by: Jared Bolton
Thursday, May 30, 2019 | 6:15 PM
Welcome to Quick Fill.
It's been a wild week here in New York getting things ready for this weekend's Tomahawk GNCC. The track crew has been hard at it making sure there's a great course in store for this weekend, and a while we've gotten some rain Thursday evening, every other day this week has been really nice and a little bit of rain will add some good moisture to the soil. Fingers crossed that it doesn't rain anymore though!
This week's edition of Quick Fill is going to be quick as we've been crazy busy making sure everything is ready to go. There's still a bit of work to be done, so I'm not going to get too long winded this week, but that means next week's edition of Quick Fill should be a good one because we've got a lot to talk about. I will give a quick low-down on the track though!
From the start, you're actually starting right by the finish line and you've got a really cool section of twisty trail with a couple of sections of field mixed in that takes you all the way to the one mile mark. From there, there's a mix of tight and fast trail over to the two mile mark before you head into some flowing trail all the way to the three. After the three, you'll come back close to the two-mile mark once again passing the RacerTV cameras and head out through some more really cool trail to the four.
After the four, you'll come to a few up and downhills and one long off-camber section that leads you back to the RacerTV cameras once again at the five-mile mark. You'll drop down a long downhill before climbing all the way back up and into some flowing trail over the six-mile mark. It gets a little faster around the six, but tightens back up in just a few places before you pop out into the field and head to the seven-mile mark.
There's a big grass track that brings you across the main road and around a short piece of woods to the eight-mile mark. From there, you've got another really fun grass track that brings you back across main road into a another little section of open woods. You'll pop out into the field again and run another grass track by the nine-mile mark before dropping into some tighter woods. Once you make your way through those woods, you're headed to the ten-mile mark at the finish line, then back to where you started. It's just around 10 miles on the dot, and there's some really good stuff out there. We've still got our fingers crossed than any future rain stays away because right now the course has potential to produce some epic dirt!
That's going to do it for the intro this week. Enjoy all the Quick Fill goodies and we'll see you in New York!
2019 GNCC University at Snowshoe (Kayla Bolton)
Racer Productions, producer of the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, is excited to announce the return of Yamaha’s GNCC University at Snowshoe Mountain Resort. Yamaha’s top off-road ATV and motorcycle racers, along with select other top riders in the industry, will be on hand as instructors for this riding school, beginning just before the AMSOIL Snowshoe GNCC, Round 8 of the 2019 GNCC season.
Led by Dean of Motorcycles, 7-Time AMA National Enduro Champion Randy Hawkins, this year’s bike instructors include 5-Time AMA National Hare Scramble Champion Jason Raines, XC1 rider Ricky Russell and WXC competitors Rachael Archer and Becca Sheets.
Professor of ATVs, XC1 Pro class rider Johnny Gallagher will lead this year’s Yamaha Racing ATV instructors, including 4-Time AMA National GNCC Champion Walker Fowler and 11-Time Women’s Class Champion Traci Pickens.
Reservations are on a first-come first-serve basis as there are only 40 spots each for both the bike and ATV disciplines - totaling 80 spots. Students must provide their own equipment and be at least 8 years of age, and machines must be 85cc or larger.
GNCC University is in session from June 19-21, 2019. Tuition, room and board—including meals throughout the school is $500 per student. Itinerary will be posted at a late date. Registration is now open through Snowshoe Mountain Resort. Reserve your spot NOW, call Snowshoe Reservations at 877-441-4386.
ISDE US Trophy Team Golf Tournament
The USA ISDE Trophy Teams are excited to present the Sixth Annual Golf Tournament Team Fundraiser at Snowshoe Mountain Resort’s Raven Golf Club on Friday, June 21. This unique golf tournament will assist in the team’s efforts to represent USA at the 2019 running of the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) in Portimao, Portugal on November 11th-16th.
All proceeds from the event will go directly to the USA ISDE Team to help fund the transportation of our athletes to this prestigious event. If you have questions about this event or would like to learn how to donate to the team, please contact Jennifer Leads –[email protected] or Antti Kallonen - [email protected].
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER - If you are unable to attend and still wish to contribute to the USA ISDE Trophy Teams, donations can be made by selecting the “Donate” option on the online registration form.
GNCC Graduation at Snowshoe
Racer Productions is calling all members of the Class of 2019. Whether you have graduated from elementary school, middle school, high school, college or a technical school, GNCC Racing wants to recognize you for your prestigious academic accomplishment.
