Wolfe Attack Warnings (Rodney Tomblin)

One thing is certain, the GNCC Racin’ Nation has a Wolfe on the prowl. About three, at least. The ones we speak of are not four legged hairy creatures but they do have four wheels. Call it coincidence or symbolic, the facts are that each one has a unique and interesting story. The strangely peculiar thing about this is that none are related and each pack runs separately but have been seen on occasion hanging together.

One we have known for what seems like forever is XC1 Pro racer Brian Wolf. Brian is a railroad man by trade and XC1 GNCC Pro for pleasure. It has been a few years but Brian was once considered a threat to challenge for the title. Though those regards are not so much given any longer no one can ever count him out for a win. His threat lies mainly in playing a huge spoiler at this point for many riders. Brian has not had the best of seasons but still sits eighth in points. He has not had the worst of season’s either especially if you consider the actual training he get to do with his work schedule and home life as a father of two and husband. He proved how much of a threat he still is just before the break as he finished third overall at a grueling and challenging Snowshoe GNCC.

Then another is Westley Wolfe. Without going into too much detail as we have heard a lot lately of his accomplishments on the motocross track as well as his success in the GNCC. To sum up this “Wolfe Attack” Westley is hoping to capture the College A GNCC National Championship to add to his two AMA ATV Motocross National Championships earlier this year. Westley is hoping to be the first known rider to win national championships in both disciplines of GNCC. The way things are looking, he is on track to making this dream a reality but the final four rounds will be the true deciding factor.

And then there is Landon Wolfe. Landon rose through the ranks from the youth division to XC1 Pro. Earning the number 14 last season he is looking at a possible top 10 sitting currently in 11th place only five points from a top 10. Landon is also a rather good two wheel racer. Results from last year’s Steel Creek GNCC saw him post a fourth in a highly competitive Open A motorcycle class. A very impressive feat he was able to achieve.

As this season has progressed, so has the talents of Landon and recently I got word he has made the switch to a Honda for the remainder of the season. Landon has been a successful rider on a Suzuki and even seen success this season on a Yamaha. If you recall he made that switch at Ironman last year and has been on them since in GNCC. Now another change that comes with a good portion of the season left to go. A number of questions come up with this move but one has to think with the continued progressing success he is seeing that he must have seen something in the Honda brand to warrant the change with so much of the season left to go. I assume it is actually a little pre off season prep to have an understanding of what he is really working with. Not necessarily a bad idea and somewhat mature for such a young man.

The off-season looks like it could be a long cold one. Enough to make the Wolf(e) in each one these racers hungry. And you know each one of these guys will be “hungry like the wolf” and this could make for some rather severe attacks in the future but remember the warning has been posted.

GNCC is Finally Back! (Chelsea Taylor)

This week’s edition of Quick Fill comes you from the middle of Pennsylvania as we head down I-81. That’s right! The time is finally here for the Parts Unlimited GNCC! The office has been hectic as we all have transitioned back into “GNCC mode,” but also as we get ready to hopefully host record-setting numbers in New York! I’ve heard a lot of hype about this race and I cannot wait to be around over 2,000 riders who all love the same thing as me… racing! 

Our good friends at Moto Tees have designed the event shirts for every round of the series. If you can’t make it to New York this weekend, or if you missed any previous round, click HERE to get your official event t-shirt! The GNCC store is updated after every race with the latest event shirts available for purchase.

The Parts Unlimited Dinner will take place Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Look for the big white tent and make sure you show up because it’s compliments of Parts Unlimited!

Also, don’t forget that this weekend serves as round five for the 50cc Micros. Both ATV and bikes will be taking place on Saturday starting at 4:30 p.m. (bike) and 5 p.m. (ATV). If you’re at the event make sure to cheer on the future starts of our sport! Keep an eye out for local racer Tavin Cook who will be looking to continue his four season long winning streak in the ATV division. 

School visits start back up this round and I’m excited to be involved with the On-Track Program! Chuck Lemaster, the Steiner Family, Gloop from Racer TV and myself will be making our way to two different middle schools on Friday for the GNCC anti-bullying assembly. Chuck has been able to come up with a specific middle school script that will allow our program to expand and reach even more students! Be on the lookout in the future for an On-Track Program section on our website that further explains the program and can keep you all updated on all the happenings! Riders: If you are ever interested in participating in a school visit, just send an email to [email protected] and we will work with you to make it happen!

I suspect there will be some good battles in the ATV ranks of WXC this weekend. Alicia McCormick is the current points championship leader, but she is closely followed by Kylie Ahart who is just one point behind. Of course, we can’t forget about Angel Knox who is coming into this race with a four-race winning streak behind her. She currently sits in third place in the points championship, but will continue to be a threat throughout the next four rounds. This weekend will ultimately show who has put in hard work over the off season. 

