GNCC Racing

The Specialized General: ATV Race Report

The Specialized General: ATV Race Report

Sunday, March 14, 2021 | 9:00 AM
by:
Sunday, March 14, 2021 | 9:00 AM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Specialized General: ATV Race Report
Fowler, Neal and McClure Round Out Top Three Overall

WASHINGTON, Ga. (March 14, 2021) – Round three of the 2021 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, began on Saturday, March 13 at Aonia Pass MX in Washington, Georgia with the 18th Annual Specialized General GNCC.

Walker Fowler (WFR/GBC Tires/Fly Racing/Yamaha) grabbed the $100 All Balls Racing Holeshot Award. Photo: Mack Faint
Walker Fowler (WFR/GBC Tires/Fly Racing/Yamaha) grabbed the $100 All Balls Racing Holeshot Award. Photo: Mack Faint

As racing got underway on Saturday afternoon it was WFR/GBC Tires/Fly Racing/Yamaha’s Walker Fowler grabbing the early lead and $100 All Balls Racing XC1 Pro Holeshot Award. Fowler would begin to charge up front, as he tried to place a sizeable gap between himself and the rest of his fellow XC1 Pro competitors behind him. As Fowler came through timing and scoring on lap three, he would begin to feel the pressure from Bneal Motorsports/CST/Houser Racing’s Brycen Neal, who now sat just 17 seconds behind him.

Neal, who was dead last off the starting line, made his way from seventh on the opening lap to third and then second by lap three. Neal was making the necessary moves to get to the front and battle with Fowler. As the duo came through to see the white flag, there was only one second separating the two. As a heated battle ensued on the last lap, Neal and Fowler would swap the lead position multiple times while out in the woods.

They both would also talk about how they were stuck in a mudhole and were surprised they both finished in the top two position. Fowler would make his way to the front once again, and as the pair made their way towards the finish Fowler would cross just .619 seconds ahead of Neal.

Rounding out the overall podium in Georgia was JMR/GBC/Elka/Moose Racing’s Jarrod McClure. McClure would start his day out in fourth, and at one point find himself running second overall. As the race wore on, McClure would be able to hold onto the last podium position as the white flag came out all the way until the finish.

OBOR/Moose Racing/Parts Unlimited-backed rider, Adam McGill came through to take the fourth place position at round three. McGill had a pretty consistent race, running inside the top five for its entirety. McGill would try to make the push for a podium position but would ultimately run out of time.

Rounding out the top five overall was Chris Borich Racing/GBC/Action Off-Road/Fly Racing/AMSOIL’s Chris Borich. After running in second on the opening lap, Borich would fall back to mid-pack, but work his way up to as far as fifth. Hunter Hart Racing/Maxxis/Fly Racing’s Hunter Hart would come through in sixth and after running a consistent race.

Pierce Performance/GBC Tires/Fly Racing’s John Glauda Jr. came through in seventh. When the race began Glauda Jr. began his day in ninth, but he would soon make a couple of passes stick to hold that seventh spot. Feehan Racing/GBC/Fly Racing/Nine2’s Devon Feehan came back from an 11th place start to the day to finish eighth overall.

Finishing ninth in XC1 Pro and overall was Merritt Racing/BNR Motorsports/GBC’s Joshua Merritt. Merritt has finished ninth for two-straight races now, and he remains eighth in the points standings. Rounding out the top 10 overall was FTR Graphics/Fly Racing/Nine2 Goggles’ Westley Wolfe. Wolfe would work his way up to 10th after a 12th place start to the day. As the white flag flew Wolfe made the necessary passes to make his 10th overall stick.

Ronnie Rusch (BNR Motorsports/Senge Graphics/Houser Racing) took the XC2 Pro-Am class win in Georgia. Photo: Mack Faint
Ronnie Rusch (BNR Motorsports/Senge Graphics/Houser Racing) took the XC2 Pro-Am class win in Georgia. Photo: Mack Faint

Coming through to take the XC2 Pro-Am class win was BNR Motorsports/Senge Graphics/Houser Racing’s Ronnie Rusch. After a good start to the day, Rusch made his way into the lead position. Rusch continued to lead the way for the duration of the race, ultimately crossing the finish line 48 seconds ahead of second.

