Weekly Updates (Chelsea Taylor)

Can you believe it? We are less than ten days away from waking up to Rodney yelling “Gooooddd morniiinngggg GNCC Racing Nation!” I’m sure you all have missed that 7 a.m. wakeup call in addition to some GNCC racing just like we have here in the office.

With the days quickly ticking away before the Unadilla GNCC, don’t forget that pre-registration is now OPEN! While we typically suggest that you pre-register for each round due to the $20 Race Gas gift card compliments of Rocky Mountain ATV/MC, we especially recommend that you consider doing it at our larger attended events. Due to our partnership with WNYOA and the popularity of off-road racing in New York the Unadilla GNCC is one of our largest events so get prepared and pre-register today!

XC2 class points leader Trevor Bollinger will be holding an open ride day at Silver Creek Motocross in Morganton, NC this Sunday from 12-5 p.m. It’s only $10 to get in and $15 to ride and all proceeds will go to benefit Trevor on his ISDE trip.

Please keep Kiefer Galiano and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Keifer will be missing the last two Micro races due to an accident that occurred while he was riding. The result was multiple fractures in his back and neck, and while he was recently released from the hospital he still has a long road to recovery. Of course, like any racer he was already asking when we could get back on the bike! Heal up quick Kiefer and we’ll see you back at the races soon!

With the Unadilla GNCC quickly approaching we understand you may have some questions. In some instances, we have been experiencing issues with our GNCC phone line. While it should be fixed by the end of the day today if you have any issues when trying to contact us just call us on our other lines (304.284.0084). 

That’s all for the updates this week. Make sure to stay up-to-date with all things GNCC on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts!

Facing the Challenge (Rodney Tomblin)

To say the GNCC summer break is a challenge for some may be an understatement. Being off the machines and out of competition for some can be rather grueling. I, for one, have to say if it were not for all the other things going on with ATVMX, Loretta Lynn’s and the final round of Pro Motocross, I am not too sure I would be able to stand the time away from the GNCC trails. The good news for many of the GNCC Racin’ Nation is that they too have something to occupy themselves and many did that at what is becoming a huge ATV/UTV off road event that carries a lot of bragging rights for its competitors and that event is called the Heartland Challenge.

The Heartland Challenge is quite likely one of the most extreme team endurance races we have seen to date for the ATV and UTV racers. It is not only challenging from a course standpoint, but also a time standpoint. The race lasts for ten hours and each team member rides about the same amount of time over the course of the event. It was held in Carlisle, Iowa and consisted of teams competing in ACE, UTV and ATV, which included youth racing as well. The top three finishing ATV teams were all regular GNCC racers, which was not really much of a surprise.

The team called “Team Gallagher/Fowler/Richardson” won by a monumental distance and literally won by three laps and a minute and eight seconds. I’m not too sure but that may be the largest margin of victory the event has ever seen. Johnny Gallagher, Walker Fowler and Cole Richardson left nothing on the table in this one and it looks like all three are more than ready to get back at it on September 10th at Unadilla.

The winning team is not much of a surprise. Gallagher, Fowler and Richardson have all raced and won before. They are actually becoming the dominating combination and may serve as the benchmark for teams in the future. Walker has been on the winning team six times, Johnny has been apart of five and Cole has been a part of three winning races with his teammates. I think it is safe say that this year the boys left a mark on the competition and a taste in their mouths they will try to get rid of next year. It only happens once a year, so you either revel in the spoils or spite your rivals and look forward to trying to beat them next year.

As I mentioned there were some other GNCC racers finishing top three this year and the second place team was Team UXC headed up by 4x4 Pro GNCC racer Michael Swift. Swift and his team were strong, but the combination of talent on the winning team was just too much for anyone. I have to wonder if there are three other riders you could put together that could even come close.

The third place team was headed up by more of a “former” GNCC racer, as we have seen very little of him this year. I know he has been somewhat frustrated over the years not being able to reach the levels he hopes to with his racing, but it looks like he may be focusing his energy a little differently lately. Even though we have not heard much of Rick Cecco lately, he scored well at the Challenge and showed that even though he has kind of laid back some in GNCC he is still a major threat when he shows up.

As far as what this means these final four rounds in GNCC is concerned, it means nothing really. It is an event that doesn’t determine much outside of its own realm and simply is one of America’s biggest bragging rights races for ATV and UTV racers. The event will likely become a major part of many folk’s schedules. The format is challenging but also is a lot of fun because all of a sudden its not just you and your pit crew you rely on to win, you have two other racers to count on and if one has some bad luck, it is bad luck for the whole team. Ten hours is a long time to go without troubles and to be able to win it so many times is a major accomplishment.

When we roll into Unadilla, the excitement for Walker Fowler will be gone from this big win, as he will focus on his second GNCC title. Only four rounds left and a slim 23 point lead will have him on his toes as Adam McGill will likely be going for everything he can get and try to beat Fowler for this title. And Adam will not be the only one looking to make some gains, there are a few that are really looking to get to the center of the podium and a lot of work has been happening in a few camps. Don’t be surprised, because anything is possible and everyone is gearing up for this; the biggest challenge of them all.

Another Bike Change For Unadilla! (Jared Bolton)

In the past few editions of Quick Fill, I’ve mentioned the changes we’ll be seeing at Unadilla and how these aren’t the first instances of how Unadilla has served as a round of change in a single GNCC season. We’ve already seen Jesse Groemm’s departure from the Factory Beta team earlier in the season. This left the Beta guys with an open spot, which would later be filled by Nick Davis after his departure from the N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha team.

