Weekly Updates (Chelsea Taylor)

The 60-degree days are slowly fading away to colder temps and the possibility of snow, but before Christmas Day makes its appearance we have the banquets to attend this weekend! With this being my first GNCC banquet I was a little curious when the staff referred to the banquet as the 14th round. However, I can assure you that it definitely can be treated as the last round because of all the preparation regarding staffing, trophies and registering races.  

The ever-so-popular GNCC Photo Booth will be making an appearance on both banquet nights, and with the event taking place so close to Christmas we will have a few new props that are a perfect fit for the season! Holiday season that is, not race season. 

Speaking of race season, one could argue that race season never ends, because as soon as the last race is over it is on to training for the next year. So if you have any new press out about your 2016 program please send it over to [email protected] and we will share it on our social media accounts. It doesn’t matter if you are a youth, vet or pro rider, we are interested in what everyone has planned for next year!

A couple of weeks ago we released the tentative national numbers, and starting today you can go online and request your number. Click HERE to fill out the correct form. 

‘Tis the season to get engaged, and that is especially rings true in our GNCC Racing Nation! Congrats to Kacy Martinez and Travis Coy, in addition to Josh Strang and Cameron Kluttz on their engagements! 

One more banquet item, I got a note from Chris Bach about an awesome workshop he’ll be conducting with his Be The Difference project at the banquet!

Be The Difference Sponsorship Workshop

Special guest speakers & representatives:
-Jay Gobel/Maxxis Tires
-Johnny Gallagher/GBC/HMF

Is sponsorship luck?  Is it all about results? Is it WHO you know, not WHAT you know?  How do you get that sponsorship that will take your racing program to the next level?  How do you get your child his first sponsorship? What is wrong with your resume? What piece are you missing that is holding you back from getting the support you need?

Come learn what it takes to reach that next level. Hear insight straight from the GNCC sponsors themselves on what they are looking for from you as an athlete, and hear the strategies some of the top professional XC1 bike and quad racers have used to acquire those big money and big support deals. 

Friday & Saturday 4:00pm until 5:00pm
Location: Waterfront Place Hotel
Cost: 100% free and open to everyone attending banquet.

Insight from Chris Bach, Johnny Gallagher, and top GNCC series sponsors, including open Q&A forum where no topic or question is off limits. Enjoy 100% racer/sponsor transparency!

If attending, please RSVP via txt or call to 219-308-0779, or via Facebook at www.facebook.com/bethedifferenceproject

It’s Deep (Rodney Tomblin)

It has often times been said the foundation of GNCC Racing is strong. As this year marked the 40th year since the first running of The Blackwater 100 there have been many changes to the original idea. The racing and format has evolved from one of the most legendary off-road races in America to one of the premier championships in the world. It has become a series where individuals can make a lucrative living and many dream of this possibility. These dreams have created one of the strongest cores the off-road world knows and it has created a deep talent field that only gets deeper as time passes on. 

There has been a lot of talk about the College-A class champion Westley Wolfe, who has earned his spot as one of the top up and comers. Some has been said about his competition but what may not have been translated to the masses yet is exactly how much talent looms in this and several other classes. 

Greg Covert finished second in the championship behind Wolfe and no it was not by some monumental margin. It was actually only three points in the end that separated them. This should be a pretty good indication that Covert is also very fast and finished just outside the top 20 overall. He was 21st which ranks him up there with some of the world’s top talent in ATV racing. One thing to think about is that he and Westley had their battles and he is working on stepping up his game to try and meet that level himself. He already knows how to win as he scored two this past season in the College-A class. This speed and talent may put him in a place that makes him competing for not only top 20 overall but maybe top ten soon.

Then in the third spot of this class was Kenny Shick. Kenny is another rider that is one to watch. His talent has bloomed and 2015 was a great proving year. Being in the same position as Covert, Shick knows what the level is and is taking this off-season to mount his own attack next season. I feel he is another rider we will be getting well acquainted with as the 2016 progresses. Shick took two class wins and scored third in the class, which lead to an impressive 23rd overall. A taste of class wins and 16th overall at the Ironman sets a stage for a good show to come.

The talent pool is so deep actually that even the Junior A and Vet A classes possess talent that on any given day could run with about anyone. Matt Hanna from the Vet A (28+) class won the championship over Matt Pierce, Dustin Hendershot, Wes Stone and Jeff “Big Poppa P” Pickens. Though they may be getting up in age, speed seems to be no issue. Hanna earned 24th overall and had possibly one of the most exciting and competitive seasons of his carrier. He posted three top 20 overalls including a 15th at Unadilla. Along the way he finished inside the top 20’s overall and took four class wins in 2015.

Matt Pierce is another rider we have seen dabble in the front two rows in recent years but this season he went strong after the Vet A class title. He finished only six points behind Hanna. He finished 31st overall for the year and rode to at least two top twenty overalls during the season.

The Junior A (22+) class comes chronologically before the Vet Class but since Hanna outscored the Junior class champion Dwight Pollard in the overall the class came before. Regardless you cannot take anything away from Pollard. Pollard is finding a flow in GNCC and the class championship proves it. His overall results even saw him in the top twenty overall once this past season. Is Pollard possibly a late bloomer to GNCC racing and will he be a factor in 2016. His talent indicates this to be the likelihood we may be facing. It hinges on the focus he is able to apply to his training in the off-season. Though I am not acquainted on a strong personal level with him I am somewhat acquainted with some of those around him and it is believed his talent has not even begun to peak.

