by: Jared Bolton
Thursday, September 7, 2017 | 12:00 PM
Welcome to Quick Fill.
This is it! The summer break comes to a close and we return to GNCC Racing this weekend at Unadilla. Like I said last week, in many ways it seems like the summer break has taken forever but in other ways it seems like the time has flown by. Either way you feel, the time is up and its time to get back to racing. This is an exciting time of the year because with the season winding down, championship chases are on and it’s around this time we start seeing some titles wrapped up.
As for the Unadilla course, well, as usually we’ll have the low-down on that coming up a little later in this week’s edition of Quick Fill. I will say that even with the rain the facility has gotten, the whole place is holding up really well! There are very few spots that are overly wet and we’ve done our best to avoid those so it should be a great weekend of racing.
Chelsea has a little more on this coming up later but just a reminder to all the two-wheeled racers, if you’re looking for another weekend full of fun following Unadilla, the DC Vet Homecoming will be taking place September 16-17 at High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania. The GNCC faithful will be particularly interested in Saturday’s GP/Moto-X Country event. The GP is loads of fun that takes place on a roughly three-mile course consisting of motocross, grass track and woods. That’s two 30-minute motos and virtually everyone has the opportunity to race two classes. Keep reading for more info later in this week’s edition of Quick Fill!
We’ll keep the intro short this week and roll right into the Quick Fill goodies! Enjoy and we’ll see you this weekend!
Weekly Updates (Chelsea Taylor)
Hopefully your trailers are packed up and ready for this weekend because it’s finally time to get back to GNCC Racing! It’s been a busy two months for me, and I’m sure it has been for you too. Many of our professional racers used this summer to race around the globe including Japan and France, and of course there were plenty of local races that people participate in as well. Summer ending is always bittersweet, but I’m excited to get back on the GNCC grind and wrap-up another great season with you all.
With school officially back in session and the calendar reading September, the air finally has that nice crisp feeling to it. Looking at the forecast for this weekend it may be a little chilly in the mornings so be prepared with a coat and maybe even gloves and a beanie. That first chill of the year always seems colder to me so it’s better to be prepared than not! Also, camping for fans is not allowed this weekend, only racers, their families and AMA members are allowed to camp. If someone sneaks by security and parks near you and you do not feel comfortable, please alert our security and they will take care of the situation. Of course we want everyone to have fun this weekend, but we don’t want to fun to get carried away and mess with the reason we are really in New York, which is to race!
Chuck Lemaster with Team Faith also wanted me to let you all know to pack your RC Cars with the rest of your stuff this weekend for some special youth activities that are in the works for Saturday night at 6 p.m. at the Team Faith pit area on Vendor Row.
Yamaha just released the all-new four-passenger Wolverine X4 side-by-side. While we don’t allow pit bikes at the GNCC’s this would be the perfect vehicle for not only cruising around your own property, but also cruising around through the woods. It’s also the only four-seat SxS to feature a true full hard cab option available direct from the manufacturer, which is why it’s so versatile. To find out more about it, click HERE.
The 27th Annual DC Vet Homecoming returns to High Point Raceway next weekend, September 16 and 17. Don’t let the name fool you; there are classes for all skill levels and ages making this the ultimate family event. With no pressure of championships, it’s an easy way to remember why we all ride – for the fun! Saturday will be the GP Moto-X Cross Country race, and traditional motocross will take place on Sunday. There are vintage contests, a swap meet, bike show, bonfire, corn hole, BBQ dinner planned for the event. To get the full details on everything planned for next weekend, click HERE.
As you begin to make plans for the Mountaineer Run GNCC consider adding onto your trip and heading over to Columbus, Ohio (which is only three hours away) for the AIMExpo on September 23 and 24. It’s the largest powersports show in North America and features over 500 exhibitors so there’s a little something for everyone. Eddie Lojak will also be inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame, which is held in conjunction with the event on Friday, September 22. If you’re interested in attending and would like more information, click HERE.
Rappin’ With Rodney… Again. (Rodney Tomblin)
Editor’s note: Rodney once again did not give his contribution a title, so we’ll keep the “Rappin’ With Rodney” theme going until he finds his own title again!
The GNCC break is all but over as the attention of the racing world will begin to focus on final four rounds of the championship. On the quad side of things, Walker Fowler appears ready to capture his third consecutive title. The possibility exists for it to all happen this weekend. The bike side of the championship is a little tighter and since we last raced at John Penton, a number of things have happened. So this is my “nutshell” of thoughts as we head to the Unadilla GNCC.
As was mentioned, Walker Fowler is poised to capture his third title and one thing you can say about Walker is that he has kept himself busy and somewhat in the limelight. Most recently he competed in the Heartland Challenge in Iowa. He won his UTV class teamed up with his mechanic and friend Mark Notman then he rode the ATV portion with Johnny Gallagher and Mark Notman. Traditionally the team rides with Cole Richardson in recent years but still unsure of his conditioning, Cole was not included on the team. The good news since their decision is that Cole has been riding and actually seen where has been doing pretty good at some local events. It won’t be long before the “Cole Train” is back.
