Westley Wolfe GNCC Race Report Rounds 1-5
Friday, May 6, 2016 | 8:10 AM
After making the switch to the XC2 Pro-Am class for the 2016 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series season, Westley Wolfe has quickly adjusted to the higher division class where he currently sits second in the points championship by only 16 points.
Wolfe kicked off his season in Palatka, Florida with the Wild Boar GNCC where he landed his first podium of the year with a second in XC2 Pro-Am and 11th overall. Wolfe was able to work his way into the lead after a mid-pack start, but unfortunately got passed during a pit stop and was unable to make up the time to take the win.
Just one week later, Wolfe traveled north to Sparta, Georgia for the Inaugural Maxxis Cannonball GNCC. The Maryland native would suffer from a mechanical issue on the second lap where he broke a spindle. This incident ultimately took him out of the race and only earn two points toward the championship chase.
The 2015 Amateur Rider of the Year would then face more issues at the third round held in Morganton, North Carolina. After a dead last start, Wolfe would find himself in fifth when he struck a tree. After taking a few minutes to recover he would cross the line in seventh at the Steele Creek GNCC.
At the fourth round of the GNCC circuit, Wolfe put himself in a favorable position off the start where he sat fifth as they checked through timing and scoring for the first time. On the second lap Wolfe made the pass for fourth where he continued to sit in that position until the last lap of the race. With the drive to win, Wolfe pushed through the final three racers on the last lap and made the pass for the lead in an open field section winning his first XC2 Pro-Am race of the year at the Big Buck GNCC.
Wolfe’s most recent race was the Inaugural Camp Coker Bullet GNCC held in Society Hill, South Carolina. With this being a new addition to the GNCC schedule, it put the entire XC2 Pro-Am field on an equal playing field. Wolfe was able to quickly adjust to the new and unfamiliar racing surface and take the lead on the first lap. He held onto the lead for the entire race crossing the line with a commanding lead over the rest of the field. This win would make his second straight win and vault him into the second place position in the championship.
“The beginning of this season wasn’t really me,” said Wolfe. “After the first ATVMX amateur round I got my head on straight and put in good results. It let me know that the speed was still there and I just had to transition it into the woods. After taking these past two wins I’m ready to charge for the championship.”
Along with competing in America’s premier off-road racing organization, Wolfe has also been actively participating in the ProX ATV Motocross National Championship (ATVMX) series. Wolfe’s success continues in ATVMX where he is sitting first in Pro Sport and fourth in points in Pro Am.
Wolfe is set to continue his quest for the 2016 GNCC Pro-Am championship in two weeks at the Fifth Annual Limestone GNCC to be held in Springville, Indiana at the Lawrence County Recreational Park.
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