Nine2 Goggles/GBC Tires/BNR Motorsport’s Tanner Walker came back from a seventh place start to finish second in the XC2 class. Walker currently sits third in the points standings for his class as he will look to be a consistent finisher this season in battling for the National Championship. PirateMX.com/OBOR Tires/Moose Racing’s Branden Owens rounded out the top three overall in the XC2 class. Owens had a terrible start as he came through 17th on lap one, but he would steadily make his way through the pack landing on the podium after five laps of racing.

Earning the Top Amateur honors was Jr. A rider, Jay Shadron after he finished 14th overall on the day. College A’s Steven Harrell brought home his class win, and second on the top amateur podium with a 20th overall. Jeremy Ledonne rounded out the top amateur podium after coming through 23rd overall and earning second in the Jr. A class.

Cody Collier (Kenda/BNR/Nine2/Custom Axis) brought home the 4x4 Pro and 11 a.m. overall win. Photo: Mack Faint
Cody Collier (Kenda/BNR/Nine2/Custom Axis) brought home the 4x4 Pro and 11 a.m. overall win. Photo: Mack Faint

Coming through to earn the 11 a.m. overall and 4x4 Pro class win was Kenda/BNR/Nine2/Custom Axis’ Cody Collier. After coming through timing and scoring in fifth on lap one, Collier put his head down and pushed. Collier would make the necessary moves and come through in the lead position. As he gained the lead Collier would continue to push and place over a two minute gap back to second by the time the checkered flag flew.

Earning second overall and in the 4x4 Pro class was OBOR/Can-Am/DeRisi Racing’s Landon Wolfe. Wolfe would have a consistent race, remaining in second throughout the duration of it. HMF Engineering/GBC Tires/BNR Motorsport’s Brandon Frazier rounded out the top three overall by edging out the BNR Motorsports $100 4x4 Pro Holeshot Award Winner, Can-Am/Tennessee Towing/BNR Motorsports’ Robbie Pecorari.

Steadily making her way through the pack from a third place start was Action Off-Road/Moose Racing/GBC Motorsports’ Katelyn Osburn. As the race wore on, Osburn would make her move into the lead position and after battling for two more laps she found herself crossing the finish line with over a minute gap back to second.

Fly Racing/GBC Motorsports/Yamaha Racing’s Traci Pickens would cross the line in second after battling at the front of the pack for the duration of the race. Pickens would hold the early lead, but she would be unable to hold off a charging Osburn as she made her way through the pack.

Kenda/HMF Engineering/Waynesburg Yamaha’s Emily Wise earned her first WXC podium at the conclusion of Saturday’s two-hour morning race. Wise made her way from fourth into the third place position as the white flag flew. Wise would hold onto that podium position until she met the checkered flag through the finish line.

Katelyn Osburn (Action Off-Road/Moose Racing/GBC Motorsports) earned her first WXC class win of 2021. Photo: Mack Faint
Katelyn Osburn (Action Off-Road/Moose Racing/GBC Motorsports) earned her first WXC class win of 2021. Photo: Mack Faint

Earning his first Youth Overall win of the season was New York’s Tavin Cook. Cook currently sits third in the points standings, but after his first win, he will be looking to earn more and move up in the standings. Coming through second and leading the way in the points was Caden Spires. After earning the win at round one, Spires continues to be a consistent contender on the podium. Rounding out the top three overall was Kaden Lambruno. With three steady podium finishes, Lambruno sits second in the points.

Starting off the day were the Micro ATV racers. As the checkered flag waved it was Kody Buckhannon earning his first overall win of 2021. Bryson Dickerson wouldn’t make it easy on Buckhannon as the two battled throughout the entire race. Dickerson would finish second overall and in the MXC1 class. Reed Stevens would finish third overall on the day and round out the MXC1 class top three finishers.

