Weekly Updates (Chelsea Taylor)

With time winding until summer break begins, we want to remind you that registration is OPEN for the ISDE Fundraiser Golf Tournament at Snowshoe.

The USA ISDE Trophy Teams will be presenting the third annual golf tournament team fundraiser at Snowshoe Mountain Resort’s Raven Golf Club on Friday, June 24. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the team’s efforts to represent USA at the 2016 running of the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) in Navarra, Spain.

This unique event starts at 9 a.m. and will run until about 3:30 p.m. at the Raven Golf Club. Everyone is invited to participate both male and female and between the 18 holes there will be special contests along the way as well.

Each team is made up of four players and space is limited, so get your team registered early by completing the online registration form. The form is also available directly below on this webpage. Individual participants are also welcome and will be assigned to a team at random. The cost is $100 per person, which includes a meal at the end of the round of golf.

If you’ve never attended before we highly recommend that you consider trying it. It’s a great way to spend time with some of the sport’s biggest names in a unique way, along with many of the USA Trophy riders that will be participating in the event as well.

Moments to Remember (Rodney Tomblin)

To think this past weekend’s Wiseco John Penton GNCC had some historic significance is something that may not have even crossed your mind, and likely it shouldn’t. The date September 7, 1991 didn’t really mean a whole lot either some 25 years ago, but it does now. More than what you realize. It is the date that Barry Hawk took his first of 68 overall GNCC wins. That day it meant very little in the grand scheme of things unless you were his mom, dad, girlfriend or close friend but it marked the beginning of something monumental in the history of our sport and the life of one the greatest off-road racers of all time.

The John Penton GNCC has been the site of many happenings that have helped shape our sport. Each one, at its occurrence seemed nothing monumental. It happens to be the place where I watched my first GNCC in 1996 when two Ohio boys took the wins. Kim Kuhnle won on the quad and Fred Andrews won on the bike. It was not the first race I announced but the first-ever woods race I attended. It introduced me to world I had never known existed and the following year I got to announce my first race, still totally unaware of what was really going on at Starvation Point in Elizabeth, WV which truly sparked my love for this sport.

The 27th running may have brought some historic things to pass as well. At a glance, it doesn’t look all that out of ordinary. If you look a little closer though, you might see it a little differently. In a nutshell I see a few potentially big things that happened this past weekend. 

First thing I noticed was the 4x4 Pro class on Saturday morning. The challengers in this class are really starting to mix it up. Even though some of the old players are still the ones to watch and beat, there are a couple of newbies starting to challenge. Everyone knows of the arrival of former ATVMX star, Cody Miller. Miller has been challenging all season. The name Kevin Cunningham is one we have seen around and is starting to make an even bigger name for himself. This past weekend he solidified his coming by taking a big win over defending champion, Bryan Buckhannon. These are not the first challengers Buckhannon has ever seen but these two are a new breed and he may see his biggest challenges in this class lies ahead as the field of contenders continues to build. Keep an eye out on this class as we have mentioned before because it just go even better and the John Penton has set the stage for a great second half of the championship battle ahead. 

The afternoon battle for the ATV race was as exciting as ever. Walker Fowler posted his third straight win at The John Penton this past weekend. I am not sure how big it is but it is worth noting. However the biggest things to happen may have been the finishes posted by a couple of top amateur riders. They may not have had history breaking finishes from a series standpoint but they do hold some very significant value to the future for two individual riders that could build it into something of value for the history of the sport. Devon Feehan and Hunter Hart both scored top ten overall finishes from the College-A class. This is a first for both and each one may have sent a message of their impending arrival soon into the upper classes. Right now it means nothing in the grand scheme of things but in a decade it may be the first signal of their eventual overall dominance.

The Polaris Ace Race or Single Seat competitors put on a good show as well. It marked the best finish of former Ohio girl Jesi Stracham with her second place overall finish. It was her best finish in this form of racing, which was a spot better than the race before. At this rate Jesi may be looking to take the win at the next round, which is not until after the summer break. She said she felt like she has the speed to win and if you saw this race then you know she was right on mark on Saturday and may have heralded the coming of her presence in a shot at the championship. She would then become the first ever woman to win a national title in this young form of racing, which may be even more impressive.

The UTV races held on Saturday afternoon brought some exciting things as well. Ohio’s Kyle Chaney took the win in the end over another Ohio boy and former ATV racing great, Tim Farr. The third place position though came from Cody Miller who has a rather healthy lead in the points. The performance of Miller in the 4x4 Pro and UTV may mark the first ever possibility of a dual national championship. If this happens, then we can all say the momentum may have gotten the boost it needed right here at the John Penton GNCC. Even though he is a Texas boy it is still a cool side note for the history books.

