Catching Up With Ken (Ken Hill)

We’re now only a week away from going back to GNCC Racing! For some of you that marks the return to competition, to others it is just another weekend of racing because you never lifted and raced somewhere all summer. By the looks of social media many of you kept roosting through the summer, which is a pretty tall task, I must say. As most of you have heard by now, Brent from Carbsport passed away last weekend and I know you all join me in praying for him and his family. I did not know him beyond the races, but he was always happy, smiling and eager to either lend a helping hand or strike up a conversation and reading about him through many posts I can see that he spread good things around to everyone. My wife tells me the more people you know the more it seems you loose and she is probably spot on but that sting doesn’t get any easier when you get the news. I will leave the heavy lifting to those who knew him best, say my prayers and offer my families condolences to his family as we celebrate his life at each round doing what we all love to do. 

The news of Brent’s passing took me by surprise and combine that tragic news with the incredible anticipation of my first grandchild making an arrival soon and my personal emotions are quite simply all over the place. I scroll through so many images of the new crop of babies we have seen born this year as our racing family grows and know that the balance of life is indeed precious and we are expecting even more of these future rugrats heading into fall. So I pray that we can complete the second half of the season with nothing but blessings and joy. 

Now the racing I talked about earlier sure seems to be pretty intense. Last weekend I spent my time with the IXCR crew and was actually considering hitting another round with them this weekend. However, the rains they are calling for may be just a little more than I want to tackle as a photographer. There is just something about having a ton of money around your neck and being knee deep in slop and soaked. Intense for a racer means something different to me but trust me, those of us who are out there have our own levels of intensity at each round and when the weather throws us a curveball it gets down right epic. I’ve been known to get into areas that may seem like I threw caution to the wind and will do anything for a shot but that is not always the case. I usually take up a position in bad weather that keeps me safe and hopefully out of the immediate action playing out in front of me. That is how it usually works but every once in awhile, a rider sets his sights on the safe spot I have and its full throttle! One racer is ok, but that new line usually opens the door to a few hundred other riders, which turn my safe space into instant mayhem! 

I know most of you have pitched in at a bad spot to help and come away from the experience covered in mud and looking like you went a few rounds with a MMA fighter. I know this because I usually hunt you down and get the pictures! And the crew, they know going into the day that they are going to get nasty and prepare for it. However for myself, I am like a Siamese cat and prefer to remain as clean as possible. Ok, truth is I can get a shower it is the camera gear I am most concerned with but there have been times when I have just wanted to run away and that in itself is an issue. Have you ever tried running away from 50 screaming GNCC racers hell bent on making it through a section, with cameras flying around, sometimes a tripod and strobe all the while hearing the rev limiter getting closer and closer as you scratch and crawl your way out of there? The coup de grace is when you hear a friendly voice holler out “Hey Kenny isn’t this awesome!”. Why yes, it’s just peachy, are you enjoying your race? It sucks but in the end, its memories at those times that make this crazy life we all seem to love count. I prefer a light overcast day with nice open woods with locations that give me some action just incase anyone with the powers to make this all happen is reading this. So that’s intensity from my perspective and it may not be anywhere close to hitting a field section in 5th tapped and hooking a rock that sets your rear end swapping but in my world its an even draw. 

That is all from me this week as I start gearing up for the Black Sky GNCC. I have a feeling my grandson will make his arrival while I am there and I am ok with that as long as he is healthy. So if you see me take a minute and duck off to an area to be alone just let me be as I say a prayer and then get back to shooting the toughest and meanest racers on the planet! As always, may God bless you all in everything you do, lets go GNCC RACING! 

Championship Battles Heating Up Part 2 (Jared Bolton)

Last week we discussed some of the championship battles taking place in the Pro and A class ranks of the bike side. This week, we’ll take a look at some of the ATV classes and see how things are shaping as we return from summer break. I’ll make the disclaimer once again that these A-classes we’re discussing do not have end of season drops figured in, and those drops will ultimately have an effect on the standings. With that said we’ll start at the top with the battle for the ATV National Championship where Walker Fowler holds a 34-point lead over Jarrod McClure. While 34 points may be a good lead, there are still a number of things that could change the outcome of this title hunt. One thing that we know about GNCC Racing is that anything can happen. 

Of course, McClure isn’t the only one in that hunt. Brycen Neal currently sits third place, just four points behind McClure. To make things even more interesting, Chris Borich sits fourth and is only three-points behind Neal. This essentially sets us up for a four-way battle for the ATV National Championship heading into these final four rounds. This could make for some intense racing throughout these final rounds, as each of these riders are hungry for the title. 

In the XC2 Pro Am class, Hunter Hart has been on fire winning seven of the nine rounds thus far in the 2018 season. He’s been able to pull out a 49-point lead in the XC2 class standings with Austin Abney sitting second, 10 points ahead of third place rider, Drew Landers. While this is a good lead for Hunter, he still has some work to do as one strike of bad luck could change this title chase immensely. John Glauda Jr sits fourth and is a mere four points out of third place while Ben Kowalewski rounds out the top five. 

Although he’s only been able to claim one race win so far, Eli Kiger shows that consistency is key as he leads the way in the College A class. Matthew Blankenship and Ronnie Rusch sit just ten points apart and both have been able to claim four wins each so far in 2018. Seth Wilson and McCain Jennings round out the top five in class and both still sit close enough to improve their position in these final four rounds. Levi Coen and Zach Wright sit in a close battle for the Junior A class championship as these two are tied for the class points lead. They’ve been able to pull out a little bit of a lead over third place rider, James Mauger Jr who only has a four-point lead over Jade Millwood in fourth while Josh Haney sits fifth. 

Jeff Pickens started the season strong with three wins in the Vet A class. However, since round four, he and AJ Koontz have swapped wins back and forth at each round. These two have been able to establish a bit of a lead of third place rider, Todd Moskala who has been able to put together a pretty consistent season of his own. Brad Whitehead and Nicholas Camilli currently round out the top five. There’s a pretty tight battle raging on for the Senior A class title where its Brian Shaw leading the way, just three-points over Justin Kerr. Then, just another three points behind Kerr and six points out of the lead is third place rider, John Sousa. This title can go to any of these guys, so expect each of them to be on top of their game in these final rounds. Dale Batson and Michael Hayes currently round out the top five of the Senior A class. 

These are just some of the guys in tight battles for their class championships. There are plenty more to discuss before the season ends and we’ll be doing exactly that as we work our way through the final part of the season. Don’t miss out because this is when things begin to get exciting!