by: Jared Bolton
Thursday, July 14, 2016 | 11:25 AM
Welcome to Quick Fill.
We continue through the 2016 summer break and by this point, I’m sure there are some of you who are already beginning to feel as if summer break is dragging on. The official count until we return to racing at Unadilla is 58 days, which may seem like a really long time but it doesn’t sound that long when you put it in some other forms. That’s also 1 month and 27 days, or 8 weeks and 2 days, 1392 hours, 83,520 minutes, 5,011,200 seconds, or if you want to get extremely technical; 15.85% of the entire year of 2016. When you look at it in some of those figures, 58 days really doesn’t seem that far away.
Of course, when you look at the first part of the season we’ve essentially already had 18 days worth of racing, or 113.5 hours worth of track time total for everyone, which is also 6,810 minutes or 408,600 second. When you look at it that way, well, we’ve already had a lot of racing take place thus far in 2016, and at the same time we have another four rounds remaining this fall that will be full of exciting racing like we’ve already seen in 2016.
This is just a little food for thought as you continue along your summer break. If you’re ever sitting around one evening and want to come up with some cool figures, take a look at your overall finish times for each race you’ve been in all season and add those up to see how much track time you’ve put in so far this season. The numbers can get pretty impressive in terms of just how much time you can rack up. That’s part of what makes GNCC Racing so special, it truly is one of the biggest physical challenges a normal human can endure and everyone should be proud to be part of something so unique!
Moving On Up (Chelsea Taylor)
With only four rounds remaining after the Snowshoe GNCC we often see a transition occur over the summer break. Racers who have wrapped up their respective championships early normally go ahead and move up to the class they will race next year to see where they stand. With a couple of months between the Snowshoe and Unadilla GNCCs, summer break serves as a great opportunity to get acquainted with a new bike or a longer race.
When thinking of racers who are going transition to a different class in September both Zack Davidson and Olivia Judy come to mind. While Zack will be moving to the front row of the 8 a.m. youth bike race, Olivia will be switching to the 10 a.m. amateur race.
Olivia quickly became a fixture on the Girls (8-15) podium this season when she took the first win down in Florida. Since then, Olivia hasn’t lost a race adding up to a nine-round winning streak. With all that success she has already managed to wrap up the Girls (8-15) class championship.
At Snowshoe Olivia made the announcement that she will be moving up to the Women Amateur class in New York. Unlike Zack, Olivia will be moving up to a two-hour race with twice the amount of people on the track. If Olivia can use her racing experience from earlier this year battling against some of the top male competitors she shouldn’t have a problem as she advances in her racing career.
However, the Women Amateur class is full of fast ladies. I’m not saying Olivia can’t go out there and win her first race because it has certainly been done before, but these last four races can really help her adjust and come out swinging in 2017 where she will contend for the Women Amateur championship.
Big Battles On Big Machines (Jared Bolton)
Summer break always serves as a great opportunity to take a look at some of the various championship battles that will be taking place when the series resumes in September. Some of the fiercest battles come from the guys on the biggest machines in all of GNCC Racing. Those are of course the competitors in the 4x4 Pro and UTV ranks.
This year’s 4x4 Pro class has been one of the most exciting seasons in the history of 4x4 Pro racing. The first five rounds saw five different winners in the 4x4 Pro class before Jordan Phillips became the first repeat winner at the Limestone 100. Kevin Cunningham currently leads the class points with a total of three wins ahead of one of the most consistent riders in the class, Michael Swift. Last year saw a battle down to the wire for the 4x4 Pro championship between Swift and eventual champion, Bryan Buckhannon. The defending champ came into 2016 as a favorite but has seen a string of tough luck.
Buckhannon actually didn’t claim his first win of the season until Snowshoe and currently sits fourth in class points. Kevin Trantham is another name synonymous with the 4x4 Pro class. Kevin claimed a win at round two, but has yet to claim a second win. However, a number of podium finishes have kept Kevin in contention as he sits third place in class points, just four points behind his Team UXC teammate, Michael Swift.
The biggest news of 2016 in the 4x4 Pro class have been the newcomers of Kevin Cunningham and Cody Miller. Neither of these guys are strangers to the ATV racing world as both of them have seen pretty successful careers before turning their focus to 4x4 Pro racing this season. Cunningham has been on fire leading the class points, and Miller even grabbed a win of his own at Camp Coker.
Interestingly enough, Miller is actually controlling the UTV Overall points lead and if you recall, he also claimed the UTV win at Camp Coker becoming the first racer to ever claim a 4x4 Pro and UTV win in the same day. Miller has exchanged UTV wins with defending champion Kyle Chaney, and these two have set themselves up for a championship battle in the final two rounds.
A little bit of tough luck from Chaney at Camp Coker has given Miller a little more of an advantage on the points lead, but anything can happen in the world of GNCC Racing, especially when it comes to UTVs! These guys could find themselves in a pretty close championship battle when the season begins to wind down. Keep an eye on these guys, it could get good!
Break (Rodney Tomblin)
In the grand scheme of things, the summer break here at GNCC has really only just begun but it is remarkable how just a single weekend off from racing after such a vigorous stretch can recharge one’s soul. As many of you know I spend a lot of time on the road between ATVMX and GNCC and for the first time since Easter I had a little time off and it was good. It was awkward, but good. It will be kind of nice to get back to racing this weekend as the ProX ATV Motocross National Championship heads to Unadilla Valley Sports Center. This should be a good one as the championship there is much like the GNCC and it looks like it could go down to the wire in the AMA Pro ATV Motocross.
