Weekly Updates (Chelsea Taylor)

This edition of our weekly updates comes to you from 30,000 feet in the sky as I head to Texas for the second ATV Motocross round at Underground MX Park. One of the best parts about working for Racer Productions is that we get to work in a variety of racing disciplines and I’m excited to join the ATVMX series this season. Of course, GNCC will always hold that special place in my heart, but it’s awesome to see the amount of people who dedicate themselves to both series. Both Westley Wolfe and Megan Shepard will be competing this weekend for their first points paying round of the season, but good luck to all our racers who will be competing in local races this weekend! 

After a successful Steele Creek GNCC, it’s time to move on to Big Buck! We have been blessed with some great weather so far this season and I can only hope that continues! This year will be GNCC’s 20^th anniversary at the Big Buck Farm and every year the action just gets better and better. With that being said, we don’t have many pre-race updates this week, but stay tuned because we will be posting them to social media as they become available. 

If you’re heading to the Indy Supercross this weekend don’t forget about the supercross party downtown at the Pan Am Pavilion on Friday night from 4-8 p.m. GNCC sponsor, Westfield Powersports will be in attendance promoting the upcoming events at Ironman Raceway along with many of our GNCC staff! Make sure to stop by and check in on all the cool stuff happening in Indy this weekend!

New Steele Creek Lore (Rodney Tomblin)

In recent years I have harped and hyped on the fact that Steele Creek GNCC is one of the most storied stops on the schedule today. The stories are so numerous now that it is hard to figure where to start. I wondered if this year would bring the same. I kept quiet about it, and it still brought something memorable. 

In recent years we have seen epic battles ending at the finish on both the quad and bike sides of racing. We have seen crazy crashes that happen for no apparent reason and we have seen a variety of weather conditions that have played extraordinary roles in the outcome of the event. Believe it or not, we have seen some years where nothing seems out of the norm, kind of like this year.

However, the big picture about this weekend was once again the weather, even though there were no major issues other than lots of mud in the parking lot on Friday. One may say that's nothing out of the ordinary, and they would be right. The fact that the weather cleared up and the ground dried up to dusty conditions by the race weekend’s end may not be a big deal either.

Back in 2005, the race was actually postponed on Sunday because of a windstorm that brought down trees all throughout the woods. That memory still stands out to many and if you were around the track this past weekend you may have been thinking you were in a time warp. Fortunately when the winds came this time, they actually helped to dry things out, and while they were strong, they didn’t wreak quite the same amount of havoc as the 2005 windstorm, and thankfully the wind was soon gone.

As far as the racing goes, once again it was the pressure cooker we looked for and once again left more questions than answers. Walker Fowler may be answering a number of questions and folks may not even realize it. So far he is three for three and looks rather unstoppable. Even the Bandit himself, Chris Borich, has been having trouble keeping pace, and the one round he did keep the pace he could not steal away the win like we have seen him do in the past. Is it an indication of what's to come? I don’t think we will know the answer to that until after Big Buck.

The two-wheeled side was also a blast and the lore of the mountains helped create a great scenario for the return of Charlie Mullins. Hot Rod pulled the holeshot and walked away to a more than thirty-second lead over the field on lap one. Obviously being off the bike is going to take its toll but it was fun to see it happening until Charlie hit a hole and reportedly jammed his wrist. After that incident, he elected to sit the rest of the day out. However, Charlie can still be a threat, and as his wrists get stronger we will likely see firsthand just how strong of a threat he can be.

The big story this weekend may have been JCR/Honda rider, Trevor Bollinger. If you recall, it was 2013 that he showed up at the Steele Creek GNCC and took the Top Amateur honors along with the 4-Stroke A Lites class win. This past weekend, he returned to his hometown to take his third straight XC2 Pro Lites class win of the season. Trevor was as humble as he was the day it all began. The cool thing is that this story may not be over. Trevor's involvement with JCR has helped to elevate him to a different level and under the guidance of Johnny Campbell, he may be only just beginning of this story. 

Big Buck is Turning Twenty! (Jared Bolton)

Let’s all sing together, Happy Birthday to you… As I mentioned earlier, this year marks the 20^th running of the Big Buck GNCC in Union, South Carolina. That also makes Big Buck the third oldest venue currently on the GNCC schedule, behind The John Penton and Ironman. In it’s time, Big Buck has been visited by some of the greatest off-road racers of all time, and a number of them have been able to claim Big Buck overall wins.

Big Buck landowner, Henry Turner, would first purchased the property back in 1973. Henry’s son Hank began racing go-carts in the early 1980s and eventually would transition from go-carts to motorcycles. Eventually Hank would ask his dad to come watch him race a local Mid-East Hare Scramble event. Henry had never attended an off-road motorcycle race before but after that first race, he immediately knew that the family farm would be a great place to share with the off-road racing world. 

