Weekly Updates (Chelsea Taylor)

Excitement has been buzzing around the office as we all prepare to leave for South Carolina today. Of course, the track crew fellas have been down south for a while getting everything ready, but everyone else is leaving this afternoon. Between the outdoors fun, fishing and of course racing, this weekend is shaping up to be one of the best races we’ve had this year! From the pictures I’ve seen the facility looks absolutely beautiful and I can’t wait to get on the road to South Carolina!

CST Tires will be unveiling their new support truck this weekend. With their new truck, CST Tires will be able to provide top-notch customer service, and to celebrate their debut they have decided to run an Instagram contest where 20 lucky recipients will win gate passes for this weekend! All you have to do is post a picture of your bike, quad or UTV as you prepare for this weekend and use the hashtag #CSTGNCC for a change to win a free gate admission. 

This weekend serves as the third round for UTVs and we recently sent out a competition bulletin in regards to UTV horns. Please note that electric horns that sound like cars are allowed, but siren or other similar sounds are not permitted. Of course air horns that have a capacity of one ounce are also allowed to alert other teams that they are about to be passed.

That’s all for the updates this week and I’ll keep it short because Bolton has everything you need to know about the brand new track!

Camp Coker Bullet Update! (Jared Bolton)

Our second new round of the 2016 season kicks off this weekend with the Camp Coker Bullet GNCC! There’s been a lot of questions surrounding what this first time event is going to be like, and there’s one frequently used word that sums it up; awesome. This facility is absolutely amazing. The property itself is beautiful with some big fields full of multiple ponds and a good bit of fresh, untouched woods in which about 90% of the trails you’ll be racing on are brand new trails that the GNCC track crew has made for this event.

As we’ve mentioned before, the Camp Coker Motocross facility was located on this property. Actually, it’s still there and yes, we’re using about 75% of the motocross track. This excites just about anyone who rode the old Camp Coker track because it was one of the most popular motocross tracks in the southeast when it was in operation. Since the track closed back around 2009, there haven’t been any dirt bikes on that track until yesterday when Ryan Echols and myself test rode the course. I was never much of a motocrosser (and I learned yesterday that I’m worse than ever before) but I remember coming to ride at Camp Coker several times when it was open and it has always stood out in my mind as one of my favorite motocross tracks I’ve ever ridden.

Right now the track is grown over with grass but the jumps, berms and big rollers are all still there and we’ll be racing through them. I don’t imagine there are too many off-road races that incorporate a defunct motocross track into the course, but this event does. It sounds weird to ride on an overgrown track, but it’s really, really cool and a lot of fun. There’s also a Supercross track on the property that hasn’t been used in a long time. We’re not riding it as part of the track because, well, its very overgrown and the jumps are very sketchy, but the track does go past it, so slow down and take a look if you want! 

A little cool background on the Supercross track though, it was actually former Pro Motocross/Supercross racer Larry Ward’s practice track. It was somewhat of a hidden gem of the old Camp Coker facility that if you didn’t know where to find it, you’d never know it was there.

As for the woods, well, there’s definitely something for everyone! There’s some slower tight sections, some fast open sections, and a BIG grass track section on the back side of the property that is an absolute blast. This track is sandy, and sand does get rough but definitely don’t count on it getting deep like the sands we see in Florida. The ground here is a little harder packed and the woods have a little more topsoil mixed in with that sand, so it should be the kind of soil that racers dream about! 

We mentioned the facility itself being pretty awesome, and it definitely is. The big field you’ll be parking in has several ponds in it, which are nice to look at, and the field is full of nice grass, which will make for an excellent place to pit. Pretty much everyone on the GNCC crew that has already been here has said how amazing this facility is and they wish their backyards were like this. I really think everyone is going to enjoy some part of their experience here. I’ll say it again; this is a do not miss event!

First of the First (Rodney Tomblin)

As the all-new Camp Coker Bullet GNCC approaches it brings a lot of excitement. The exciting part may be the unknown. It is unknown what the place is like. It is unknown how the soils will react and break down. It is unknown if there will be roots, rocks, sand or whatever. And it is unknown who will take control of the day and take the first ever win at this new venue.

In recent years racers that have won a race or two somewhere have won at the new events, and so when someone wins their first race at a new event it is a rather exciting moment. Most recently a first time win at a first time event took place at the inaugural Tomahawk GNCC at Seneca Highlands in New York when XC1 Bike Pro Chris Bach rode his JCR Honda to his first GNCC overall win. It may be more notable because it was the first race he won and it was the first time there.