Steve Covert may be another late bloomer in the overall scheme of things. He finished second in the class championship behind Pollard but is another talent we may have not seen the best of yet. Covert finished only three points behind for the title and held only a seven-point cushion over third place Nathan Hornacek. Covert’s off season training will be another deciding factor as to whether or not he will have what it takes. Speed and talent have been shown but now it’s all about performance, which he may just be able to achieve.

Nathan Hornacek as mentioned before missed second in class by seven and the title by ten points. His results show strong and consistent finishes all season and even two straight class wins. Hornacek will be one to watch out next year no matter which class he rides. The talents in the class have elevated the talents of each individual. As each rider feels they came so close the confidence is building and 2016 may be these fellows best seasons to date 

The talent pool is deep in the GNCC Racin’ Nation. No matter how you look at it there are always great battles and different riders moving through the ranks. Each one schooled in speed from the class of riders just ahead them. Each passing year builds stronger and faster riders that are capable of big surprises, which may someday even the playing field at the top level in XC1 to where you really never know who may win not only a race but also a title. This past season’s seasons crowning of the new ATV Champ Walker Fowler proves change is in the air and as the winds begin to blow there may be some even bigger changes when it settles. 

Off-Season Racing Time! (Jared Bolton)

With Christmas coming up, that also means that we’re getting very close to seeing some off-season racing beginning to heat up. On the bike side, two events that have been a major standout for a number of years are the back-to-back Burnt Gin Hare Scramble and Sumter National Enduro in South Carolina. The Sumter Enduro Riders Motorcycle Association has been putting on these races for a long time. In fact, this year marks the 17th annual Burnt Gin Hare Scramble and the 47th annual Sumter Enduro.

These events have been extremely popular over the years with riders getting back in the swing of racing for the first time in a new year, and 2016 looks to be just as popular. The hare scramble will take place January 31st, with the enduro the following weekend on February 7th. In the past, the hare scramble has seen a pretty big turnout of riders, including a pretty huge pro class made up of not only some of the top GNCC racers, but also top National Enduro riders, top local pros and more.

The entry for the National Enduro opened up last night and has already seen a pretty big number of riders entered. I’m actually entered as well, way back on row 80 with my dad and his buddies. I don’t have a bike yet and will be cutting it pretty close on an arrival date for the one I’m getting, so hopefully I don’t have to dig up a loaner ride from somewhere! I’d also better start hitting the gym because I haven’t ridden a motorcycle since the DC Vet Homecoming back in early October and only about 3 times all year before that, so not only am I going to be a little rusty but also being out of shape will make for a tough ride. But hey, it will be a good time. 

These events also serve as a good preview for the upcoming season. While the enduro is a bit different than what we’re used to in GNCC Racing, it still offers a bit of a teaser to see what the season could be like. The hare scramble is also a good preview of what to expect, and it’s even just a really cool race to watch to see the GNCC and National Enduro regulars, even some who don’t cross over much, going head to head. 

For more information on these events, the SERMA club website has all the information you could possibly need, plus more! These guys do a great job with these events, so be sure to check them out at www.sermaclub.com! 

#ThrowbackThursday (Jared Bolton)

Last week we ventured to new Throwback Thursday territory by highlighting some of the info from one particular race in GNCC history. We’ll continue with that this week and take a look back at another excellent race. Once again, we’re not diving too far back in history for this one, but yet we’ll go just far back enough to call it a Throwback. 

In case you missed last week’s, we talked about the epic battle to the finish between Barry Hawk and Glenn Kearney at the 2007 Steele Creek GNCC. That one actually sparked another memory in the form of a drama-filled weekend at the 2011 Steele Creek GNCC. Much like it’s 2007 predecessor, it would be another barnburner weekend in the history of GNCC Racing.

On the ATV side, Adam McGill would control a majority of the race and come away with the overall win. Chris Bithell and Taylor Kiser would battle down to the wire for 2nd place with Bithell inching Kiser out at the finish. However, after the race it would come up that Kiser had taken a line just after the creek crossing that exceeded the 25-foot rule. With a time penalty added, the third place spot would end going to Jarrod McClure. Chris Borich would begin his usual “wait and attack” technique late in the race, but unfortunately a mechanical issue would live him limping his machine to the finish line in fifth place.

The drama didn’t end there either. Sunday’s bike race saw an incredible battle down to the final turns between Josh Strang and Charlie Mullins. Much like the Hawk/Kearney battle from 4-years prior, these two riders would battle tooth and nail through the final turns before the finish. 

Mullins would control the lead through the final grass track before the finish, but Strang would be looking for an opportunity to make a pass stick anywhere he could. Making several attempts, Strang never could make the pass. In the next to last turn, the back end of Strang’s bike would step out, losing traction. As they headed to the final turn, it looked as if the race win would go to Mullins. However, as Charlie went into the final turn, his front end would wash out and he’d find himself on the ground. 

Strang would make his way around Charlie and come away with the win. It was an incredible but you couldn’t help but feel bad for Mullins. You could feel the disappointment in him as he crossed the finish line. While that Steele Creek race may not have gone his way that day, the season would still be one he’ll never forget as he would come away with the 2011 GNCC National Championship, wrapping it up in the final round at Loretta Lynn’s. As for Steele Creek 2011 though, it was a weekend many will remember, and at the same time, it’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 5 years ago! Check out the video!

Headlines

Cycle News Names Kailub Russell Rider Of The Year

From The Other Side (Teaser) - 2016 Off-Road Moto Film

The Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Ultimate Supercross Experience Contest Returns for 2016