Weekly Updates (Chelsea Taylor)

As already mentioned, we are officially 23 days away from Unadilla, and while that may seem like a long time it will be here before we know it. If you just can’t wait any longer, we are excited to announce that you can now pre-register for the Unadilla GNCC. Don’t forget that when you pre-enter a race you will receive a $20 Race Gas gift card redeemable on all Rocky Mountain ATV/MC inventory. All gift cards can be saved and used together. That means if you’ve pre-registered for the first 10 rounds you already have $200 in Race Gas gift cards!

The Unadilla GNCC is known for being one of the most attended events on the entire 13-round circuit and that only means one thing… Long lines at registration. In addition to your Race Gas gift card, pre-registration helps eliminate the wait time. When you arrive at the track, just head straight to the red tent at registration. There you will find a special line just for pre-registration where you will receive your helmet stickers.

While Bolton talked a little about the GNCC racers who competed at Loretta’s just a couple weeks ago, we just wanted to take second and give them another shout out. You can check out the official press release HERE and get the breakdown of how their week went.

That’s all for the updates this week, so go ahead and get yourself pre-registered for Unadilla. We’ll see you soon! 

The Dog Days of GNCC (Rodney Tomblin)

The 2016 GNCC summer break has seemed to be one of the longest as it has ever been. The summer has been a busy one for many and there have been a number of changes taking place. Some we know about, while others we may not. The points race in both the bike and ATV side of things are as tight as I have ever seen at this point in the championship. It’s not often that we have seen both premier classes contested so tightly at the same time. It brings a whole new excitement to these final four rounds and what the “realm of possibility” could bring. It’s just in these final few weeks that time seems to have slowed down and the anticipation of the race to the championship builds.

The big questions may not be what is going on right now, but more along the lines of what may be to come. The ATV title sees a 23-point difference. Although that is a rather healthy lead, the final four rounds could present opportunities for a pivotal change in either direction. Walker Fowler is poised and seems determined to defend the number one plate. On the other side, Adam McGill sits second and is looking to close the gap to win the title. Is the point gap too large for McGill to overcome? In reality, the answer is no but there are number of obstacles he would have to overcome and a little luck in his favor wouldn’t hurt. The same thing goes for Walker though. He will need the luck to fall in his favor to maintain the cushion and knows that Adam McGill is not the only one he has to beat. Everyone will be hungry and everyone will want to win.

The two-wheeled side of things has seen some major swings in the last few rounds before the break. Josh Strang’s early season wins and the win in New York have put him in a rather tight race for the 2016 championship. Russell’s misfortune of scoring zero overall points set him in a very tight spot heading into Snowshoe. However, taking the win and having luck in his favor, he was able to take a one-point deficit to 15-point buffer. However, Kailub Russell was hoping for more comfort heading into the break. The situation heading into Snowshoe was not good but he stepped up like a true champ and met the challenge.

The threats to Russell are more than Josh Strang as well. A number of riders are starting to find their stride and as we have seen, on any given day even Kailub Russell can have problems and be beaten. They are few and far between and something makes me feel that it may get farther and fewer between again real soon if he has his way with the situation. He is poised to become one of the greatest GNCC racers of all time. The history books are being rewritten with every win and he is on track to break the GNCC bike all time wins record held by the great Scott Summers.

The ultimate winners right now in the GNCC Racin’ Nation are the fans. We have been and will be witness some of the most monumental moments and times the sport has seen in a long time. The coming rounds could posses a great deal more than we have witnessed thus far. That’s what makes it so hard from a fans standpoint. It’s the excitement of what’s to come and the unknown of variables that are sure to pop up at some point. It makes this time of the season tough. It’s like time has gotten lazy and the heat is on for the Dog Days of GNCC.

Unadilla Changes (Jared Bolton)

Okay, I realize that title can be a little misleading. What I’m referring to there is when the series returns from summer break, it’s not uncommon to see some big changes in terms of racer’s machinery. We’ve seen some mid-season switches and I discussed a few of those last week when diving into Nick Davis’ switch to Factory Beta. However, Unadilla serves as the first time the GNCC Racing Nation will see Nick on the Beta, but at the same time, Unadilla has delivered this kind of surprise before.

Back in 2010 the Fred Andrews Racing team started the season out mounted on Yamaha machinery, like they had been for the past few years. However, when Unadilla rolled around, the team showed up entirely made up of Husqvarnas! It was a switch that would be a precursor to the next few seasons as in 2011 FAR would become the factory effort for Husqvarna. That would continue until 2014 when the revamped Husqvarna brand started their current factory team after Pierer Industries purchase of the Husqvarna brand.

Last year would see Chris Douglas start the season out aboard a KTM before switching to Suzuki when the series rolled into Unadilla. This would also be a precursor to the Obermeyer/MCS Racing Suzuki team that we see him on this year. Many times these final four rounds can serve as a little teaser of what to expect in the following season and it looks like this year will be exactly the same. Of course, it goes much further than just riders switching machinery.

One has to wonder what to expect from the racing action when Unadilla rolls around. Josh Strang has been a little quiet throughout the summer, but has also been doing some racing of his own. If you follow Kailub Russell on social media, you may have noticed that he’s been spending his summer in Florida training with Aldon Baker alongside top motocross superstars such as Marvin Musquin, Jason Anderson and even Ryan Dungey who has been working towards returning from injury.

It’s no secret in the motocross community that Aldon Baker is one of the top trainers in the industry. Could this training provide Kailub the extra edge he’s been looking for to push ahead to his fourth consecutive championship? There’s no doubt that Kailub is already the man to beat but a little extra help never hurt anyone. At the same time, all of this serves as motivation to Josh Strang who is looking to topple KR for the top spot and claim his second championship.

These two have been back and forth all season, and it all comes down to these final four rounds. Both have suffered finishes less than what they desired this year, so it goes to show that anything can happen, even to the best of the best. This could also have a big effect on these final four rounds as both of these guys are hungry for race wins and the title. Who will come out on top? It’s honestly hard to say but one thing we know for sure is that it will be pretty interesting to watch unfold! 

Topping Them All (Chelsea Taylor)

Alexis Keyes is well on her way to being added to the history books. Alexis currently leads the 90 Limited (8-12) class, and while there are still four rounds remaining Alexis’ consistency may play a major role in deciding the National Champion. With 10 rounds complete in the 2016 season, Alexis hasn’t finished outside of the top-five and has a total of two wins.

Majority of the time in motocross, females will race both a womens/girls class in addition to an age or skill level class open for both male and female. However, in the sport of off-road racing girls have to choose whether they want to race a female-only class or not since all the classes race at the same time. While racing your girlfriends is known to make the sport more fun, I think that racing a class suited for both genders is also a good option because it can help the racer’s skill level quickly advance.

Not only is Alexis learning the riding styles on her competitors; she is also learning what it takes to run up top in such a competitive class. One cool note to make about the 90 Limited (8-12) class is that there have been a total of six different winners thus far meaning that the bar is set high. Alexis, Hayden Hunter, Collin Markoski, Greyson Kuhn, Austin Bratcher and Jak Neely have all reigned victorious at least once this season.

Sitting only four points behind Alexis is Hayden Hunter. Much like Alexis, Hayden has a solid top-five streak where he has only placed outside of it once with a sixth place finish. The battle for the 90 Limited (8-12) class championship is set to continue in 22 days at the Unadilla GNCC.