Speaking of Johnny G, he has been busy himself. Johnny told me ”Walker won the 4 hour UTV race Friday in the 1000 class and then Walker, Mark and I won the 10 hour race on Saturday. It was a pretty cool experience for Walker and I to get to race with Mark since he is honestly the guy who is largely responsible for our successes!”
Another GNCC racer who had a solid performance was XC2 Pro Am racer Matt Lindell. Reports are that Matt rode very well at the Heartland Challenge and his partner for the 10-hour was pretty amazing too. Matt’s partner’s name is Adam Weckel. Adam is a 16-year-old cancer survivor whose left arm was amputated at the elbow. He pulled his weight and then some for their team throughout the entire 10 hours. Gallagher told me, “To say that young man is disabled would be the most improper explanation of his situation I could imagine. The kid is remarkable and awe inspiring!”
After the race in Iowa, Johnny G was busy and back on the road and headed to the ISDE. He said, “ I drove straight from the Iowa race to Columbus hopped on a plane with Becca and Tyler and went to France. This was a really cool event and I'm thankful to have the opportunity to experience it. Becca, Kacy Martinez, and Brandy Richards are did an awesome job for team USA.” Johnny is excited about this weekend as well and should be a true contender if things go his way.
The news on the bike front has been somewhat limited and leaves a number of questions heading into this weekend. The whole Kailub Russell and Thad Duvall battle is at fever pitch but no one really is for sure what’s up with Thad. The news says he didn’t break anything. So if not, then is it damaged or is it healed? Will it affect the final four rounds at all? It is a pins and needles moment for fans as we wait to see what the answer to some if not all these questions are. Many hope for a healthy Thad and Kailub and a battle for the title down to the closing moments of the race. If we get a championship showdown like that will be icing on the cake for one of the best seasons to day in the GNCC history books.
So as the weekend approaches be ready. Be ready for cooler temps and be ready for some GNCC RACING!!!!! (in my best race warmup voice) The final push to the title is on and you don’t want to miss a moment. Tune in on RacerTV.com race days around 1:00pm eastern and catch it from wherever you may be.
That’s it for me. Till next time, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.
Update, Update From the Woods of Unadilla! (Jared Bolton)
The stage is set. The course is coming together. Its time to return to GNCC Racing. But, you already knew that if you’ve read this far into this week’s edition of Quick Fill. Now we’re onto the part that many of you are wondering about: what to expect from the Unadilla course. Now, one thing to keep in mind is that the Unadilla facility is not an overly large piece of property. Seasoned Unadilla competitors know that much of the course is the same year to year and while fresh new trail may be extremely limited at Unadilla, I feel like we’ve done a good job of hooking things together different enough from last year that it will feel a lot different.
The start will take place in the usual spot, and you’ll actually be starting just around the 0.2-mile mark, so your first lap will not be much different than the rest of the race. You’ll work your way around the start to a short field section and into some open but flowing woods. This takes you all the way past the one-mile mark and to the bottom section of the property. You’ll pick up the old railroad grade (for the bike guys who are familiar with the railroad section with the wooden ties still in the ground, don’t worry, it’s not that section) and run down to the far end of the property. There you’ll find a fun little hillclimb up to the two-mile mark and cross the big milkweed field out on the back of the property.
From there you’ll drop back into the woods to a downhill section. Just before the three-mile mark you’ve got a little muddy section we usually go through. Its wet but passible! After that, you’ll work your way to the field by the front gate and around a section of trackside pitting before your first time on the motocross track. You’ll be going the correct direction on the motocross track from the motocross starting line, around to the spectator bridge, into the big sweeper past the four-mile mark and then down and out of gravity cavity.
You’ll then turn through the fence above the “screw-u” section and run across a short field and back into the woods, which bring you to the bleachers by skyshot and into the woods again. That will take you over to a little uphill section back across the field behind the front gate and into the woods again to the five-mile mark and some really cool, fun woods. Then you’ve got a cool little uphill section back to the milkweed field. You’ll cross the field again, drop back into the woods to a short off-camber section and the six-mile mark.
That’s another mix of open and slightly tighter stuff all the way to the “U2” track, and then over to Skyshot on the Pro Motocross track and the seven-mile mark will be just beyond that. You’ve got another open woods section that brings you back to the Pro Motocross track beside skyshot and to the eight-mile mark. From there you jump to another section of the U2 track before heading back into a mix of woods and trackside pitting past the nine-mile mark and eventually more woods over to the ten-mile mark, then up to the finish.
It’s going to be right at ten-miles of Unadilla’s finest terrain. I feel like the way we have everything set up brings together one of the most fun layouts Unadilla has to offer and I’m excited to see everyone out there having a blast this weekend. Good luck everyone and we hope to see you out there.