Weekly Updates (Chelsea Taylor) 

Its crunch time here in the office, with just a little over two weeks until the season opener. Starting this weekend our team will slowly start migrating down south to Florida, but first they’re going to make a stop in Georgia to get a jump-start on the new venue. 

You can get a jump-start on the season as well with the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Fast Track Registration Program. Not only can you get pre-registered for the Wild Boar GNCC, but you can sign up for the first five rounds. Don’t forget that every time you register you’ll receive a $20 Race Gas gift card. Although the name has changed these gift cards are still redeemable on anything Rocky Mountain ATV/MC offers. Get pre-registered by clicking HERE. 

Perhaps the biggest news of the week is the announcement of the 2016 Polaris ATV and Ace Racer Reimbursement Program. The best part about this program is that it’s designed with first-time racers in mind. That’s because new racers or purchasers could get either $1000 or $2000 back on their new ATV or ACE purchase depending on the model. In addition, Polaris is offering a GNCC End of Year Prize Program available to the ACE’s with first overall winning a 2017 ACE!

It’s not too late to purchase your new Polaris machine and join the fun! With the recent interest in Single Seat UTVs, Polaris has set the bar pretty high and the sport only continues to grow. Click HERE to get all the details regarding eligibility and the full breakdown on how the program works. 

Listen up moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents, crew members and everyone else! The season credential application is still open! You can purchase one that’s good throughout the whole season and it will save you time and money. Click HERE for more information and the application form. 

Racer TV spent time in Florida last weekend and got some footage of our GNCC stars, and they made a special appearance at the new Ranch Russell. Kailub spent the past winter healing from his knee surgery, but it looks as if he’s back and better than ever! Check out the video and see for yourself! 

That’s all for the updates this week, but make sure to follow us on social media for the latest news as it becomes available throughout the week! 

And Time Stood Still (Rodney Tomblin)

The 2016 offseason has seemingly flown by for me and it is not until now that I feel that sudden lag. It’s almost like time is standing still for the last couple of days and I think the feeling is heightened so much because I long to be rolling south and getting the season started. One thing that may not be helping is the fact that I keep seeing warm and sunny pictures and videos that look so inviting. So, if you follow Ken Hill the series photographer then you know he has made his way south and his pictures and social media comments are making me super jealous. I can foresee my bags being packed and Ohio in my taillights sooner than not.

What is going on now though? There has been a buzz of racing going on here and there throughout the south. Both the ATV and the bike riders have had ample competition venues to choose from and we are seeing glimpses of the GNCC stars getting the momentum rolling for the new season. I have read that Charlie Mullins has returned to racing. The AMA National Enduro Championship along with Full Gas Sprint Enduro have both kicked off their seasons and many have used these for warmups for the AMSOIL GNCC opener at the Wild Boar in Florida that is now only about two weeks away.

If you happen to be around Morgantown, West Virginia this weekend stop by Morgantown Powersports to meet the new Bonzi/RideMPS.com Yamaha team featuring XC1 Pro Rookie Jerry Robin from Minnesota who is crossing over from the MX world, West Virginia’s own “Big” Sam Evans in the XC2 Pro Lites class, Ohio’s Triston Landrum in the 4 Stroke A Lites classs, Maryland’s Brooke Cosner from the WXC class and Cope Beckert. They will be on hand at a meet and greet and autograph signing at their home shop nearly all day long. So grab the family and head out to say hi and wish them well for the upcoming season. It’s an all-new team and an all-new spirit.

This past week I had the honor of switching rolls and duties for a few moments as some good friends from the UK gave us a call to be a part of a program called the Quad Show. It airs in Europe and evidently has a strong ATV fan following. A rider named Grant Widdicome from the 4x4 A/B class approached me. Grant raced the entire season last year and happens to be from the UK. He said that they follow GNCC racing very closely there and wondered if I would be interested in being interviewed. Well it happened this week when Janet Freeman-Smith from “The Quad Show” contacted me and we did the interview. To say being interviewed rather than interviewing is a unique experience. It isn’t often I have to answer the questions and such but it was cool. I was surprised about how much they know and follow GNCC, and how much they even know about me being just the announcer. I have to say it opened my eyes to just exactly how much of an influence the GNCC Racin’ Nation impacts the world of off-road.

Speaking of quad shows and such. I personally have begun posting audio interviews recently through the Quad Radio Facebook page. So far we have talked ATVMX with the quickly approaching Daytona ATVSX and season opener there. However there will be plenty of GNCC talk coming soon, so check that social media page to keep up with that and the ATV racing community throughout the upcoming season. You will be able to hear from guests such as Walker Fowler, Chris Borich, Jarrod McClure, Johnnie Gallagher and more pros and amateurs in the coming weeks.

I mentioned seeing Ken Hill’s photos and posts earlier and it has come to pass that in the short time it has taken me to write this contribution I am planning my early departure. So, if things all go well I am rolling out early next week and will be ready to catch some Florida rays. I will also be catching up with as many riders and teams as possible and should be able to bring you a much better idea of what things are shaping up like as we head into the next chapter of the New Era in GNCC.

2016 Expectations (Jared Bolton)

I’m sure many of you are anticipating the start of the 2016 GNCC Racing season and have some pretty high expectations for the new season. While many things will seem the same, there’s a good number of changes afoot in 2016 and we’ve mentioned these some in the past few months. With new faces in new positions at the races, these will ultimately help to make for one of the best seasons GNCC Racing has ever had.

