by: Jared Bolton
Thursday, January 24, 2019 | 3:40 PM
Welcome to Quick Fill.
Wow, we’re actually approaching what folks will consider “crunch time” leading up to the opening round of the 2018 GNCC Racing season. We’re now just 30 days away from going racing in South Carolina. This means it’s time to get that final push together in terms of getting your machines, your gear and your bodies ready to get back to racing because you’ll be sitting on the starting line before you know it. Every year it seems like the off-season flies by faster and faster but the good thing about that is the fact that it’s less time we spend away from the track.
The finalized 2019 GNCC Racing rules and classes have been posted! So if you haven’t already familiarized yourself with those, then check them out HERE and get up to speed. There are a number of changes this season and most of them are fairly small but we do have one fairly large change to the Saturday schedule. The 50cc Micro races will now be held Saturday morning immediately following the Youth ATV race. Micro ATVs will go first at 9:15am followed by Micro Bikes at 10am. This means that the Amateur ATV race will now start at 11am and the Pro ATV race will now start at 2pm.
The Micro classes have been re-worked a bit and will have a few changes, so make sure to check those out. We’ve also added a 90cc Stock ATV class to the Micro ATV race, a Golden Masters (60+) ATV class and split the Golden Masters bike class. There will now be a Golden Masters A and a Golden Masters B/C on the bike side. We’ve got a few small rule changes and have clarified a few things further, but for the most part things will remain the same.
The most visible changes will come for the 4x4 Pro and WXC classes. The top five in the 4x4 Pro and WXC classes (that’s ATV and bike WXC classes) will be allowed to run their previous season’s ranking, so long as they abide by the number plate color-coding. Additionally, the 4x4 Pro and WXC classes will select their starting positions immediately at the start of the 11am ATV race and 10am Bike race. This means they’ll be able to go through a rider introduction ceremony like the 1pm racers!
Additionally, the 4x4 Pro class will be permitted to add horns to their machines. This does come with some stipulations though, so make sure you read the rules to make sure you’re compliant. Once again, this is ONLY for the 4x4 Pro class. This year will serve as a bit of a test and if it’s determined that other 4x4 classes could be able to safely and respectfully use a horn, there’s a chance those could be added in the future.
The reasoning behind this horn addition is that the 4x4 machines have no clutch, so it’s not possible to rev the machine when approaching a lapped rider. Yes, you can yell but that’s not always possible, especially in the later stages of the race when you’re getting tired. So, we’re going to try this out and see how it goes!
We’re also still working on a solution for the TBA round. We have a phone call on Monday to see if there is yet another facility that could be a consideration. Once we discuss with these folks, we’ll hopefully be able to make a final decision on where this round will be and have an announcement for you soon. So, be patient and we’ll get the info on that round filled in as soon as possible.
There’s lots of pre-season racing taking place in the coming weeks! This weekend our friends at SETRA will be in action with the Burnt Gin Hare Scramble down in South Carolina. This event usually draws a large turnout, as a chunk of the course will also be used for part of next weekend’s Sumter National Enduro. We’re excited to hear how things go down there, and as always the National Enduro opener is an exciting one as well. I’m actually going to head to the Enduro and do some riding of my own. I say riding because there really won’t be a ton of “racing” involved and if I even finish the event, I’ll be amazed.
That’s going to do it for the intro. Enjoy you weekend and we’ll see you back here next week!
Catching Up With Ken (Ken Hill)
Just two days ago I was clawing my way across an arctic wasteland of snow and ice while battling a fierce wind and now, swampland! Anyone that knows me knows my quest to be outdoors non-stop but this is just rubbish weather and I am over it! Ok, so its not that bad but as I age I am finding warmer and more temperate climate looking very attractive but I can not see myself lounging on the beach and eating diner at 4 pm. So I will suck it up and move forward like the rest of you. The poor weather has impacted many of you now that riding outdoors has ground to a halt but we had a good run and from chatting with a few of you I feel most are just about ready to kick off the new season. That is a good thing because it is coming and right fast at that.
My fight with Mother Nature had me inside with zero to do but this winter has been different thanks to finally getting some fair internet in here where I can actually use one of the biggest platforms for reaching people and that was YouTube. I have no idea how many videos I have watched since November but more than the last 15 years combined and it is pretty cool to look back on that explosion from the perspective of not knowing what the hype was all about. Now with other social media platforms YouTube is expanding yadda yadda and may have lost some of its big teeth but it remains a viable tool for you to advertise and promote yourself or team. What I have learned is what I like and don’t like in a video and that occurred quickly as I moved through various channels. So do a bit of research and try not to over think things when making them.