Now as we look at the all-new CST Tires Camp Coke Bullet GNCC there is a lot to be excited about from the realm of firsts. The most attention for this to happen may be paid in the XC1 Pro ATV class to the young Brycen Neal. Neal nearly took his first win at the Big Buck, but in the end came up just a little short. To lead a GNCC and to win a GNCC are two separate things and Brycen may have gotten his first but fate and Adam McGill would not allow it.

So as we head into this weekends race a lot of eyes may be on the No. 5 of Brycen Neal, but it leads me to question and remember there are a number of others that could see their first win at this first running of the Camp Coker Bullet GNCC. Knowing the history of GNCC and that even though the possibilities of someone new getting the win exists, I have to think the chances are slim.

In the ATV racing on Saturday there are several who have yet to take a win. Neal has been mentioned but then there are riders like Johnny Gallagher, the veteran of veteran racers, who has landed a couple of podiums over the years but has never gotten a win. One has to think if it does it will be one the best days in GNCC without a doubt.

Other ATV candidates are Cole “Train” Richardson, Josh Merritt, Landon Wolfe and Jay Shadron. Any one of these or even others could see their first win here. If one of these riders is able to pull off such a feat it could change the face of the ATV battles. To win would be a great inspiration and confidence, which is the biggest piece of the puzzle to be on top of this sport.

The XC1 Pro bike side of this bench race may see more opportunities for a first time winner at a first time event. Some bike candidates include Daniel Milner, Grant Baylor, Stew Baylor, Jordan Ashburn or even Jason Thomas. If it had not been for the domination of Josh Strang, Charlie Mullins and Kailub Russell over the last few years any one of these riders may have done it already. But had it happened then there might not be the excitement of it happening this weekend.

In the grand scheme of things the XC2 classes could be possible candidates to make history here this weekend as well. Especially when you look at XC2 Pro Lites rider Trevor Bollinger, Bollinger has been in the adjusted lead on a couple of occasions and even finished third overall. He has swept the first four races so far this season in the XC2 Pro Lites class, so to think of this possibility makes it even more exciting.

The idea of this does not mean we are rooting against anyone else, but just examining the realm of possibility. Honestly the likelihood is that a familiar face will win in both disciplines and that is not to take anything away from anyone else either. The great thing about GNCC is that there is never a guarantee that anything will or will not happen. Conditions and a number of other variables can contribute to what may seem impossible and make it possible. There is a real chance that it can happen and knowing that alone is as exciting as the racing itself. 

Who’s Next in XC2? (Jared Bolton)

With four rounds of GNCC Racing under our belt so far, Trevor Bollinger controls the XC2 class points chase with four wins. While it’s not impossible to go undefeated, it’s also not very likely. The odds are against Bollinger to make it a 13-race sweep, but he has a pretty good shot to beat those odds. The only question is, if he is handed a loss, who will claim the win?

Mr. Consistent, Craig Delong would be the obvious favorite to steal and XC2 win away from Bollinger. Delong has had another pretty solid season and while he’s still yet to find his way to the center of the XC2 podium, Craig continues to ride extremely well finishing inside the top five in all four rounds so far, including a second place at Big Buck. Of course, there are still a number of others who have ridden well through the opening rounds.

Tegan Temple is another who has been putting together a fairly impressive 2016 season. Temple scored a Factory Beta ride this year and has seemed to adjust to the new machine well as he’s had three top five finishes, including a second place in Florida. His Beta teammate, Jesse Groemm has also ridden well, landing two podium finishes so far in 2016. These guys are doing great and giving the Beta brand some great finishes. It’s only a matter of time before one of these guys find their way into the center of the podium.

Austin Lee continues to improve as the season wears on. He landed his first top five of the season with a fourth place finish in Georgia and currently sits fifth place in the XC2 class points, just ahead of Layne Michael, who is another rider who continues to show promise in 2016. Layne had a couple of tough races in Florida and the last race at Big Buck, but otherwise has seen some success in 2016 with podium finishes at the Cannonball and Steele Creek.

All of these guys and a number of others are true XC2 challengers but they do have their work cut out for them if they want to topple Bollinger. There’s no doubt that Bollinger has stepped his game up tremendously this season and while anything can happen, things continue to go Bollinger’s way. The question now is, how many wins in a row can he claim?