In the Micro bike race, it was Hunter Hawkinberry coming through to earn his second overall and MXC1 class win of the season. Hawkinberry currently leads the points standings in the MXC1 class by one point. Beau Garetson, who earned a win in Florida, came through in second overall and in class. Garetson currently sits second in the standings. Starting in the second row, Karson George of the MXC2 class came through to take third overall, and his first class win of 2021.

Wyatt Johnson and Levi Rains rounded out the top three in the MXC2 class, with Maddux Harris coming through seventh overall, and third in the MXC1 class. Grayson Porco took the 50cc Sr. class win with a ninth overall finish on the day. Shawn Remington Jr. took the 50cc Jr. 1 class win, while Wesley Cunningham earned the 50cc Jr. 2 class win.

Charlie Mullins (Gear Racewear/Specialized) earned the first win of the 2021 eMTB racing season. Photo: Mack Faint
Charlie Mullins (Gear Racewear/Specialized) earned the first win of the 2021 eMTB racing season. Photo: Mack Faint

Round one of the Specialized Turbo eMTB GNCC National Championship kicked off Saturday afternoon with 92 eMTB entries. Gear Racewear/Specialized-backed rider, Charlie Mullins took the overall and XC1 Pro class win. Mullins, who is currently defending his 2020 National Championship, got out front early on in the race and did not look back. Mullins would come through to earn the win with a 23 second gap over second. 

Coming through to earn second overall on the day was North Carolina’s Cypress Gorry. This was Gorry’s first GNCC eMTB race, but during his interview had mentioned he was not new to the mountain bike racing world as he competed in cross country racing events before. Last year’s runner-up, Live It Extreme’s Kyle Smith battled back to round out the top three overall finishers of the day.

Ty Teasdale earned the first Amateur class win, while Cooper Kuneff came through to take the Youth (9-12) class win and 15th overall finishing position. Mitch Hawkins would earn the Youth (13-17) class win, as Colin Dierman brought home the Senior (40+) class win. Winning the Masters (55+) class was Alan Sparks, while Callie Horwath came away with the Women’s class win.

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.

The Specialized General Results and Points Standings
Washington, Georgia
Round 3 of 13
Saturday, March 13, 2021

XC1 Pro Event Results:

  1. Walker Fowler (YAM)
  2. Brycen Neal (YAM)
  3. Jarrod McClure (HON)
  4. Adam McGill (HON)
  5. Chris Borich (SUZ)
  6. Hunter Hart (YAM)
  7. John Glauda Jr. (YAM)
  8. Devon Feehan (YAM)
  9. Joshua Merritt (YAM)
  10. Westley Wolfe (SUZ)

*Overall National Championship Standings:

  1. Walker Fowler (85)
  2. Hunter Hart (61)
  3. Brycen Neal (55)
  4. Jarrod McClure (51)
  5. Chris Borich (49)
  6. John Glauda Jr. (43)
  7. Westley Wolfe (37)
  8. Joshua Merritt (37)
  9. Adam McGill (36)
  10. Cole Richardson (36)

*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2021 National Champion.

XC2 Pro-Am Event Results:

  1. Ronnie Rusch (YAM)
  2. Tanner Walker (YAM)
  3. Branden Owens (YAM)
  4. Kevin Yoho (YAM)
  5. Ben Kowalewski (YAM)
  6. Max Lindquist (YAM)
  7. Dylan Walraven (HON)
  8. Kenny Shick (YAM)
  9. Grayson Eller (YAM)

XC2 Pro-Am Series Standings:

  1. Ben Kowalewski (71)
  2. Ronnie Rusch (70)
  3. Tanner Walker (62)
  4. Kenny Shick (49)
  5. Branden Owens (44)
  6. Wyatt Wilkin (41)
  7. Grayson Eller (37)
  8. Max Lindquist (36)
  9. Nick Davidson (36)
  10. Dylan Walraven (35)

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 opener 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 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

Media Contact:
Kayla Bolton
(304) 284-0084
[email protected]