Henry would get in touch with former GNCC Lt. Trail Boss, Buren Hamrick, who along with Big Dave Coombs would come check out the Turner Farm. A quick overview of the property would leave just one decision to make; what should the race be called? Given that the turner family had spent a lot of time deer hunting on the property with the hopes of catching a “big buck”, the most logical name for the event would of course be “Big Buck” and the rest is history. 

1997 would see the first-ever Big Buck GNCC with Matt Smiley not only emerging as the first ATV rider to claim the Big Buck win, but also claiming his first-ever GNCC overall win in the process. On the bike side, Scott Summers would come away with the first ever Big Buck GNCC bike win. After that first event, it would become apparent that Big Buck deserved to become a mainstay on the GNCC schedule and here we are, ready for the twentieth Big Buck event.

Of course, the history of racing at Big Buck goes beyond just GNCC Racing. Big Buck hosted several Mid-East Hare Scramble events in the early 2000s, then in 2014 the Big Buck Farm would become the first venue to ever host a GNCC and AMA National Enduro event in the same year as it played host to the Little Brown Jug National Enduro. The success if the property is owed to the landowner, Mr. Henry Turner himself who has always opened up his property with open arms and not only loves the sport of off-road racing, but also allowing others to come enjoy his beautiful piece of property.

Henry also recognizes the positive effect the event has on the local community and has made great strides in getting the town of Union, as well as all of Union County behind the event in addition to always managing to find a number of regional beauty queens to help out at the podium and starting line. So when you’re at Big Buck, keep an eye out for Mr. Turner and be sure to give him a big thank you for letting us use his property. He will greatly appreciate it and take the time to thank you for coming as well.

The world of GNCC Racing has come a long way since that first-ever Big Buck GNCC, and while times change, faces come and go, many things remain the same. GNCC Racing is still all about riders challenging themselves against different terrain, a constantly evolving racecourse, and of course against other racers who are doing the exact same thing. This year’s Big Buck will be no different. The 20^th Big Buck GNCC is just around the corner, make sure you’re there with us to enjoy such a great anniversary. Oh and the track should be a blast as well. Don’t miss it!

The Battles Continue (Chelsea Taylor) 

In a sport that’s known for having battles on the track we’ve seen a growing number of battles happen off the track here recently. I’m not talking about suiting up in armor and fighting each other, but arguments that are occurring on social media.

It seems as if there has been a record number or arguments going on between our GNCC racers and fans these past couple of months on social media, whether it be straight up calling someone out, posting something that discretely refers to someone, or just posting rude comments. 

While it’s very common for humans in general to disagree with one another, it seems that the sport of motorcycle and ATV racing is a little different in that regard. I believe that’s because the industry is so small. Majority of the time racers have grown up and spent their whole careers racing each other, and many fans have been there along the way as well.

Social media can be a great tool in advancing a racers career where they have the ability to thank their sponsors in a different way other than the traditional podium interview. But it can also backfire when sponsors are watching their rider’s accounts.

If there’s anything you can learn from this write-up it’s that people are watching you. Remember to keep a professional social media account, and even further than that just be friends with your competitors. For those who may not know, GNCC Racing's On-Track School Program actually teaches kids that bullying is not cool. No matter if it's physical, verbal, or cyber bullying, it's all considered bullying and with us teaching young kids that it's not okay, we hope that our racers will also remember that bullying is not okay. Check out more about our program HERE.

Party in the Pits (Rodney Tomblin)

Even though Saturday evening and night turned into a windy affair there was something new and exciting going on. It all started at 6:00 with the Team Faith Chapel services and youth activities then after that things started bumping.

The folks at StukMX, the new graphics sponsor for GNCC, had a special night of swag and autographs from top riders like Ryan Sipes, Daniel Milner, Nick Davis, Andrew Delong, Ryan Lojak and more. DJ E-Lo was on hand spinning the music with lights, smoke and all kinds of cool stuff. Riders autographed numberplate stickers, tee shirts and posters for fans and gaveaway all kinds of goodies.

I had a chance to stop down and talk to most of the guys. They all seemed stoked about the idea and want to do it more often. Ryan Sipes even said that it was the only thing he felt Supercross had over GNCC was that pit atmosphere like that. So Britt and the folks from Stuk say it's going down again at Big Buck. There will be music, top riders, and all kinds of free swag. I understand Randy Hawkins and the N-Fab/AmPro guys are excited and will be bringing some cool things to offer up to fans as well.