Even though Kacy Martinez wrapped up the 2015 WXC championship early, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be exciting racing in the AM class! Kacy’s been racing some local motocross races out West, but I know she’ll be ready to head back into the woods on Sunday. And even though the U.S. Women’s World Trophy Team didn’t win the overall, Rachel Gutish still lead the pack and will be coming into this round with the added momentum from her performance in Slovakia. Becca Sheets used the IXCR last weekend to help get her dialed in from summer break. 

That’s all for me this week, and I’ll see you in WNYOA Country this weekend! And as always, make sure to say hi if you see me wandering around!

Back to Business as Usual (Jared Bolton)

With the summer break coming to a close, it’s back to business as usual for the front runners of, well, each and every class. With a summer break to take a break, recuperate and make adjustments, it’s almost like starting the season over. For some riders, it feels like a fresh start is exactly what they need and can help push themselves to the front through the final four rounds.

The big news recently was Kailub Russell’s ISDE crash and many thoughts and rumors circulating around about the status of his knee after tweaking it at Six Days. Well, the cold hard facts are it’s back to business as usual for Kailub. The 2-time champ only needs 21 points to wrap up the championship this weekend at Unadilla, and if he rides anything like he did earlier in the season, that should be doable.

Of course, with a summer break it’s tough to say if that will come easy. Obviously all eyes are on Ryan Sipes right now after he came away with the individual overall win at the ISDE. Sipes was on a tear before summer break, landing on the podium in 3 of the last 4 rounds. There’s no doubt that the former pro motocrosser has the off-road game pretty well figured out, it’s just the “beat Kailub” part that he (along with many others) haven’t been able to accomplish this season.

Chris Bach comes in as the only other ride to notch a win in the 2015 season. Bach has also had some tough races but he’s been able to prove that he can win. Current number 2 in overall points is Grant Baylor, who has also logged some great rides this season and was the first to mount a series challenge against Kailub at the Limestone 100. You also can never count out Josh Strang who will be returning healthy after an injury earlier in the season, and also Thad Duvall who is a former Unadilla winner.

The thing about Unadilla is, it can be full of surprises. Nate Kanney’s 2006 Unadilla win on a privateer effort Yamaha ride shocked some, but the New York crowd had faith in their own. Jimmy Jarrett also shocked many when he came away with the 2010 Unadilla win, and Thad Duvall would break through for his first ever GNCC overall win at Unadilla in 2012. The big question is, what will happen this year? Only time will tell and that time is almost here.

“G” Whiz (Rodney Tomblin)

One of the best known GNCC racers of all time is without a doubt Johnny Gallagher a.k.a. Johnny G. Johnny is a celebrated rider enjoying his 20th consecutive season as a GNCC Pro racer. Johnny has raced with nearly every great to grace the trails of a GNCC. Johnny though has never won a GNCC championship is a true champion regardless. We all know this and we all respect this and we all love Johnny G.

I know I mentioned his big co-win of the Heartland Challenge early this summer but I finally had a chance to talk to him about it today. I hadn’t really heard a lot about it and always love to hear his play by play rendition of the whole thing. He said, “We won by a solid margin despite our very conservative race strategy.” He said that Challenge teammate Cole Richardson’s bike was done after only one lap. Johnny said he personally wasn’t satisfied for his first session but on the second he was finding his flow. Then the lightning came and the race was called. Gallagher, Richardson and Walker Fowler won by over 5 minutes but Johnny says he has more to give. I wonder if that means he has something to bring to Unadilla this weekend. I for one will be watching to see.

Johnny told me that Brian Wolf and Westley Wolfe teamed up with one of Elka suspensions Canadian hopefuls and were flying at the Heartland Challenge. They said had it not been for some struggles by their teammate that it could have been a whole different race. Johnny also knows how quickly the tables can turn as they saw their own issues and knowing this on the way in they had the “conservative race strategy.” As we can see that strategy must have change with Richardson toasting his bike.

Johnny also said he was riding with Chris Borich and Andrew Delong and hoped he can find the fire he is looking for the rest of the season. Johnny has also kept busy riding quite a bit this summer with WXC two wheel contender Becca Sheets. He also said he has played a lot of golf this summer in when possible and was still having fun and looking forward to the return to GNCC for the season wrap-up.

Be watching for Johnny on RacerTV.com’s live coverage Saturday at 1:00 eastern as he lines up in XC1 Pro ATV action and then joins us in studio on Sunday for live coverage of GNCC bikes live action.