by: Rachel Gutish
Thursday, October 24, 2019 | 5:05 PM
Mountaineer Youth Bike Race Report
Davis and Goodman win Mountaineer
The Mountaineer GNCC, round twelve of the 2019 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, took place on October 12th and 13th in Beckley, WV. The race was located at an absolutely stunning venue, Summit Bechtel Reserve. The facility is owned and managed by Scouts of America and is the site of the yearly National Scout Jamboree. Given that this is West Virginia, the track was quite technical compared to most other GNCCs. There were no big mudholes or hill climbs like at Snowshoe, but there was very little flat ground. As far as the soil goes, there was a little bit of everything – loamy topsoil, clay and sandy soil all made appearances. The one constant was the tree roots and rocks, which were pretty much everywhere. The track also degraded a bit differently than how it normally would; instead of the ruts getting deeper and deeper, at a certain point the machines dug down to a layer of rock and stopped. However, the shale and soft dirt on the hillsides broke away and piled up in the course, making wheelspin an issue and making the hillclimbs progressively more difficult.
The weather on Saturday for the Bike Micro riders was foggy, overcast and a little rainy, while the Youth Bike racers on Sunday enjoyed sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures. Conditions were great for both Saturday and Sunday – it wasn’t a mud pit or dust bowl the way many of the races have been this year. Of the 91 youth bike riders who competed at Mountaineer, Grant Davis won the overall, while Colby Goodman took the overall win in the 40-rider micro bike race.
With JoJo Cunningham moving up into the big bike ranks last round, it left the overall and YXC1 position more open than it has been in a while. Grant Davis, having already wrapped up his YXC2 championship, also opted to bump up a class. This was his first time lining up on the front row, but he was able to take the YXC1 win without much difficulty. Brayden Nolette and Parker Todd battled mid-race for second place, but by lap five Nolette had moved into second and was making time on Todd each lap. Todd was still easily able to hang on to third place in YXC1 and overall.
Cooper Jones was consistently the fastest YXC2 rider from the second lap onward, and mistakes by second place finisher Jack Joy gave him even more breathing room than he would have had anyway. It looked as though Joy’s slower laptime on six might give third place Nicholas Defeo just enough time to make it a battle for second between the two of them, a mistake by Defeo on lap seven dropped him out of sight from Joy, but was not enough to move him off the box at the Mountaineer.
The overall non-YXC rider in the bike youth race was Matthew Hallenbeck (KTM) racing in the 85 (12-13) class. He finished 10th overall.
Colby Goodman took another win in the MXC1 class, further cementing his lead in the title chase. He was joined on the podium by Nash Peerson and Landon Husted. Peerson and Husted battled quite a bit for second, with Peerson coming out on top by about thirty seconds
In MXC2, Logan Shafer took a dominant win, lapping the rest of the class. The other two podium finishers were a lap down from Shafer but a lap ahead of everyone else. Although second place finisher EJ Lingenfield was in second from start to finish, third-place Bentley Saxon was breathing down his neck the entire race and finished only seven seconds behind him.
The overall non-MXC rider in the micro race was Hunter Hawkinberry, racing in the 50 SR (6-7) class. He finished 8th overall.
The final round of the 2019 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series will take place on October 26 and 27 in Crawfordsville, IN, with the Ironman GNCC. ATV, Micro and eBicycle racing will take place on Saturday while Bike racing will take place on Sunday.
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
Mountaineer GNCC
Beckley, WV
Round 12 of 13
September 12th and 13th
Bike YXC1 Race Results
- Grant Davis (KAW)
- Braydon Nolette (KTM)
- Parker Todd (KTM)
- Payton Gwynn (KAW)
- Lane Witmer (YAM)
Bike YXC1 National Championship Standings
- JoJo Cunningham (KTM) 180
- Brayden Nolette (KTM) 172
- Canon Kuneff (YAM) 157
- Payton Gwynn (KAW) 146
- Lane Whitmer (YAM) 143
Bike YXC2 Race Results
- Cooper Jones (YAM)
- Jack Joy (KAW)
- Nicholas Defeo (KTM)
- Case Burton (HQV)
- Hayden Surrena
Bike YXC2 National Championship Standings
- Grant Davis (KAW) 180
- Cooper Jones (YAM) 171
- Jack Joy (KAW) 167
- Nicholas Defeo (KTM) 146
- Garyson Smith (KTM) 146
Bike MXC1 Race Results
- Colby Goodman (KTM)
- Nash Peerson (KTM)
- Landon Husted (KTM)
- Brian Poindexter (KTM)
- Hunter Porco (COB)
Bike MXC1 National Championship Standings
- Colby Goodman (KTM) 139
- Caleb Wood (KTM) 132
- Brian Poindexter (KTM) 128
- Hunter Porco (COB) 120
- Ashton Pellegrini (HQV) 117
Bike MXC2 Race Results
- Logan Schager (HQV)
- EJ Lingenfield (KTM)
- Bently Saxon (KTM)
- Christian Olian (KTM)
- Isabel Boorom (KTM)
Bike MXC2 National Championship Standings
- Nash Peerson (KTM) 140
- Maddox Moretz (COB) 135
- Logan Shafer (KTM) 127
- Bentley Saxon (KTM) 123
- EJ Lingenfield 122
About GNCC Racing:
The AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series (“GNCC”) is America's premier off-road racing series, featuring motorcycles, ATVs and Side-by-Sides, for men, women and children of all ages. 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 trails ranging in length from 8 to 12 miles. With varied terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed, drawing talent from all over the United States, Central America, South America, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. GNCC Racing is televised on NBC Sports and RacerTV.com. For more information, 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.