The bike racing was again exciting as KTM Youth Day at the Penton started out with a great youth race. It was followed by a good race at 10am race. Even though it has no real bearing on the history of GNCC it does have some importance to the individual who competed in the event 20 years ago in 1996. Johnny Campbell the Baja great tried his first and until this weekend, only GNCC. His best memory he told me was that Scott Summers helped him get up one of the hill climbs that helped him finish the race that day. His finish this weekend was nothing remarkable. He finished eighth in class and 134th overall but he celebrated one of the hardest races of his life by going out well into his 40s, which embellishes the idea of what Big Dave brought to our series and what John Penton himself laid the gauntlet down for so many years ago when he helped develop the equipment it took to do this sport.

That, again, is what I read into the weekend in a nutshell. There were more things that have gone unnoticed and maybe even unknown at this point. One day, however, we may look back on this day and see it as something bigger than we ever thought but until then we continue to write one of the greatest racing stories ever told race by race.

Another XC2 Winner! (Jared Bolton)

After a hard fought battle at last weekend’s John Penton GNCC, we officially have a new XC2 class winner in the form of Craig Delong. There’s no doubt that all season Trevor Bollinger has established himself as the man to beat in the XC2 class, but a little bit of bad luck from Bollinger coupled with the Coastal Racing Husqvarna boys both putting in solid laps, Craig Delong emerged with the XC2 class win, the first of his career.

Delong’s teammate, Layne Michael, also put in an excellent ride of his own and gave Delong a run for his money throughout portions of the race. Layne already grabbed his first-ever XC2 win earlier this season and looked to be gunning for win number two at The John Penton. However, Delong would put his head down and come away with the win. Also with a very impressive ride was RPM/KTM rider Mike Witkowski who would round out the podium in third after keeping those top two guys in his sights for the majority of the race.

While Bollinger still holds a pretty solid points lead, Craig Delong still stands out as Mr. Consistent, and realistically has been one of the most consistent riders in all of GNCC Racing for the past two seasons. The only surprise is that we’re just now seeing Craig claim his first-ever XC2 win. With the way he’s ridden the past two years, it seems as if a win should’ve came a long time ago, but regardless, Craig has finally put it together.

As we head to the next round, we’ve got a really interesting scenario playing out in the XC2 class. Craig Delong will come into Tomahawk with the momentum and confidence he’s gained from claiming his first XC2 win. At the same time, Layne Michael will be looking to gain another win, which escaped him at the previous round while Mike Witkowski will be hoping to have another ride like he did in Ohio. Then of course, the icing on the cake will be Trevor Bollinger who will be looking to rebound from a tough race and return to the center step of the podium.

With this kind of storyline coming into round eight, the XC2 class very well could produce the most exciting racing of the weekend. Only time will tell what can happen, but we do know that a number of riders are all searching for the same thing; an XC2 class win of their own. It’s very hard to pick a clear favorite but we do know that it’s going to be an awesome race to watch unfold. Don’t miss out because these guys are hungry and all want the same thing, but only one can make it happen.

The Up-and-Coming Stars (Chelsea Taylor)

This weekend we witnessed not one, but two, College-A competitors land a spot in the top ten overall at The John Penton GNCC. While it’s not uncommon for them to finish ahead of some of the XC1 Pro and XC2 Pro-Am riders, this weekend marked the first time that a College-A racer was able to finish inside the top ten this season. 

While Hunter Hart started the season off taking the first win of the year and the early points lead, we have seen a total of four different names emerge victorious throughout the first seven rounds. This past weekend Devon Feehan took his second consecutive win of the season and his first-ever Top Amateur award. With The John Penton GNCC being the longest running GNCC on the current schedule, Devon had to charge hard to beat the Vet A (28+) racers who have much more experience on this track than he may have.

Before the race I overheard that Hunter and Devon were shooting for the top ten, but honestly I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen. It was an awfully big goal, but they proved many people wrong when Devon crossed the line ninth overall, with Hunter behind him rounding out the top ten. 

One unique factor about Devon and Hunter is that once the checkered flag comes out you can see them hanging out together and riding their mountain bikes around the track no matter what the race outcome was. They always race fair and promise good racing no matter where the race is. 

