by: Jared Bolton
Thursday, February 24, 2022 | 12:30 PM
Welcome to Quick Fill.
Wow. What a weekend. Round one of the 2022 GNCC Racing season has already come and gone and boy was it a great one. The dirt was probably the best it’s ever been at the Big Buck and there’s no doubt that a lot of folks really had a great time racing their ATVs and dirt bikes. And I say “a lot” there because that’s exactly how many people showed up for the Big Buck. The crowd of racers and spectators alike was huge and the weather for this little get-together was just about perfect.
A grand total of 2,336 racers took on the Big Buck this year and that number is the biggest turnout for a GNCC event that is not at Ironman. Ironman still holds the top five largest GNCC events ever with turnouts ranging from 2,373 to 2,710 but this year’s Big Buck was the sixth largest GNCC event in history. It’s pretty impressive to see so many come out to give the Big Buck a whirl and with a huge crowd, but even more impressive was the fact that even with huge numbers of racing, there definitely was still plenty of opportunities to pass, the race kept moving and with very little mud on the course, your clean-up process probably wasn’t too bad either!
Now our attention turns to the back-to-back events in Florida and Georgia. If you’ve never made this trip before, you’re in for a treat. The Florida course gets brutally rough and the sand will wear you down. Don’t forget to make an extra pit stop down there as the sand is killer on fuel milage. Even if you’re racing one of the two-hour events and can typically finish on a single tank of gas, still make sure you stop and fill up. There’s always a lot of riders who run out of gas on the final lap!
The Track Crew actually stopped off in Georgia this week after getting Big Buck cleaned up. We’ve scouted the property and have a pretty good plan for when we come back after Wild Boar. It was a little on the wet side while we were there, but the sun came out and the wind blew, which started drying things out before we left. Hopefully more of that sun and wind come while we’re in Florida and things stay dry for The General. There’s always a few soft wet spots here no matter what, but fingers crossed we don’t see too much of that!
Obviously, we’ll have the low-down on the Florida course next week but nothing yet as we’re still on our way there! So, given that today is a travel day to get down to Florida we’ll actually keep this week’s edition of Quick Fill on the quick side. I’ll end my contribution here, but our buddy Ken Hill is back this week for a few words. So, until next week, enjoy your weekend and we’ll see you back here next week!
Words From Ken Hill (Ken Hill)
The opening round, the big kick off, the start of yet another season of racing! No matter how one chooses to describe it, Big Buck was huge! A record number in attendance was just one highlight of the weekend as people turned out in droves to compete or watch and generally just have a great time. Over the years, this race has grown into one of the most anticipated and attended events that could very well see a split in the bikes like was done at Ironman. 800+ morning bikes tackled the track, parking lot and open ground was on the scarce side however, from my perspective, the layout handled those big numbers very well with only a few exceptions that I’m sure will be planned for in seasons to come. For me, the single wide entrance was my biggest obstacle throughout the weekend and I got trapped a few times trying to get from spot to spot but even that problem wasn’t really a big deal.
The source itself seemed to be well received with many claiming it was probably the toughest and most challenging race held here even with chilly but near perfect conditions. There was a little of everything in the course layout and riders coming off track seemed nothing but positive and excited to have competed. That says a lot about the work and thought that went into things and I believe the crews hard work really showed. Parking was a bit sticky as the bike crowd filtered in on Saturday which led to a bit of a traffic jam out on the main road. That single entrance/exit might have to be looked at and changed but again, with the amount of people coming in and out the wait times were acceptable just a pain in the butt! Now don’t take what I’m saying as negative, its quite the opposite! Any business that has weathered the storm over the course of near a half century can be proud of growth and the kind of growth we’ve seen is nothing short of amazing!
I’ve mentioned before that I get less done at the bigger attended races and now Big Buck falls in to that category. Job one is keeping up with the leaders which wasn’t really an issue as I only missed them at two spots, one on each day. There is nothing like pulling up and seeing them rip past your spot and you can do nothing except go cut them off again. It’s getting from point A to B that proves difficult with so many people walking, driving or riding everywhere. Sometimes you just have to lay up and play it safe and grab a shot near scoring just so you nail down a few images. And crossing the track? Forget about it! The video game of my youth “Frogger” comes to mind as you wait for an opening and then do your best Jesse Owens to make it across safely. That was Big Buck and I am stoked to see the growth!
Now if anyone leaves a race and isn’t tired, you did not do enough period. There is so much going on at today’s GNCC events that they are indeed events. There are usually seven races on Saturday, games and fun stuff to do at various pit areas, the Team Faith church and games and various get together dinners that fill the area with the smell of great food! Saturdays are so busy that Sunday at some events just seems to trot where the day before was a full gallop! I think the series wants to keep you active, so trouble stays at a minimum, but the secret is they want to tire you out, so you’ll be ready for a good night’s rest haha! Seriously, the GNCC weekends have changed, and I’d say a continual work in progress, I just wish I could hang out and enjoy more of it!
That is about all from me this week as I will save the race talk and who dun what for next week. I continue to be amazed but the support everyone shows me knowing how poor my health is and my family appreciates it as well. We still have nothing on when the transplant could take place however they scheduled my next doc’s visit in June so I assume they figure I will still be alive come early summer! AS always, be safe in your travels and may the good Lord continue to bless us all!
Random Photo of the Week (Jared Bolton)
The GNCC Track Crew had to play GNCC Fire Department Monday morning following Big Buck. At some point late Sunday or early Monday, someone had thrown a small grill or hot coals in the dumpster. By 9am Monday, the dumpster had a good bit of a fire going! Luckily, the water truck was full and didn't take very much to extinguish the blaze.
So, please keep this in mind if you toss stuff in the dumpster! Make sure anything you had that was hot as cooled down because had nobody been around, there's no telling how long this could have burned or what else it could have ignited! By no means are we saying anyone threw something hot in there on purpose, but just be mindful when throwing things out.