Davis’ departure would then leave the N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha team with an open spot, which is extremely rare for the AmPro team as they stand out as one of the absolute top tier teams in the entire history of GNCC Racing. Of course, Randy Hawkins is not one to let a machine go un-ridden. He’s also willing to put a deserving rider in a vacant spot and he’s done exactly that.

The N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha team has signed Josh Toth to join their team for the remainder of the season. Toth has spent the first part of the season aboard a Trail Jesters backed KTM, and it’s cool to see the Trail Jesters fully support Toth’s switch. Josh has put together a pretty solid 2016 season thus far and currently sits sixth place in the XC2 class with a couple of solid top five finishes. This switch is huge for Toth and one has to wonder if stepping up to this level of team support and direction from a top tier team, what kind of effect it couple have on his results.

Regardless, it’s great to see another rider step up to take a spot on the N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha team and it’s going to be pretty interesting to see how it all unfolds. Stay tuned!

Micro Racing Returns to Unadilla (Chelsea Taylor)

While they may ride the smallest motorcycles and ATVs at the races, the Micro 50cc classes continue to bring big things to the table. With five classes dedicated to the future of the sport, we have seen over 100 Micro racers compete just this season. Take the Micro XC (8-9) class for instance; with only two rounds remaining, a total of two points separate Grayson Fischer and Andrew Segars as they contend for the National Championship.

With a four-race winning streak, Shayne Crull has been dominating the 50 Open Sr. (7-11) ATV class and he currently leads the way by a nine-point gap. Shayne also races the 70 CVT (6-11) division and sits in second in the points championship, even after missing the opening round in Florida! 

Logan Grounds is also another rider who has shown great improvement this season. With two wins and never finishing off the podium he currently leads the 50 Jr. (4-6) class, but most recently Logan tried his hand at motocross racing. After Logan scored a top-20 finish (in the Nation!) he will switch his sights back onto off-road racing in just a couple of weeks in New York.

Another cool thing to note is the number of Micro riders that the WNYOA series brings us at the Tomahawk and Unadilla rounds, but there was one thing that really stood out to me in Odessa. While we were handing out participation medals there were an equal number of boys and girls who were crossing the finish line. I know it’s a long way away, but maybe just maybe, one day we will have an equal amount of females in racing!

In addition to the participation medals each and every single rider is encouraged to come up to the podium to talk about their race. Not only is this a great time to recognize sponsors, but it also helps develop public speaking skills. And of course, it’s always a good laugh when you hear someone say they are going to celebrate by getting a Happy Meal at McDonalds. Maybe they know something we don’t about diet and training… We’ll all see as the years go by and the future stars grow up to be the main faces of GNCC Racing. 

Trip Down Memory Lane (Jared Bolton)

A couple of Mondays ago our fabulous Online Content Manager, Kayla Olliver and myself made our trek back to Morgantown from Budds Creek with a slightly different route. Traveling anywhere around Washington, DC can be a task and when looking at some different routes back I noticed that one of the multiple routes to choose from passed by awfully close to Davis, West Virginia; home of the old Blackwater 100, which helped to form GNCC Racing as we know it. An immediate decision was made and we turned a four-hour drive into nearly nine hours.

For a number of years I’ve wanted to visit the area and see firsthand many of the sights I’ve only seen in video and in photos. These days you can’t even tell there was ever an off-road race there but many things are still recognizable as parts of the race. One of the most interesting things to me is that you don’t realize exactly how similar Snowshoe is until you see the area where Blackwater was held. I never had the opportunity to attend Blackwater in person and only know what I’ve seen in videos, photos and by firsthand stories from a number of people.

Because of this, I always assumed that the Blackwater to Snowshoe comparison was because Snowshoe is simply, rocky, muddy and tough like Blackwater was, and that’s the truth. While Snowshoe doesn’t have the deep river crossings like Blackwater, the woods themselves look so incredibly similar that I was blown away when I saw it firsthand. The exposed rock, dark black to brown dirt, undergrowth and ferns that grow throughout the woods at Snowshoe looks exactly like the woods where Blackwater was held, so the comparison really goes much further than the Snowshoe event just being “tough”.

We drove out Camp 70 Road, which is just beyond the end of Main Street in Davis, where the Blackwater started for many years. As you head out Camp 70 Road, the race would typically run along both sides of the road and cross the Blackwater River several times, with one of the more famous crossings being underneath a rocky powerline section. We also passed the infamous Route 93 River Crossing, the most famous obstacle of Blackwater. Due to road construction and the building of a new four-lane road, the Route 93 River Crossing is nearly unrecognizable and remains a quiet reminder of the history of off-road racing.

If you’ve ever thought about visiting the area to see what’s like now, I highly recommend it. It’s a very cool trip down memory lane! Also pay a visit to the Blackwater Falls State Park while you’re there. It’s well worth the trip as the falls are pretty unique and worth the stop while you’re there. Best of all, it’s FREE! We’ll be getting mountain bikes soon and hope to work towards making a trip back to Davis to check out some of the mountain bike trails, some of which are old trails used in the race that take you to other famous Blackwater 100 spots, most notably the Moon Rocks! Enjoy some of the photos from our stop and hopefully we’ll have more to share in the future!