by: Chelsea Taylor
Saturday, September 19, 2015 | 11:35 PM
N-Fab AmPro Yamaha Teammates Sweep XC1 and XC2
at Parts Unlimited Unadilla GNCC
Fowler Takes Over the National Championship Chase
The XC1 Pro ATV championship has a new leader after the tenth round of racing of the 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series, presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship. N-Fab/AmPro/Yamaha/Maxxis/Lonestar’s Walker Fowler claimed his fifth victory of the season, where he ultimately took over the lead in the points championship. Fowler’s teammate Cole Richardson topped the XC2 Pro Am division by a whopping six minutes to give the N-Fab AmPro Yamaha squad a clean sweep at the legendary Unadilla MX for the 11th running of the Parts Unlimited Unadilla GNCC in New Berlin, New York.
It was CST/PirateMX.com/LSR/DeRisi/Tireblocks/SG’s Adam McGill who shot out to claim the $250 AMSOIL XC1 Pro Holeshot and the early lead. Fowler crept his way up to the front, and it didn’t take long for the duo began their race-long battle for the lead. McGill pulled ahead after the first pit stop, due to Fowler getting off the quad to make a quick adjustment.
“I jumped off and adjusted the micro steering stabilizer. It made the machine act much better on this rough terrain,” said Fowler. “I lost 10-15 seconds at that time doing what I did, but I think I definitely gained in the long run.”
Once the steering issue was resolved, Fowler and McGill were riding wheel-to-wheel until bad luck struck McGill on the last lap. Fortunately, the infamous “McGill Mafia” was able to push McGill to the finish line, but he would end up dropping to ninth overall.
Team Maxxis’ Chris Borich first made an appearance at the inaugural Unadilla event in 2005, and being no stranger to the track meant that when the white flag flew he knew to pick up the pace. Borich was able to move from fourth to second on the last lap, making it one of his best season finishes. The Pennsylvania native considers Unadilla to be a favorite stop on the circuit.
“It’s a close to home track, and it’s nice to be up here with the WNYOA crew,” reported Borich. “There’s always a lot of riders and fans, and it makes for a great race.”
Coming into this round from his first-ever GNCC overall win, JMR/ATVRiders.com Jarrod McClure found himself once again on the podium. McClure has been on the last four Unadilla podiums, and today he stood in the third place spot.
In the XC2 Pro Am division, New York’s own Nick Wheeler grabbed the $100 All Balls Racing Holeshot Award, but the quick lead wouldn’t last long as N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha/Maxxis/Lonestar backed rider Cole Richardson would work his way out front. The Pennsylvania native created a gap and never looked back, claiming yet another win in the Pro Am division. After adjusted time, Richardson would end up missing the overall podium by only one second.
“Over the break I focused on getting better physical fitness for the last half of the race, and I think we achieved that,” said Richardson. “I felt really good today, and I think we’ll be good going into Mountain Ridge.”
New York’s Mary Christofferson followed in Richardson’s tracks and stayed in second the entire race. Honda support rider Randy Hamilton claimed the last spot on the podium in the Pro Am class.
Maryland’s Westley Wolfe put forth an impressive ride at Round 10, capturing the College A (16-21) class win. Westley earned not only the Top Amateur honors, but also finished 11th overall, his best overall finish.
The 4x4 Pro class once again showcased some of the most intense battles of the day as the fastest 4x4 ATV racers in the world converged for the tenth round of GNCC racing. The battle came down to the final moments where Team UXC Racing teammates finished by mere two tenths of a second from each other. It would be Kevin Trantham who emerged victorious, followed by Michael Swift. Can-Am’s Bryan Buckhannon rounded out the top three, but he still continues to hold the lead in the 4x4 Pro points championship.
In the premier Women’s Cross Country division it would be New York native Katelyn Osburn standing on the top of the box after the grueling two-hour race. The win wouldn’t come easy for Osburn as she played consistent and capitalized on Angel Knox’s misfortune with her fuel line during lap four. Another New Yorker, Kara Frederick, worked her way from seventh to second. Yamaha’s Kylie Ahart, the new WXC points leader, took third overall.
The ATV Youth started off the racing action at 8 a.m. Pennsylvania’s Tim Sroka took his first win of the season, exiling Ronnie Rusch from his season-long winning streak. Rusch still made his presence on the podium, but instead was third overall. New York rider Mikey Nickels finished in second, and then turned abound to race the 10 a.m. race in Schoolboy Jr. where he finished 23rd.
The 1:00 p.m. race was broadcast LIVE in its entirety on RacerTV.com and can be viewed as an achieved video now. Please click HERE to view the full three-hour race coverage. In addition to the achieved live race coverage on RacerTV, a highlight show featuring the event will air on NBC Sports Network will feature a highlight show Sunday, November 29 at 1:30 p.m. Complete results from today’s ATV racing can be found HERE.
The 2015 AMSOIL GNCC series heads to Central City, Pennsylvania October 3 and 4 for the Car-Mate Mountain Ridge GNCC. For more information on the series, visit the official website at www.gnccracing.com or call (304) 284-0084.
Stay up-to-date with exclusive content from the 2015 AMSOIL GNCC Series by following the official Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.
Parts Unlimited Unadilla GNCC
Location: New Berlin, NY
Round 10 of 13
Date: Saturday, September 19
XC1 Event Results:
- Walker Fowler (YAM)
- Chris Borich (YAM)
- Jarrod McClure (HON)
- Brycen Neal (YAM)
- Landon Wolfe (HON)
- Johnny Gallagher (YAM)
- Adam McGill (HON)
- Braden Henthorn (HON)
- Jay Shadron (YAM)
- Joshua Merritt (YAM)
*Overall National Championship Standings
- Walker Fowler (235)
- Adam McGill (226)
- Jarrod McClure (188)
- Chris Borich (165)
- Brycen Neal (158)
- Cole Richardson (138)
- Chris Bithell (129)
- Jay Shadron (110)
- Brian Wolf (110)
- Johnny Gallagher (101)
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2015 National Champion.
XC2 Event Results:
- Cole Richardson (YAM)
- Martin Chirstofferson (HON)
- Randy Hamilton (HON)
- Brad Aman (HON)
- Michael Lancaster (HON)
- Nick Wheeler (HON)
- James Green (HON)
- Robbie Pecorari (HON)
- Nathan Thomas (HON)
- Bryson Hoppes (YAM)
XC2 Series Standings:
- Cole Richardson (273)
- Martin Christofferson (215)
- Cody Collier (208)
- Randy Hamilton (181)
- Blake Tornes (123)
- Michael Lancaster (111)
- Thomas Koontz Jr. (106)
- James Green (106)
- Bryson Hoppes (106)
- Brad Aman (88)