As far as content, always remain professional but have some fun, as your viewers want to know what it is like living your dream. Of course promote your sponsors but be sure to show the struggles as well as triumphs and how things work to get you where you are. Sure, videos with Pro’s are always a hit but to grow our sport it takes people just like you and me doing everyday things because that is where these new racers come from, the fan base. Those that want to get into all of this are looking to see how regular racers are getting along and how they are doing it while balancing a regular life in between races, so show them! They may be a Walker Fowler fan but watching a guy that’s only been doing this for a season or two could be the encouragement they are looking for to take that next step and come racing with us. Self promotion is tough for sure and you will need some help but keep it real, although a solid baseline of what information you want out there needs to be considered even when the wheels come off the best laid plans, show them that as well! Just some food for thought as we close in on the new season.
It has been fairly quiet lately as far as info creeping out of the pre season but I have a feeling in a few weeks we will all be seeing truck loads of info and pictures of builds and new sponsors. I keep watching the calendar as my time is growing short before I have to head south, which should be mid February as it appears I will have to stay on the road until after the first round. I will do my best to get some media up as I roll south and if you are in any of the southern states and ready please be sure to hit me up and I will try to swing by and get some material we can use.
That’s it from me this week. Short and to the point but the water is rising and chores need done, might even need some sandbags! As always be safe out there and may God bless you all!
Looking Back on 2018 Part Seven (Jared Bolton)
When the 2018 GNCC series rolled to Ohio for the first time in 2018, the ATV race would be met with muddy conditions. The John Penton GNCC stands out as an event that typically brings one of two conditions; either extreme mud or extreme dust. Very rarely has this event seen what folks would consider “primo conditions”. This year’s ATV race saw it’s fair share of rain, making for a slick and slippery racecourse. Things would remain slick early in the day on Sunday, but eventually gave way to decent, albeit still a bit wet conditions on Sunday.
Saturday’s ATV race saw a pretty similar story to what the previous rounds had produced. Ohio’s own Walker Fowler jumped out to an early lead and began doing his best to distance himself from the rest of the pack. He would be able to pull a lead while the riders behind him engaged in a title battle for the rest of the podium positions. Brycen Neal, Jarrod McClure and Chris Borich all ran in podium contention throughout the event, swapping the number two spot numerous times as the race wore on.
In the end, Fowler was able to lead wire to wire and come away with the win a minute and a half ahead of Chris Borich in second place. Jarrod McClure rounded out the podium in third, just over one second behind Borich, while Brycen Neal ended the day in fourth place, just another two seconds behind McClure. Cole Richardson would round out the top five. It would be a tight race for those podium positions but still managed to remain rather drama free, as it was just good, clean racing between these guys throughout the entire event.
Sunday’s motorcycle race was also a tight race down to the wire. However, the course changed a considerable amount. As is tradition, the 1PM bike race at The John Penton has an additional section added to the racecourse. This tough, technical, old-school section is known as The John Penton Section, and this year’s Penton Section was one for the ages. The GNCC track crew left the layout of the Penton Section in the hands of Jeff Hupp, an old-school racer from the area who knows the Penton section like the back of his hand. Adding this section made the racecourse over 15-miles long, which changed the strategy of the event entirely.
When the checkered flag flew, Thad Duvall made his way to the front of the pack and would control the race from the get-go. Grant Baylor would hold the second place position for the opening laps, but an unfortunate mechanical issue would drop him out of the race. This left the door open for Josh Strang to work his way into the second place spot, and Kailub Russell to find his way into podium contention. Duvall tackled the rough and rugged Penton course with ease and would pull out one of the biggest leads we had seen all season.
When the checkered flag flew after 3 hours and 14 minutes of racing, it was Duvall taking the win ahead of Josh Strang in second place. Kailub Russell put on a late race charge, and dropped Strang’s lead from over 40 seconds to just 2 seconds at the finish. However, Strang would be able to hold him off and Russell would round out the podium in third. The boys in the XC2 class would also see a tight race where Craig Delong led early before Josh Toth and Ben Kelley would find their way around him. In the end, Toth claimed the win ahead of Kelley and Delong in third.
This put seven rounds in the books for the 2018 GNCC Racing season. From there, the series would head to New York for the Tomahawk GNCC and finally some dry conditions once again! Check back next week and we’ll recap the happenings at Tomahawk!
#ThrowbackThursday (Jared Bolton)
Throwback Thursday is back! Dan from RacerTV has still been hard at work finding some really cool TV shows from the past, so we'll throw a few more of those in this week as well! First off, here's some ATV action from Florida in 2002.
Next up, here's some bike racing action from Steele Creek in 2002. Take a look at this one to see just how much the Steele Creek event has grown! Wow!
Here's another great TV show, the 2004 Ironman ATV race!
And last but certainly not least, here's a muddy Yadkin Valley Stomp GNCC in 2009!