WXC Updates (Chelsea Taylor//@ChelseaTaylor13)

This week’s edition of Quick Fill comes from well, surprisingly, my office desk. The office is somewhat quiet with Loretta’s, ATVMX, and Pro Motocross coming to a conclusion, and that also means we have the weekend off. But don’t worry, there’s only four more weekends left until we make our way up to New York for the Parts Unlimited Unadilla GNCC! The office atmosphere is slowly changing into GNCC mode as we prepare for the last four rounds.

If you follow along every week you will remember that I spent last weekend at Ironman Raceway for the season finale of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. The weekend went remarkably well, and I really can’t wait until the GNCC Racin’ Nation makes their way up there on Halloween. The Shaver’s are the kindest people and the facility is absolutely beautiful.

I was also able to run into WXC racer Rachel Gutish. At the last race at Snowshoe she talked about getting her WMX license to race at Ironman, and I’m so glad she did because it was awesome seeing her out there! She finished 9-11 for ninth overall! Rachel battled with many of the regular WMX riders, and she definitely showed them that the woods riders can keep up on the motocross track. I even saw her rubbing wheels in a few corners!

Chuck Lemaster did another great edition of Tuesday Toolbox this week with 2015 WXC Champion Kacy Martinez. Kacy was able to wrap up her second WXC Championship at Snowshoe, four rounds before the end of the season! Kacy has utilized this summer break to spend time with her family, but also to race her first National Enduro this past weekend. The legendary Jack Pine Enduro had its 90th running this year, and Kacy claimed the win in the Women’s division. To see the full article, please click HERE.

Summer break is slowly coming to a close, and I’m sure many of you are back in your normal routine of work or school and training. I can’t wait to see how everyone’s hard work has paid off when we return to Unadilla September 19 and 20!

History Made… Again (Jared Bolton//@JaredBolton)

Over the past couple of years, there seems to be a recurring theme with Kailub Russell re-writing the history books of the off-road racing world. KR became the first ever XC2 champion to claim an XC1 title, one of only a few riders to claim a GNCC overall win aboard a small-bore motorcycle (Shane Watts and Tommy Norton are ones that come to mind). He and his father Jeff are the only father-son duo to claim GNCC overall bike wins. Of course, Chad and Thad Duvall are the only other father-son duo with GNCC overall wins, with Chad’s wins coming on the ATV side.

At this past weekend’s Jack Pine National Enduro, KR would make history once again as he and Jeff Russell would become the first ever father-son duo to claim the overall win at the Jack Pine. This win also pushes Kailub further ahead in the National Enduro point standings as he works towards becoming the first rider to ever claim a GNCC and National Enduro title in the same year.

With KR already making this kind of history, it really makes you wonder how much further he can go. By today’s standards, Ed Lojak’s record of 9 championships (some of which date back to GNCC’s precursor, the 100-Miler Series) seems like a huge feat. Even the 5 championships by Scott Summers and Rodney Smith seem tough to obtain as after Rodney Smith’s 5^th and final title in 2004, no rider has claimed more than 2 championships. However, at the rate he’s going Kailub Russell very well could step up and break history even further. At just 25 years old, it seems as if KR still has a long career ahead of him, especially if you take into consideration that Rodney Smith’s final championship came when Rodney was 40 years old.

There’s no doubt that Kailub has been a step above the rest in 2015. This isn’t a first though. When Juha Salminen made his way to the GNCC Racing world in 2005, he was also a step above the rest. The rest of the Pro class (there was no XC2 then) had to step up to defeat him. It was no easy task as Doug Henry, Barry Hawk and Nate Kanney were the only 3 riders were able to topple Salminen in 2005 and 2006.  10 years later, it seems like a familiar story. In the past 2 seasons, Charlie Mullins, Josh Strang and Chris Bach have been the only riders to topple Russell.

The question is, who can step up to be the next rider to claim a win again KR557? Many would point to Grant Baylor to step up to the plate as he came fairly close at Limestone. Of course, Thad Duvall is a rider you can never count out. After finally claiming his first GNCC overall win at Unadilla in 2012, he backed that up with another win in the Kentucky mud in 2013. However, while he’s been a consistent podium threat, Thad has yet to claim a third overall win. He will ultimately be looking to return to the center of the podium. 

If there’s one thing everyone should know about GNCC Racing, it’s that anything can happen. Races can be won and lost by a matter of inches and you never know who may step up to the plate to claim the next win. While Chris Bach has always been a contender since moving to the XC1 class in 2010, not many people would have picked him to be the only rider to claim a win against Russell in 2015. However, thus far in 2015 he’s been the only one to do so. Who’s next?

Education and Racing (Rodney Tomblin//@HotRodney22)

As schools return to session from the summer break and racing is nearing its return, social media is becoming a place where folks will soon venting of issues they are faced with when it comes to racing and school attendance. It’s so frustrating that some parents have or are contemplating home schooling as an option. It’s an age old problem that seems to be growing as some districts are revamping their attendance policies and actually giving less allowed absences making it difficult for a racing family that travels a national circuit. Schools generally do not recognize racing as a school sport, so therefore they have very little tolerance when it comes to missing class to travel.