GNCC XC2 racer Westley Wolfe is a top Pro Sport and Pro Am ATVMX rider and will be in action this week. He currently sits second in points in both classes and is pitted against the toughest competition the sport has to offer. There is a good chance he could win the Pro Sport at only 12-points behind and gaining. The stretch is a little further for him in the Pro Am class as he is 38 points back in that one but with a little luck that could turn around. And to note the competition also runs AMA Pro ATV so Westley is actually doing very well adapting to the class this year.
WXC competitor Megan (Manshack) Shepherd, who is the reigning WMX champion in the ATVMX nationals, will also be back in action. If you don’t know Megan and her husband Luke you are missing out on knowing some really great folks. They race both series and even do a little sponsor representation with the fine folks at Houser Racing. Megan has seen some great strides in the off road department and though ATVMX is her forte’, GNCC is becoming a passion. Hoping to soon be as fierce on the trail as she is the track, Megan will be one to watch. She is working on her fourth championship title in ATVMX at this time and she will be ready for GNCC when we resume at Unadilla in September for GNCC.
Adam McGill has been quite busy since the break began. The four-time Snowshoe GNCC winner has not only conducted some riding schools but has also been involved in some pretty awesome video shoots for one of his main sponsors; CST Tires. Also, Adam has been working on promotions for his sponsors, which seems to always keep him in the limelight. If you don’t follow him on social media, you really should. His Instagram handle is @adamkmcgill and be sure and check out his website www.mcgillmafia.com to follow all the things he has going on.
Adam has also been conducting riding schools during the summer break. Adam said he has had a blast doing them and will be posting on social media and his website some upcoming dates and places he will be conducting schools. If you would like to invite him to your place to have a school, just contact him and if the dates are right you could have a world-class instructor in your area. Adam is one of the most entertaining and knowledgeable riders today. A former factory rider, he has gone full circle and built one the most solid privateer programs in the business. So to say his knowledge goes beyond the track and trail may be an understatement. Adam can teach a young rider so many things on and off the track, so time spent with him will be worth way more than it costs.
I spoke with Chris Borich a little. Chris is normally pretty quiet about the happenings and such so I got basically what I expected from him, “no news here!” Which can sometimes mean some big things. One has to wonder if Chris is searching things out to find the missing link to get his program back up to where he wants it and back to competing for wins race by race. If you are questioning Chris’s heart and desire right now, I wouldn’t. Something tells me that this time will yield big things for the six-time time champ. He doesn’t have all the titles and the 73 wins from lack of heart that’s for sure. Chris is as hungry and has as much desire as ever and coming off the break we may see a little different rider than we have the past year and a half.
The summer break continues and many are grinding away trying to reach all new levels. The bars set are high in many classes and most know where they stand. Those that truly want it are working hard to make it happen. They are pushing through this tough summer heat to try and find an edge for those final four and in a lot of cases, championship-deciding rounds. Stay tuned!
B-Class Battles (Jared Bolton)
One of the unique things about summer break is that it gives everyone a chance to take a look at what’s going on and evaluate what they need to do to make the final four rounds go as smoothly and as successful as possible. This goes for everyone from the top tier pro riders, all the way down to up and coming youth racers and the casual weekend warrior. We recently took a look at the battles taking place in the A-class ranks, but this week I’d like to take a look at the B-classes on the bike side, which have been producing some close racing of their own.
As the points stand right now, the Open-B class sees a pretty comfortable lead for Craig Daft. With four wins and four second place finishes, Craig is showing that consistency is key to any championship. While only your nine best rounds count in the amateur classes, Craig still holds a solid lead over second place rider, Zach Parry, who has been having a successful season of his own including a win at Snowshoe.
Arguably one of the closest B-class battles comes from the 250-B class where Nick O’Bryant holds the class points lead by just two-points over Matthew Davis, who is just one point ahead of third place rider, Timmy Steiner. These guys have been in an all-out battle all season along with fourth and fifth place riders, James Harshberger and Noah Stephens. These guys have all exchanged wins, points leads, podium finishes and good times throughout the 2016 and the 250-B class could be one the of the best classes to watch unfold when the season resumes this fall.
Johnny Manera controls the points lead of the 200-B, and actually is also at the helm of the 200-B class points lead in the AMA National Enduro Series as well. Johnny is another rider showing that consistency is key as he has actually yet to claim a GNCC class win so far this season, but his consistent top five finishes have put him in the points lead by nine points over second place rider, Nathan Davis, who has also had a pretty successful season so far.
The 4-Stroke B Lites Class sees some of the true up and comers of the sport giving it their all week-in and week-out. It has also become a stepping-stone for many riders who are coming fresh out of the youth ranks. One of those riders, Hunter Williams, controls the class points lead up to this point in the season. With three wins so far in 2016 and a number of other excellent finishes, Hunter has been making the transition to big bikes pretty well. Brenden Poling holds the second place position, just six-points behind Williams. Brenden also shows that consistency is a key to success and while he’s yet to claim a class win this season, he’s put together a number of excellent finishes that have put him in a good points position. Third and fourth place riders Coalton Cupp and Bolton Beroth are only separated by one point thus far and both have claimed class wins of their own so far in 2016. With four different race winners so far, the 4-Stroke B Lites class is definitely another to watch unfold when the season kicks back off.
Headlines
Paul Whibley Race Report: Central Enduro
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