by: Chelsea Taylor
Saturday, October 7, 2017 | 9:45 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chelsea Taylor
(304) 284-0084
[email protected]
AMSOIL GNCC Racing ATV Highlights: Polaris Ace Powerline Park GNCC
Walker Fowler Breaks Season Win Record with 11 Overall Victories
CLAIRSVILLE, O.H. (October 7, 2017) – The penultimate round of the 2017 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series, presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, traveled to St. Clairsville, Ohio this weekend for the 17th annual Polaris Ace Powerline Park GNCC. The day started off with overcast skies, but quickly warmed up to a great day of racing where WFR/Yamaha/Maxxis/Fly Racing’s Walker Fowler took his 11th overall victory of the year breaking the record for most wins in a single season.
When the green flag waved at the 1 p.m. race, Dillinger's Celtic Pub/GBC Motorsports/Moose Racing’s Marty Christofferson jumped off the start line and grabbed the $250 Wiseco Holeshot Award. Christofferson was accompanied by Fowler who stole the early lead as they entered the woods.
Christofferson held his spot in the front group, while Fowler began to push away from the rest of the field. As he approached the FMF PowerPoint, Fowler suddenly found himself in second as JMR/ATVriders.com’s Jarrod McClure had passed Christofferson and found a faster line around him. When the duo checked through timing and scoring for the first time, McClure led the way with Fowler right on his rear tires.
Coastal Racing’s Brycen Neal got off to a top-five start and settled into fourth at the conclusion of the first lap behind Chris Borich. Just after the conclusion of the first lap, Fowler got back past McClure after he made a wrong turn on the track near pro pits.
“In the beginning, Jarrod [McClure] and I kind of stretched it out, and then he got around me at the FMF PowerPoint,” said Fowler. “He actually put a little time on me and I had to ride really hard to catch back up. He was running a good pace and then we got to the end of Pro Row on the first lap and he ended up going the wrong way and it gave me the lead back. Then from there I just put my head down and tried to ride really hard.”
When Fowler checked in through scoring on the next lap he saw the two-lap card and had a 45-second lead over Borich in second. Neal also advanced a position to third and had Borich in his sights.
Not much changed throughout the rest of the race, and Fowler took home his 11th win of the season in his home state. Fowler’s record breaking finish allowed him to become the only racer in history, in any disciple, with 11 overall wins in a season.
Borich’s impressive ride earned him another podium finish in second, and proved the six-time champion still has sights on the middle of the box. Neal crossed the line just 19 seconds behind Borich for third. Once McClure got back on track he finished just off the podium in fourth, and CST/Induction Solutions/LSR/HiPer/Spider Graphix’s Adam McGill rounded out the top five in class.
ATV Innovations/Solo Pilot’s Westley Wolfe and BNR Motorsports/Maxxis/Pro Graph-X/Precision’s Josh Merritt were sixth and seventh in the XC1 Pro class. After getting off to a favorable start, GBC/Canyon Motorsports/Fly Racing’s Landon Wolfe found himself in multiple battles the entire race and finished eighth just milliseconds ahead of Christofferson, with GBC/Fly Racing/HMF/Yamaha’s Johnny Gallagher following in tenth in class.
Once the second line took off, Austin Abney grabbed the $100 All Balls Racing XC2 Holeshot Award, but was accompanied by Ithaca Recreation/Maxxis/Quad Tech/Storm Peak Crossfit’s Hunter Hart who moved into the lead as they entered the woods. Hart tried his best to hold off the current points leader and M.R. Unlimited/Hygear Suspension/GBC Tires/Tire Spine’s Devon Feehan but once the race reach the mid-way point Feehan had secured the lead. Feehan, Hart and Brandon Icard stood on the box for the XC2 Pro-Am class at the conclusion of the four-lap race.
“Hunter [Hart] and I got out front off the start and I was chasing him around,” reported Feehan. “I knew it was going to be a race if I stayed behind him, so when I finally got past Hunter I knew wouldn’t be able to have any slack. But it feels good to be back on top.”
After a hard-fought race, Coastal Racing’s Drew Landers secured 16th overall along with his College A (16-21) win vaulting him to the top of the amateur overall standings where he was awarded with top amateur. Jeffrey Pickens and John Glauda Jr. filled the amateur overall podium.
