were glowing!" To which the young man smiled a sheepish smile and the young man's father said, "no they weren't glowing but you were moving pretty good," with a chuckle. Then it dawned on me that the he had raced earlier in the day.

I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I really had no idea. I guess you cannot judge a book by looking at the cover. He was in a wheelchair. This young man had not had an accident. Basically, the way he described it to me was that his spine did not fully develop and he uses a wheelchair to get aroun, and boy does he use his wheelchair to the extreme! He plays hockey, tennis, soccer, softball and just about any other sport that he’s able to participate in. Which from what I see, is all of them. The even cooler thing is that he competes on a national level in each thing he does. He doesn't just participate. He goes after it with everything he has.

The young man whom I refer to is Nathaniel Woodard from Ashland City, TN. He raced and finished 5th in the Trail Rider class at the John Penton GNCC and said he would be back to do more in the future. Nathaniel races the Mid-South Cross Country series and is actually quite successful at it. He often times takes his class win and he is ready to tell you all about it. He loves racing. He loves competing and says racing is the most exciting out of everything he does. He said it is most challenging too. Especially when you find yourself off the quad over a hill somewhere on the trail, which he has done and laughs with a great story to follow.

As I left their fire pit that night I couldn't help but be humbled by this young man's abilities. I have to say he has done way more in a wheelchair than I have with a perfectly working legs and spine. I must admit, maybe I was a little ashamed of myself too. I mean if he can overcome things and accomplish things like this in his condition then what excuse do I, or for that matter you, have for not pushing ourselves a little to do just a little more in life? Likely there is no excuse and hopefully we can use stories like this as an inspiration to work harder to achieve more.

On the drive I got a good laugh as the person I was with asked me, "Did you hear him tell his dad why his wheels on his wheelchair wheels were bent?" I hadn't and she proceeded to tell me that while changing tubes in his tires his dad asked what he had done to get things in such shape. The wheel was apparently disfigured and Nathanael answered that he had been practicing evacuations from the hotel using the stairs. He said that when the alarm goes off he doesn't want to be stuck so he practices evacuations to be safe. He said that he basically grabs a handrail and rolls down backwards as fast as he can. He said he nailed this one and was flying down the steps and was hitting hard with a huge smile of accomplishment.

I suppose from all this we should learn that truly the only one holding us back is ourselves. What we want in life sometimes has risks, hard work and trials. Most importantly though it has it's rewards and my rewards are meeting folks like him that bring it all into perspective. Life is ultimately what we make out of it. Thanks Nathan, Jess, Rory and everyone else who overcomes great odds to do great things and for showing me that. 

Zoo City GP Next Weekend! (Jared Bolton)

We’re now approaching the annual Zoo City GP that I promote every year. After being plagued with bad luck and cold weather the past few years, we moved the race to July 11^th. Currently, it’s set up to be a bike only event, but if there’s enough interest from quad riders, we’ve got enough time in the day for you guys and we’d love to have you come race. However, I need to know ASAP so drop me a line at [email protected] and let me know if you’d like to come race.

As for the race itself, the layout I have in mind promises to be the best layout we’ve ever had there. I’ve got some fresh ideas that will not only add a little extra trail, but change up some of the popular trails we’ve ran in years past. As for those old trails, well, they’ll be like new as our buddy Mike “Lollipop” LaFollette has stepped up to offer his expert dozer skills, which will surely make those old trails as good as new.

The layout has a little something for everyone, from faster paced flowing trails to a little bit of tighter single track, mixed in with grass track and a nearly mile-long motocross track, all packed into a 3-mile loop. The race will be two 30-minute plus one lap motos for all classes, so you get a little bit of a break from the heat as well.

While the event may be very motocross-oriented, it’s still an off-road race! The Zoo City Motocross track is pretty unique as all the jumps are very doable for those who may not have a lot of motocross experience, but at the same time, fast riders can have a lot of fun on the track and piece together sections a little bit differently. To put things in perspective, I jumped everything on my dad’s KTM 530EXC dual sport bike, while blowing the horn in the air. At the same time, the Pro class riders were jumping higher and further than I ever did!

Speaking of the pro riders, we’re offering up a 200% Pro payback PLUS $400 courtesy of Carolina KTM. In addition to the racing, there will also be a raffle with all proceeds benefitting the Kurt Caselli Foundation. There’s a ton of prizes up for grabs and you get to choose what you want a chance to win, so even if you have tough race, you could still come home with some great prizes.

I’m heading down early next week to get things rolling, so if you want the latest updates you can follow me on Instagram or Twitter (@JaredBolton) or even just look me up on Facebook. You can get all the info, classes, fees, times and more at http://jaredbolton.com/2015/05/01/2015-zoo-city-gp-july-12th/

I hope to see you there! Not only will the race be a lot of fun but it’s also a great opportunity to help raise money for the Kurt Caselli Foundation, which helps advancements in rider safety. 

#ThrowbackThursday (Jared Bolton)