This brings up many arguments for and against the whole idea of whether schools should recognize a rider’s accomplishments, or at least recognize it enough to excuse riders to attend national events. It would honestly be hard to have it recognized as an organized school sport but why can’t it be recognized at least to a level where families can get reprieves on attendance? Of course students would still be responsible for all work, assignments, tests and maintaining a proper G.P.A. Taking the proper steps may be a big help in making this happen. Generally this means talking to the teachers, principals and boards of education to educate them what this means and how it affects the student. Sometimes it works and sometimes you meet major resistance. So that theory as good as it seems right now is the best option but is there something that can be done?

In order for a standard policy to ever be effective it is something that may need a lot of work in calling on State Representatives and Congressmen. Have something proposed and written into law that individuals meeting certain criteria be given credit for attendance so long as they are able to maintain certain levels. If it’s made a national standard then local school systems cannot fight it and it may actually benefit many other types of sports not associated with school curriculums. It is without a doubt a promising idea. It needs to be thought out but it is a presented properly.

Who is going to take on the task? That may be the biggest obstacle the issue has faced and will ever face. Generally once an individual fights the local boards they are worn out and or just satisfied if they make some ground. Someone will have to take this to task though unless everyone turns to homeschooling and then you ask is that the right path to choose?

There are many accredited and good homeschool programs available. Choosing the right program that fits you and your child is the hard part. It is also not as easy of a task to homeschool as some may feel. It takes true academic focus and it takes true academic dedication to make it work and it takes a family working together on this to bring it full circle. If you don’t have these things you can fake your way through and meet all the requirements but then that doesn’t do anyone any favors.

Whether or not homeschooling is the right answer even if you lose the battle with the local system is something each family must decide. In the heat of the moment it sounds like the best idea in the world but in looking at the big picture will there truly be anything gained by doing so? Some will answer yes while others will say no. Some will say yes when they should have said no but regardless something needs to be done to lesson this burden. And with that I set forth a challenge in the Racing Nations that someone somewhere step up and lead the crusade to make sports like ours recognizable functions that will not count toward a student academically.

In the meantime you may organize peaceful support groups to attend meetings presenting school boards with proper and educated answers as to why and how racing affects your child in life, in school performance while being held to strict guidelines to achieve a happy medium between the schools and other sports that fall into this type of situation. Heck if schools had a XC, MX or any other type of race team attendance and enrollments may pick up. And if nothing else they don’t have to sit on a bench waiting for someone to get tired or hurt in order to be able to perform as many kids do in organized school endorsed sports. 

Ultimately though education remains number one in any argument you make about this subject. Educating the school system is going to be vital in the future or these types of things may be threatened to the point kids are driven from school or kids are driven to lose a chance at living out a dream. What’s your opinion? Email me [email protected] or post it to my wall on Facebook. I look forward to hearing what folks have to say about this.

Sipes Goes Moto Again! (Jared Bolton//@JaredBolton)

Another rider who has put together a solid 2015 GNCC season is that of Ryan Sipes. In the past two years, Sipes has become a true “do it all” guy as he’s made history as the first full-time GNCC racer to land on a Pro Motocross podium with a third place in moto 2 at the 2014 Ironman National, and also became the first rider to ever compete in a Pro Motocross and GNCC event in the same weekend by contesting the Tennessee National at Muddy Creek, then the John Penton GNCC the following day.

Well, Sipes returned to the Pro Motocross world once again this past weekend at the Ironman National in Indiana. While the race may not have gone quiet as well as last year’s Ironman for Sipes, he still put together a very respectable weekend with 18-16 moto scores for 17^th overall. Coupled with the points the Sipes scored at Muddy Creek and High Point, that puts Sipes 25^th overall in the 450 class for the 2015 Pro Motocross season. That’s a very respectable points position for a guy who only contested 3 rounds!

Next up for Sipes will be this year’s ISDE, thus further making him one of, if not the most well-rounded dirt bike rider in America. From GNCC to Pro Motocross, National Enduro, Full Gas Sprint Enduro and the ISDE, Sipes is ultimately a true do-it-all rider and is capable of logging solid finishes in each discipline. This also ultimately makes him a solid choice for this year’s ISDE team, especially on the final day, which usually consists of a motocross test.

With this type of well-rounded season, Sipes is yet another rider fresh in everyone’s mind as a possible race win contender. After landing on the podium in 3 of the last 4 races before summer break, Sipes has definitely adjusted well to the GNCC Racing world. One has to wonder if Sipes could break through for his first-ever GNCC win in one of the final four rounds. Stay tuned, it could get interesting!

#ThrowbackThursday (Jared Bolton//@JaredBolton)

Headlines

Tuesday Toolbox: Kacy Martinez

KTM Race Report: Russell Wins Jack Pine National Enduro

Chris Bach battled to victory at Crossroads XC in Indiana!

KTM Race Report: Martinez Wins Debut National Enduro Race

MotoSport.com Rider Profile - Kacy Martinez

What's New on RacerTV.com?

This week The Racer X Show with Greg White features highlights from the season finale of the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, as well as highlights from the Jack Pine National Enduro. We also have a special interview with World Supersport rider, Patrick Jacobsen. Check it out now, only on RacerTV.com!

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