Can-Am/Chaney Racing’s Kyle Chaney dominated the UTV race leading every lap from start to finish. Team UXC Racing’s Kevin Trantham backed up his last round win with another podium finish in second. G-Force’s Jamie McCoy snagged the third overall position. Defending champion and Miller Brothers Racing/AmPro Yamaha’s Cody Miller and Polaris-backed William Yokely filled the top-five.
Adding another win to his championship season was Cunningham Racing/Can-Am/Maxxis-backed Kevin Cunningham in the 10 a.m. race. DeRisi Racing/Tire Spine/Can-Am/Goldspeed’s Robbie Pecorari had arguably his best race of the season in second and Dylan Walraven rounded out the overall podium with his Schoolboy Sr. (14-17) win. Kevin Trantham rounded out the 4x4 class podium.
Yamaha’s Traci Pickens and Dillinger's Celtic Pub-backed Katelyn Osburn battled back-and-forth for the WXC win, with Pickens coming out on top. Osburn finished in a close second, with Pirate MX/Axis/Texiera Tech’s Angel Knox finishing third.
Robert Boynton raced his way to the Single Seat overall win, followed by OTR Wheel Engineering Racing/Polaris-backed Collin Truett and Treavis Poynter.
One round after clinching the Youth ATV Overall Championship, Layne McCormick repeated his success in Ohio taking his eighth win of the season. Keaton Henderson had one of his best finishes in second, and Payton Dalton rounded out the overall podium in the 8 a.m. youth race.
The 1 p.m. ATV Pro race was broadcast LIVE in its entirety on RacerTV.com and can be viewed as archived video online by visiting the GNCC LIVE page. A highlight show featuring the event will air on NBC Sports Network on Saturday, December 2 at 12:30 p.m.
The 2017 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series concludes in three weeks with the popular AMSOIL Ironman GNCC in Crawfordsville, Indiana on October 28 and 29. After setting the record for the largest attended GNCC last year, the Ironman GNCC is a can’t miss event!
Polaris Ace Powerline Park GNCC
St. Clairsville, Ohio
Round 12 of 13
Saturday, October 7
XC1 Pro Event Results:
- Walker Fowler (YAM)
- Chris Borich (SUZ)
- Brycen Neal (YAM)
- Jarrod McClure (HON)
- Adam McGill (HON)
- Westley Wolfe (SUZ)
- Josh Merritt (YAM)
- Landon Wolfe (HON)
- Marty Christofferson (HON)
- Johnny Gallagher (YAM)
*Overall National Championship Standings:
- Walker Fowler (355)
- Brycen Neal (215)
- Chris Borich (207)
- Jarrod McClure (201)
- Adam McGill (195)
- Landon Wolfe (160)
- Hunter Hart (131)
- Johnny Gallagher (129)
- Marty Christofferson (126)
- Devon Feehan (126)
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2017 National Champion.
XC2 Pro-Am Event Results:
- Devon Feehan (HON)
- Hunter Hart (YAM)
- Brandon Icard (HON)
- Kenny Shick (YAM)
- Greg Covert (YAM)
- Wes Kinsley (SUZ)
- Sam Hough (HON)
- Steven Covert (YAM)
- Levi Coen (HON)
- Brandon Barnes (YAM)
XC2 Pro-Am Series Points Standings:
- Devon Feehan (299)
- Hunter Hart (286)
- Greg Covert (262)
- Matthew Lindle (206)
- Brandon Icard (168)
- Levi Coen (149)
- Kenny Shick (148)
- Sam Hough (115)
- Cameron Bruce (104)
- Bryson Hoppes (95)
For more information on the GNCC series, visit the official website at www.gnccracing.com or call (304) 284-0084. Join the conversation on the series Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and be sure to always hashtag #GNCC.
About GNCC Racing
The AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis is America's premier off-road racing series. Founded in 1975, the 13-round championship is produced exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross-country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The grueling three-hour GNCC races lead as many as 2,400 riders through tracks ranging in length from eight to 12 miles. With varied terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed. The series draws talent from all over the U.S., Central America, South America, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. GNCC Racing is televised weekly on NBC Sports and RacerTV.com. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.
About the American Motorcyclist Association
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world's largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders' interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com. Not a member? Join the AMA today: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/membership/join.
-RP-