More That Makes GNCC Racing So Special (Jared Bolton)

For years many have talked about the many different things that make GNCC Racing so special. From the amazing racing we see week in and week out, to the spectator involvement, to the amazing people that make it to each event, GNCC Racing truly is extremely special. It truly is like a giant family and while some may not always agree with each other, some like bikes while others like quads or UTVs, and some may not like one track while others may love the exact same track, we all share one common bond and it’s always really cool to see people from different walks of life all come together to spend the weekend racing.

There were a good number of racers and families that made and entire weekend out of The John Penton GNCC. With Memorial Day on the following Monday and many with a day off from work, there were a pretty good number of campers who stayed Sunday night. Many of which may have seen a side of GNCC Racing that most don’t normally see, and that’s what happens after the races. That of course is clean up. No, GNCC courses don’t remain that way all year, arrows, tape, signage and everything else comes down after each race.

Every single arrow, Wrong Way sign, piece of Moose track tape, piece of string and everything else has to be taken down and garbage is always picked from the woods and parking areas. Oh my goodness don’t get me started on trash! I know that the majority of the GNCC Racing Nation is more than happen to throw away their own trash, but please, next time you’re watching a cool spot in the woods and you’re done with your drink or snack, take it out and throw it in a trash can. The GNCC Track Crew spends countless hours Sunday evening and throughout the day Monday cleaning everything up, and by the time Monday rolls around, some of us have been there for a week and are ready to go home. While others are out on boats or riding their bikes, picking up trash in the woods is not the ideal way to spend a Memorial Day. 

As I made my way around picking arrows and tape, I came across a number of GNCC faithful who chose to spend the night and head home on Monday. Many of which offered food or drinks, which I greatly appreciate but there’s work to be done to tear everything back down and get ready to do it all over again. Many of the GNCC Family are greatly thankful for everything that’s done, and we’re greatly thankful for all of you choosing to spend your weekend at the races. Many of us on the crew come from a racing background and we know how much fun it is to be at the races, and while we put in countless hours working, it’s often times still fun for us as well.

Another thing that makes GNCC Racing so special is the involvement of previous top racers. Throughout the entire world of motorcycle racing, it’s not uncommon to see former top racers involved in some facet, but GNCC Racing is very special in that there’s a number of racers who put in long, hard, very physical hours. Most everyone knows that GNCC’s own Trail Boss, Jeff Russell, was the 1991 National Enduro champion, while our previous Sweepmaster, Tommy Harris (who has now become a specialist in extracting broken down machines) claimed a National Hare Scramble Championship of his own, and was just edged out by Jim Maltba for the 1985 GNCC (then Wiseco 100 Miler Series) championship.

Former Lieutenant Trail Bosses, Buren Hamrick and Barry Hawk were both very successful. Buren was an accomplished racer in his own right, while we all know Barry Hawk won a couple of races and, oh, only eight total GNCC championships in his day. With Barry stepping away from the track crew to manage the Coastal Racing team, that leaves Ryan Echols and myself in the Lieutenant Trail Boss spot. Ryan has a number of excellent finishes to his credit, including a number of XC2 podium appearances and holeshots. As for me, well, let’s just say I’m a lot better at sticking arrows on trees than I am at racing.

On the GNCC Track Crew, we also have Mike “Lollipop” LaFollette, Bill Allen, Justin Perkins and Terry Beck who all have a tremendous amount of racing experience of their own while Howard Russell was an enduro racer back when enduro racing was ultra-tough! Some of the RacerTV crew has a fair amount of experience as RacerTV Live Producer, Pryce Hardin grew up racing, and Technical Manager Jacob Beck is an accomplished racer himself with a National Enduro 200-C class championship to his credit. Oh and Assistant Announcer “MegaWatt” Matt Watson has raced once or twice in his life too… Seriously, talk to that guy sometime if you ever have the chance. He has some stories!

GNCC Racing is modeled for racers, by racers and families of racers. It’s pretty rare to find someone on the crew that doesn’t have some sort of experience in the racing world. This all goes back to Big Dave Coombs himself who was a racer that just simply wanted to make racing even better, and that’s exactly what he did. GNCC Racing is an extremely special part of the motorcycle-racing world and we’re all lucky to be a part of it.

Headlines

Fowler Rises to the Top at The Wiseco John Penton GNCC

Kailub Russell Makes It Five-in-a-Row at The Wiseco John Penton GNCC

The Wiseco John Penton Photo Galleries

Dunlop Tomahawk GNCC Event Information