Fowler managed to lead every lap at The John Penton GNCC, but the win did not come without a little pressure from McGill. After McGill struggled to get his quad started on the last lap after coming together with a lapped rider, it allowed Fowler to have a huge gap on the rest of the class as he crossed the finish line victorious. McGill will be heading into this round looking to have a flawless race, but in GNCC Racing anything is possible leaving the podium positions open for anyone in the talented XC1 Pro field to claim. 

“We got second last year at the Tomahawk GNCC and I’m looking forward to going back there,” said McGill. “We’ll be coming in this round strong and hoping to prove to everyone that we are still in it for the National Championship.”

However, the battle for the top spot on the podium won’t be between just Fowler and McGill. Both Coastal Racing/MSR/Maxxis’ Brycen Neal and Maxxis/Fly Racing/HMF/Ye Olde Cycle Barn/Suzuki’s Chris Borich will also be looking to take the overall win home as well. The pair have both shown a great level of speed and skill throughout the first half of the season with multiple podium finishes, but both lack a win this season. Neal and Borich will head into this weekend with a winning mentality as they fight to stand on the center of the box. 

Show Hauler/Canyon Motorsports/GBC’s Landon Wolfe put forth an impressive ride at The John Penton GNCC and moves into this weekend ranked fifth and looking to repeat his success. Now that Wolfe has a top five finish behind him, he will aim to use that as motivation to land on the podium for the first time this year at the conclusion of the two-hour race on Saturday. 

N-Fab/Maxxis/AmPro Yamaha/Lonestar/MXP’s Cole Richardson was well on his way to a podium finish in Ohio, but faced a small mechanical issue. Richardson will return this weekend eager to turn his season around and find his fit in the XC1 Pro class. 

Sitting just one point behind Richardson is JMR/ATVriders.com/DWT’s Jarrod McClure who also had his fair share of issues at the previous race where he was only able to complete two laps. McClure finished third overall at the inaugural Tomahawk GNCC and will use that as momentum heading into this Saturday.

BNR/Moose Racing/Maxxis’ Josh Merritt and Precision/Axis/Maxxis-backed Jay Shadron round out the top ten heading into the Tomahawk GNCC and will both put forth their best efforts to improve their finishes this round. 

Meanwhile, the fight for the XC2 Pro-Am championship is heating up between the top three competitors. Hygear Suspension/Waynesburg Yamaha/FLY Racing/Moto-Xperts/Spider Graphix’s Greg Covert heads into this Saturday fresh off a win from the last round and a 25 point gap on ITP/Ye Olde Cycle Barn/Walsh Racecraft’s Westley Wolfe who sits in second. Covert, a New York native, resides a mere ten minutes away from the Seneca Highlands and will aim to use his home turf advantage to take the win, but Wolfe will be a man-on-a-mission as he attempts to earn his third win of the season. Dillinger's Celtic Pub & Eatery/GBC Motorsports/Moose Racing’s Marty Christofferson sits just five points behind Wolfe. Much like Covert, Christofferson lives within a short drive to Tomahawk and will strive to continue his solid set of top-five finishes as the series moves to the eighth round. 

“We’re actually only ten minutes away from the Tomahawk GNCC,” said Covert. “We’ll be riding hard back home because it’ll be the same terrain and we are going to race a local series race the weekend before. I’m going to keep working hard and try and keep it in the middle of the box.” 

Saturday’s race schedule is as follows: Youth ATV racing begins at 8 a.m., followed by amateurs, 4x4 Pro and Women at 10 a.m., and the pros and top amateurs race at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon will also include 50cc Micro racing taking place at 4:30 p.m.

Adult (12+) gate admission is $20 for the full weekend and $10 for kids (6-11), with kids five and under free. Gate admission includes pro pit access and pro autographs at no additional charge. Camping will be available at no additional charge to racers only.

This weekend is co-sanctioned with WNYOA, a series that produces local racing events in New York, and will ultimately bring out a full slate of local racers. All local racers are invited to compete at this event, as GNCC Racing offers classes for riders of all skill and experience levels. The amateur race entry fee is $40 and riders can sign up at the track.

Local racers expected to compete next Saturday on ATVs will be: Mikey Nickels (Super Mini 12-15), Katelyn Osburn (WXC), Hunter Hart (College A 16-21), Kara Frederick (WXC), Morgan Downing (Women Amateur), brothers Devon (College A 16-21) and Dylan Feehan (Schoolboy Sr. 14-17), Boedy Lamoreaux (College A 16-21), Alec Mathews (College A 16-21), Steven Covert (Junior A 22+), Scott Pierson (College B 16-21), Serenity Clark (50 Open Sr. 7-11) and Austin Conklin (50 Open Jr. 4-6).