Welcome to Quick Fill. 

It’s time to go GNCC Racing once again and this weekend it’s a return to Sunday Creek Raceway, this time for the Burr Oak GNCC. Now, we know that not everyone is a fan of the double events at a single venue in a single season but this one is a good bit different than The John Penton earlier this year. More on that coming up next. But first, let’s roll through a few other tidbits before we talk a little about the track and then wrap up another edition of Quick Fill. 

First off, if you’re on the fence about coming this weekend then get off and get to the track. Even if you’re not racing, the racing action could be some of the most intense racing we’ve seen in quite some time. Walker Fowler and Brycen Neal are neck and neck in the hunt for the ATV National Championship and this is a track where both riders have seen their fair share of success. In addition to that, there’s a slew of other guys who are looking and capable of playing spoiler to these guys as well. All in all, this weekend’s ATV race might be nothing short of epic. 

On the bike side, Jordan Ashburn might be in a pretty comfortable spot in the hunt for the GNCC National Championship but there’s a number of guys who want to end this season on a high note and even though the field is injury riddled, there are a number of guys still capable of winning races. Now, the afternoon bike course will once again have a special section that could shake things up as well. With that said, let’s talk a little about the track and what to expect out in the woods. 

When you take off from the start, you’ll be starting about a half-mile into the lap. You’ll pass the one-mile fairly quick and do a bit of zig-zagging through a mix of tighter and medium-speed trails to the two-mile mark. This sort of continues towards the three but you’ll add in a couple short trackside pitting field sections to contend with as well. At the three, you’ll head through the pro pits and then across the road through some fun field sections to the four-mile mark. You’ll then drop back into the woods again for a bit before another short field section will bring you back across the road and through some faster trail to the five-mile mark. 

Once you’re past the five, you’ll find some slightly slower trail with a few up and downhill sections that are really fun all the way to the six-mile mark. From there it opens up in a few spots and about the 6.5 the 1PM bike will split off into The John Penton Section. Now, the Penton Section is not included in the track map or the full mileage but we did put some special hand-written mile markers out there to let you know where you are. For this race, The Penton Section just might be the most technical it has ever been. Our buddy Jeff Hupp has been out there on and off for weeks getting things finalized and he’s really outdone himself this time. 

This will definitely be one Penton Section that you PM bike racers will not forget anytime soon. You’ll head across the road and through some single track type trail to the optional hillclimb about three-tenths of a mile into the Penton Section. It’s a doozy, and if you don’t want to hit it you can find an easy but much longer route to the right. Once you make it to the top of the hill, there’s a long steep downhill back to the bottom and through more single track before you pop out on a gas line. 

You’ll run some grass track type trail on the gas line and finally find the P1 mile marker (Penton 1). This leads you through more tight trail full of ditch crossings, log crossings, off-cambers and more all the way to the P2 mile marker. After the P2, there’s a couple of short but steep drops through some ravines and over a service road inside the Penton Section. They’re a little tough but I made it through it all with no real issues. 

This leads you to the P3 mile marker and through even more single-track before finding a really nice rock garden section. Once you’re out of the rocks there’s more single track and another steep downhill to the P4. From there you’re working your way back uphill and through some more single track before you get back to the main trail. This Penton Section will add on 4.4 miles to the PM bike race! 

For everyone else, you’ll pass by the entrance to the Penton Section and keep on trucking. For the PM bikes, you come back to the main trail just a little past where you left it. This will continue through some open trail to the seven-mile mark before you drop into another tighter and twisty section. This leads you to a faster section for a bit to the eight-mile mark where you’ll work your way back down into a bottom trail along a gravel road on the backside of the property. 

This zigzags back and forth a bit before working your way uphill to the nine-mile mark. The PM races will split off and head down to the Monster Mile where you’re working your way back forth around the bike flat rock section, up the creek run and a nice tough uphill as well. From there you’ll tie back into the AM loop and start heading through some slightly faster trail to the 10-mile mark. Not long after the ten, you’ll find the FMF Powerpoint which is once again on the uphill behind the concession stand. 

From there you’ll get within eyeshot of the finish then drop back into some tighter woods and work your way back and forth a bit to the 11-mile mark just before popping out at the finish. Then its just a half mile mix of woods and trackside pitting back to the starting line for a full lap at the Burr Oak GNCC. All in all it will be 11.1 miles for the PM ATVs and a whopping 15.5 miles for the PM bikes! 

Keep your fingers crossed that conditions stay nice and dry like they are now as things are really, really nice out there in the woods. With that said, that’s going to it for this week’s edition of Quick Fill. Enjoy your weekend and we’ll see you in Ohio!