Many of you are also wondering about the two new race venues for the 2016 season. These are both going to prove to be very popular additions to the schedule. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned a little bit of what you can expect out of round two, but if you happened to miss it, in a nutshell it’s going to be a great addition. The property will prove to be one of the most mixed racecourses we’ve ever raced at.

Red clay, black dirt, sand, rocks… It’s got it all! However, it is a little bit on the flat side so don’t expect any big hill climbs. As for Florida, well if you’re coming to Wild Boar for the first time, you’re in for a treat. Most everyone who raced last year’s Wild Boar event really seemed to enjoy the course. In fact, some said it was the best Florida course they’ve raced in a long time. 

Each of these courses will provide a mix of fun, flowing trails with the occasional tight section. The other unique thing about these opening rounds is you never really know what to expect. With a long winter to think, the track crew is often feeling froggy in these opening rounds and may throw a unique challenge your way, and it will prove to be pretty fun!

As for expectations from the racing action itself, well, it’s anyone’s ballgame in the opening rounds but obviously last year’s champions are the favorites heading into round one. On the ATV side, the big news is that Chris Borich will be back on a Suzuki for the 2016 season. This leads many to wonder; will Borich return to the center of the podium? Or will Walker Fowler follow the course of champions prior to him and go on a multi-year winning streak? Only time will tell, but the opening round can usually serve as a teaser of what to expect through the rest of the season.

These guys are not alone. Jarrod McClure claimed two wins in 2016, including the final win of the year at Ironman. He, along with other guys such as  Cole Richardson, Brycen Neal, Adam McGill and more will certainly be looking to claim wins of their own in 2016.

On the bike side, all eyes are on defending champion Kailub Russell. Fresh off the knee injury he suffered at last year’s ISDE, many are left wondering if Kailub will return to the old form we’ve seen him in the past several seasons. Most are leaning towards KR coming back just as strong as ever, but he does have a number of challengers that will be looking to step up and make their own bids for race wins.

One of the biggest challengers could prove to be Josh Strang, who took three wins in the final four rounds. Had it not been for a mid-season injury, Strang very well could have established himself as a championship contender. He’s not the only one either as Grant Baylor, who finished second place in 2015, will ultimately be looking to claim his first ever GNCC overall win.

As the Florida round approaches, one thing to keep in mind is that Chris Bach likes the sand. Bach did claim his first ever GNCC overall win at last year’s Tomahawk GNCC, but also started the season strong with a podium finish in Florida. Bach has actually be training down in Florida for quite some time now, so definitely keep an eye on Chris to be a contender in 2016. Thad Duvall and Ryan Sipes are two other guys who will be looking to find the center step of the podium in 2016 and both have a good chance to do so. Sipes came close several times in 2015, and Duvall even came away with a win at the Mountain Ridge GNCC last year.

All-in-all, 2016 already promises to be one of the best seasons of GNCC Racing to date and the beginning of the season is just around the corner. Are you ready to go racing? We are!

The Dynamic Duo (Chelsea Taylor)

Even though the 2016 season hasn’t started yet, we’ve had plenty of evidence that our GNCC racers are putting in the hard work and prepping for the first round whether it be from photo shoots, videos or news articles. Cycle News just released the February edition of the magazine and Chris Bach’s Honda CRF 450R landed on the front cover.

You may be wondering, did she mean to say Chris Bach was on the cover? Well, no and that’s because Cycle News took his bike out for a spin along with Trevor Bollinger’s! After reading the article I gathered that they didn’t expect much before actually riding them, but were extremely surprised to say the least after they spent the day riding red and hanging out with team manager, Johnny Campbell! 

How cool would that be to take a XC1 Pro’s actual race bike out and test it? Where can I get signed up? Well even though I don’t see it in the future any time soon, we can still learn a lot from the guys over at Cycle News. 

They agree that both Bach’s 450 and Bollinger’s 250 were not only easy to ride, but fun as well! Of course, each bike was set up to the rider’s preference, but they took that into consideration. They tested the bikes through a variety of conditions present at track near the JCR race shop in California. The Cycle News riders were amazed with how well both bikes handled. They even said, “It’s hard to say which bike impressed us the most but what we do know is that both bikes did impress us a lot.” 

Even though the bikes don’t have electric start, it’s reported that they’re easy to kick over even when the motor is hot. Even with a variety of obstacles, neither one of the bikes stalled, not even once. As you may know, there’s nothing more frustrating than being out in the middle of the woods with a bike that won’t start! 

Last year Chris Bach proved that Honda’s can hold the top spot on the box, and this year it looks as if the JCR Honda team will once again be seeing gold. The magazine also talked about Daniel Milner, Thad Duvall, Jesse Groemm and more so make sure to get the whole scoop HERE. 

Headlines

Tuesday Toolbox: Jesi Stracham

Ranch Russell - A Day with Kailub Russell

2016 Polaris ATV and ACE New Racer Reimbursement Program

What's New on RacerTV.com?

Check out RacerTV.com for pre-season videos, along with archived races and more!

Kailub Russell is back on the bike and ready to go head-to-head with the competition when the GNCC season kicks off. RacerTV caught up with Kailub at the brand new “Ranch Russell” in Florida as he prepares for the start of the 2016 season. Watch it HERE!