by: Rachel Gutish
Saturday, July 11, 2020 | 9:40 AM
John Penton Youth Bike Race Report
Davis and Harwell win The John Penton
Round seven of the 2020 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, took place June 27th and 28th in Millfield, OH, with The Wiseco John Penton GNCC. The John Penton is one of the oldest rounds on the series schedule, with a ton of history as well as lots of existing trail to work with when building the track. The ground here is the classic southern Ohio red clay – slippery when wet, slippery when dry, and amazingly tacky and rutted when conditions are perfect. It also tends to be on the rocky and rooty side, especially when the ground is soft and the track gets chewed out.
The course conditions at The Penton were the best they have been in years. The ground was quite soft – it rutted up easily and formed a lot of whoops and dips. Combined with the rocks, all this made for a fairly technical and physically demanding race. Though there was some rain Saturday evening, fortunately it held off for both the youth and micro races. Of the 146 riders in the youth bike race, Grant Davis was the overall winner, while Gavin Harwell took the overall win in the 69-rider micro bike race.
With his rival Jack Joy out the rest of the season with a broken leg, Grant Davis sailed to a comfortable win in the YXC1 class. Though Lane Whitmer took an early lead, by lap three Davis was out front and building a lead. When the checkered flag came out, Davis had almost two minutes over Whitmer. The field was pretty spread out, as third place Noah Cooper also came in about a minute and a half down from second and with plenty of room to spare over fourth. When asked about his race, Davis told us “I got the holeshot, but the track was slick, so I took it easy for a few laps. Lane got around me, then I passed him back on the third lap, and kept the lead for the rest of the race.”
In YXC2, Andrew Segars took win number five this season. He swapped positions with Sawyer Carratura a handful of times, but ultimately came out on top. After a slow start, Chase Landers worked himself up into the final podium position, and lurked close by for the latter half of the race, though was never able to get close enough to make a pass stick. This was the first podium this season for Landers. When asked about his race, Segars said “John Penton has always been a challenging track for me – I don’t ever remember a dry Penton. Smart decisions and a laser focus helped me stay in position to take the win!”
The overall non-YXC rider in the bike youth race was Mason Raynor (KTM) racing in the 85 (12-13) class. He placed 8th overall.
Gavin Harwell had an excellent ride, earning his first MXC1/Overall win of the season! He led from start to finish, and with each passing lap pulled further and further ahead from the rest of the class. Points leader Coby Goodman placed second, coming in about thirty seconds ahead of Hayden Harper.
In MXC2, Hunter Hawkinberry took his third win this season, further solidifying his lead in the points standings. Up until the third lap, he received quite a bit of competition from Ace Tokar, but on the last three laps put the hammer down and pulled away. An impressive last-lap charge placed Brock Ragan within striking distance of Tokar, but ultimately Ragan was unable to get the job done, finishing a single second behind. When asked about his race, Hawkenberry said “I got the holeshot and fought hard the first couple laps. It was slick and I crashed a few times but not very hard. It was a good race!”
The overall non-MXC rider in the Micro bike race was Brody Haugh (KTM), racing in the 50 JR 1 (6-7) class. He placed 15th overall.
Round eight of the series will take place on June 11th and 12th in Dunkard, PA, with the High Voltage GNCC. ATV and Micro 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
John Penton GNCC
Millfield, OH
Round 7 of 13
June 27th and 28th
Bike YXC1 Race Results
- Grant Davis (KAW)
- Lane Whitmer (HQV)
- Noah Cooper (KTM)
- Caleb Lane (KTM)
- Dylan Sharpe (KTM)
Bike YXC1 National Championship Standings
- Grant Davis (KAW) 138
- Noah Cooper (KTM) 119
- Jack Joy (KAW) 115
- Lane Whitmer (HQV) 104
- Ryan Gribbin (KTM) 81
Bike YXC2 Race Results
- Andrew Segars (KTM)
- Sawyer Carratura (YAM)
- Chase Landers (HQV)
- Matthew Hallenback (KTM)
- Logan Pellegrini (KTM)
Bike YXC2 National Championship Standings
- Andrew Segars (KTM) 132
- Nicholas Defeo (KTM) 129
- Matthew Hallenback (KTM) 102
- Logan Pellegrini (KTM) 100
- Caden Vick (KAW) 99
Bike MXC1 Race Results
- Gavin Harwell (KTM)
- Colby Goodman (KTM)
- Hayden Harper (COB)
- Beau Garetson (HQV)
- Logan Schafer (HQV)
Bike MXC1 Championship Standings
- Colby Goodman (KTM) 135
- Gavin Harwell (KTM) 112
- Logan Schafer (HQV) 100
- Beau Garetson ((HQV) 88
- Christian Olian (KTM) 82
Bike MXC2 Race Results
- Hunter Hawkinberry (KTM)
- Ace Tokar (COB)
- Brock Ragan (COB)
- Karson George (KTM)
- Abram Shields (KTM)
Bike MXC2 National Championship Standings
- Hunter Hawkinberry (KTM) 138
- Ace Tokar (COB) 128
- Brock Ragan (KTM ) 120
- Abram Shields (KTM) 103
- Maddux Harris (KTM) 102
To get the latest GNCC Racing clothing and merchandise visit https://www.mototees.com.
How to Watch
Racer TV and MAVTV are the official homes for coverage of the 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 taped-delayed telecasts on MAVTV, while Racer TV provides live streaming coverage of the 2 p.m. ATV and 1 p.m. motorcycle races from each event. Catch all the action at http://www.mavtv.com/ and http://www.racertv.com/.
About GNCC Racing
The Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Specialized is the World’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 two and three-hour GNCC races lead as many as 2,400 riders through racetracks 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 live on RacerTV.com. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.
About eMTB Racing
The Specialized Turbo eMTB GNCC National Championship brings off-road racing and pedal-assist or electric bicycles together for an eight-round championship produced by Racer Productions. Much like a typical cross-country racing event, these races feature varied terrain featuring hills, rocks, roots, and more but are limited to electric, or pedal assist model mountain bikes only. For more information, please 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.
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Media Contact:
Kayla Bolton
(304) 284-0084
[email protected]