The 2019 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, will be hosting the fourth annual Graduation Commencement Ceremony at the AMSOIL Snowshoe GNCC Saturday evening beginning at 6 p.m. on the podium located in the center of the Village.
GNCC Racing recognizes the importance of education and would like to encourage all of our riders and families to come out and enjoy a night of celebration with our GNCC graduates. We also would like to urge our graduates to wear their cap and gown to the ceremony. If that is not possible, red or black caps will be available from GNCC Racing.
As a bonus, during the day a crafting station will be setup (location to be determined) where you can decorate the top of your cap. You may bring your own supplies or use what we have on site.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR GRADUATION.
Catching Up With Ken Hill (Ken Hill)
It looks like we are New York bound for this weekend’s Tomahawk GNCC! I don’t know about you but the season just seems to be flying by and when combined with other events, the last few months have just been a complete blur! For some, maybe this is not an issue but for me it is because I blink and it seems like another season has gone by and its banquet time. I reckon at some point we look back, take a deep breath and start to remember all the fun we had so be sure to take a few minutes this weekend and enjoy your surroundings and the folks you are with! I rolled out of the Penton and had to beat feet to South Carolina for an early week event then straight from there to Muddy Creek for the ATVMX race, which might be guiding some of my thinking as I take a few minutes and type this up.
I could try and slow down and smell the roses but you have to make hay when the sun shines, so its full speed ahead until the work is done. Now most of you know I am a country kind of guy and enjoy the outdoors and such. In fact, I spend more time outside than inside, so this lifestyle suits me fairly well. Well let me tell you they put me up in a very swanky hotel for this event that quite honestly was nicer than my house! I mean just the other night I was sacked out in my truck at a race and here I found myself so far out of my comfort zone it made me chuckle. A valet wanted to park my truck, which I had to decline but wow, how things can change quickly from one day to the next.
So an unexpected week of work has me behind at home, well it did, until I busted tail and got everything planted and mulched and our first batch of meat birds in which will be 8 weeks of getting them to weight and keep them safe from foxes that love chicken as much as I do. My attention turned from farm to race and it got me to thinking about last week and listening to people at this event discuss how GNCC Racing had helped make the products being discussed or helped make them better. Most of the people knew what GNCC Racing was and would nod or smile as they know how brutal it can be and somehow I got the feeling they also knew if it was GNCC tested it was going to be something they could stand behind and sell. That was pretty cool for me to be part of even though I said nothing and could only catch part of what was being said but a sense of pride was sure there. I can’t release the info due to an embargo but some cool stuff is coming!
Now all week I think about the upcoming races and how to cram everything in on the off days just like all of you do I am sure. Quick Fill is always on my mind and sometimes keeps me up at night thinking about what I want to write about, as this is my way to communicate with all of you because trying to chat at the races is insanity as the days action is never ending. Many of you ask about my farm and what I’ve been doing and its always a pleasure when we get a few seconds to chew the fat as the life I lead is quite different from the masses, but the common thread is the racing that we all love. I was sitting on my tractor yesterday waiting for another load of wood chips to be dropped off and I heard our series Pastor Chuck Lemaster’s words, “All things are possible through Christ”. I have heard him say that often and it was as if he was standing there telling them to me.
As the truck dumped its load I could see it contained a huge mix of green leaves as well as the freshly chipped wood and I knew this was going to be exactly what I needed to mulch the last two gardens I had just planted. I looked up and said thanks to the big man for this bounty and again thanked him for directing me this year as I started out the season, both racing and farming, not really knowing what I wanted to do. On the racing side I wanted to try and capture more of the emotion and a bit less of the racing, which is pretty tough to do. The farming side was as tough because without a huge amount of materials to help build soil you are stuck with crappy soil.
That’s when I got the call from the tree company about them needing a place to dump chips as they cleared power lines over 60 miles of our area. The good Lord had indeed blessed me. On the racing side, it has been a struggle because to be around the people you need to literally be hunting areas where there may be emotion or personal interaction and when you are charged with covering every race each day that leaves time non existent but I have faith, or as Chuck says, all things are possible through Christ and maybe being able to tell you all about the things I see and not always capturing that moment will have to suffice and maybe I will get lucky here and there with a good shot!
So there it is, not much in the way of direct racing info but Jared has that covered and Kayla knocks out the pre race stuff like a champ so if you need that fix there is plenty for you to absorb! Please be safe traveling to and from the races. I fully expect the racing to be solid on both days and not just in the pro classes. Points battles are starting to shape up throughout the ranks and its crunch time as we roll into the final rounds before the summer break! Thats all from me, may God continue to bless us all and keep us all safe! See you in New York!