So as you roll through your Big Buck GNCC weekend, be sure to swing by and check things out. We will get times and actual location of StukMX pits when we get there but bring your dancing shoes as DJ E-Lo will be back to play the tunes and a number of top talent will be on hand to hang out and enjoy the Saturday night, It should be a blast.

Three Down, Ten to Go! (Jared Bolton)

With three rounds under their belts, a number of the top XC1 and XC2 racers are already beginning to look at the big picture. That big picture is, of course, the chase for the 2016 GNCC National Championship. With three rounds down, that leaves us starting to see the contenders begin to establish themselves in the hunt for the championship. Of course, there are others who are looking to improve as the season wears on.

That road can go both ways though. It’s not an uncommon thing to see someone control a points lead early and hold it through the end of the season. At the same time, it’s not uncommon to see a points lead slip away as the season wears on. The thing about GNCC Racing is, anything can and will happen. Even with the best riders on the best bikes, things can still go wrong. It’s the nature of the sport, and it’s part of what makes GNCC Racing so interesting.

After three rounds, Josh Strang still holds onto the lead for the GNCC National Championship. Of course, Kailub Russell finally emerged to see his first win of the 2016 season at Steele Creek. As we’ve mentioned before, a confident rider can be dangerous to his competition and KR will ultimately be coming into Big Buck riding a wave of confidence and looking to close up the point deficit he currently sits in.

Of course, coming away with another win might not come with ease because if there’s one thing we learned in the opening rounds, it’s that Josh Strang is riding extremely well this season. With two wins in the first two rounds, and a second place finish at round three, Strang is ultimately the biggest thorn in Kailub Russell’s side in KR’s hunt for a fourth consecutive GNCC title. Strang wants the championship pretty bad as well, and while Strang can be considered a veteran of the XC1 class, he’s just as good now as he’s ever been.

Still sitting third in the overall points after an excellent opening round is Daniel Milner. After a second place in Florida, Milner has had a couple of slight struggles in the following rounds, but now that he’s shown he can run in podium contention, it’s only a matter of time before we see him back in that spot. If you do it once, you can do it again and Milner just needs a little bit more luck to go his way and we’ll see him back up on the podium again soon.

Perhaps the most impressive is Trevor Bollinger with three wins in the XC2 class, Bollinger leads the XC2 class points and also sits an incredible fourth place overall after three rounds. It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen an XC2 rider doing this well in the overall points and while the odds are stacked against Bollinger for an overall title from the XC2 class, it’s not completely impossible.    

We’ve yet to see Ryan Sipes land on the podium in 2016, but Sipes has still remained a podium threat and currently sits fifth overall in the top 20 points. If you recall, last year it was just around mid-season when we saw Sipes really begin to work his way onto the podium and that very well could end up being the case again this year. While three top ten finishes is definitely still very impressive, everyone knows that Sipes is capable of podium finishes. There’s been multiple riders in the history of GNCC Racing who have been “slow starters” in the opening rounds and Sipes very well could fall into that category.

Sitting sixth in the top 20 right now is Chris Bach. Chris landed on the podium at Steele Creek, and also had an excellent race in Florida, finishing less than a second off the podium. Unfortunately Chris had a tough race in Georgia which has kept him from finding himself a little further ahead in the top 20 but if Steele Creek was any indication of what to expect from Bach, we’ll definitely be seeing more of him on the podium as the series continues.

Of course, there’s a number of other names who are no strangers to the podium who have had some tough opening rounds. Grant Baylor and Thad Duvall are two riders who more than likely would rather forget the first three rounds and come into Big Buck ready for a fresh start. Both have experienced some difficulties in the opening rounds, but have shown at times they have the speed to be in podium contention, they just need a little luck to go their way. Hopefully we see these guys back up front soon.

While Trevor Bollinger is running away with the XC2 class so far, he definitely can’t afford to slack as there’s a number of challengers who are looking to step up to claim wins of their own. Mr. Consistency Craig Delong currently sits second in the XC2 class points. With two podium finishes and one fifth place, Craig is showing once again that consistency is key and it’s only a matter of time until we see Craig work his way into the center of the podium. Jesse Groemm has also had a good beginning to his season and holds down the third place spot in the XC2 class. While Jesse will ultimately rather forget the seventh place finish at Steele Creek, he still had excellent opening rounds with a fourth and second place finish.

All of these riders and more are true podium contenders and each of them have shown that they have the speed to contend for race wins, and even championships. With a field of talent this deep, it really makes you realize that now is a heck of a time to be a fan of GNCC Racing. The racing and the racers are at such a high level, that one has to wonder what the next step is. Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain, it’s going to be awesome to watch it all unfold.