by: Rachel Gutish
Monday, June 17, 2019 | 4:05 PM
Tomahawk Youth ATV Race Report
Hawkens and McCormick Victorious at X Factor
The Dunlop Tomahawk, round seven of the 2019 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, took place last weekend on June 1st and 2nd. On the schedule since 2015, the Tomahawk is one of the newer rounds on the schedule. The trails are fast and flowy, especially the long, sweeping grasstrack sections. Although this area of New York is hilly, there aren’t any dramatic hill climbs out in the woods, just lots of gradual elevation changes. However, there is a little bit of loose rock and plenty of exposed tree roots as well, so it’s no picnic out there.
According to the track map, the youth ATV course was 4.2 miles and the micro course was 1.6 miles. Although the ATVs were still coming through covered in mud, it was mostly confined to a few nasty spots – as a whole the course was decent, and the rain held off until Sunday morning. Of the 97 youth ATV riders at Tomahawk, Damien Hawkins was the overall winner, while Ryder McCormick beat 63 other riders to win his first overall in the micro division
Damien Hawkins took the win in YXC1 by a wide margin. Although he had a rough start, getting tangled up with another rider right off the bat, by the end of lap one he made it back to the front. For those first five laps he was able to put about thirty seconds each lap on second place rider Parker Henderson. While Henderson was able to make up nearly thirty seconds on Hawkins that last lap, it was a case of too little, too late. Meanwhile, Morgan Johnson made her first podium of the season in YXC1 after battling her way up from sixth place on the first lap. When asked about his race, Hawkins said “After I made my way up to the front, I kept my pace, rode a good race and had a blast while doing it!”
Nicholas Dearing has been on a great winning streak lately, taking his first win (and the overall!) at the John Penton last round, and taking a second win and an overall podium here at the Tomahawk. He led the majority of the race, briefly slipping into second behind Charlie Stewart on the fourth lap, but getting back around him on the final lap. Stewart stayed close to him in second place the remainder of the race, while Kaden Lambruno finished a somewhat distant third, though still a full lap ahead of the rest of the field.
The overall non-YXC rider in the ATV youth race was Latterian Horton (OTH) racing in the 125 SR. (12-15) class. He placed 11th overall.
Although Hunter Short won his first MXC1 race at his first GNCC this season, it was Ryder McCormick who took the overall win in the micro race - from the 90 stock class! Although McCormick has made it on the overall podium several times this season, this is his first ever overall win. He said that “Round seven of GNCC was a blast! Our track was perfect. Thanks to everyone at the track who is out there watching out for me”
In MXC1, Brihanna Williams was off to a promising start, although second place Annabelle Badman and third place Hunter Short were barely two seconds behind her. Short was able to pass both Williams and Badman on the third lap. Badman encountered problems on lap four and did not finish the race. While Williams stayed close to Short, he successfully held both her and Logan Sheriff off, taking his first win of the season!
Khyler Davis has now won five MXC2 races, and is securely in the points lead. Although she’s had a very successful season, this particular race was no picnic for her. She started out in the lead on lap one, with just a few seconds over Tyler McLaughlin and Reed Stevens. She made a mistake on lap two, dropping back to fourth, though still only a few seconds down from McLaughlin, who had taken over the lead. By lap four she was able to regain the lead, though she finished only .25 seconds ahead of McLaughlin. Reed Stevens rounded out the MXC2 podium. When asked about her race, Davis said “I liked the track but not the woods. It was hard to fit between the trees and no places to pass except in the fields”.
The overall non-MXC rider in the Micro ATV race was obviously Ryder McCormick (HON), as he won the overall this round from the 90 Stock (8-11) class.
The next round of the 2019 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series will take place on June 22 and 23 in Snowshoe, WV with the Snowshoe GNCC. ATV racing will take place on Saturday while Bike racing will take place on Sunday. Due to the difficulty of the terrain, there is no micro racing at this event.
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.
- Facebook: @gnccracing
- Instagram: @gncc_racing
- Twitter: @gnccracing
- YouTube: @racertv
Tomahawk GNCC
Odessa, NY
Round 7 of 13
June 1st and 2nd
ATV YXC1 Race Results
- Damien Hawkins (YAM)
- Paxton Dickerson (HON)
- Morgan Johnson (YAM
- Cooper Stewart (YAM)
- Dayton Hickey (OTH)
- Parker Henderson (YAM)
ATV YXC1 National Championship Standings
- Damien Hawkins (YAM) 137
- Parker Henderson (YAM) 129
- Cooper Stewart (YAM) 104
- Bryce Husband (YAM) 103
- Morgan Johnson (YAM) 101
ATV YXC2 Race Results
- Nicholas Dearing (YAM)
- Charlie Stewart (YAM)
- Kaden Lambruno (YAM)
- Heath Randolph (YAM)
- Connor Walker (OTH)
ATV YXC2 National Championship Standings
- Charlie Stewart (YAM) 127
- Nicholas Dearing (YAM) 116
- Shayne Crull (OTH) 100
- Cody Whitaker (YAM) 99
- Connor Walker (OTH) 97
ATV MXC1 Race Results
- Hunter Short (DDR)
- Brihanna Williams (DDR)
- Logan Sheriff (DDR)
- Kaleb Shay (DDR)
- David Chamberlain (DDR)
ATV MXC1 Championship Standings
- Bodie Buckhannon (DDR) 98
- Garrett Cox (DDR) 39
- Kaleb Shay (DDR) 35
- Hunter Short (DDR) 20
- Jacob Smallwood (DDR) 20
ATV MXC2 Race Results
- Khyler Davis (DDR)
- Tyler McLaughlin (DDR)
- Reed Stevens (DDR)
- Carmen Badman (APX)
- Brayden Keister (APX)
ATV MXC2 National Championship Standings
- Khyler Davis (DDR) 138
- Tyler McLaughlin (DDR) 113
- Reed Stevens (DPR) 109
- Jacob Smallwood (DDR) 19
- Colton Tennant (DDR) 18
About GNCC Racing
The AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Specialized 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.
How to Watch
Racer TV and NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) are the official homes for coverage of the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) events. All 13 rounds, from the season opening Big Buck GNCC in South Carolina to the finale at Ironman Raceway in Indiana, will air in 30-minute, taped-delayed telecasts on NBCSN, while Racer TV provides live streaming coverage of the 1 p.m. ATV and motorcycle races from each event. Catch all the action at http://www.nbcsports.com/ and http://www.racertv.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.