by: Kayla Bolton
Sunday, April 14, 2024 | 8:00 AM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Dunlop Motorcycle Tires Old Gray: ATV Race Report
Brycen Neal Continues Win Streak in Tennessee
MONTEREY, Tenn. (April 14, 2024) – The Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, kicked off its fifth round of racing in Monterey, Tennessee with The Dunlop Motorcycle Tires Old Gray GNCC on Saturday, April 13. With rain leading up to the event, the pit area was soft and muddy, however it made for prime conditions throughout the new trails in the woods.
Tennessee fans lined the woods for a thrilling 2 p.m. pro race. Phoenix Racing Yamaha’s Brycen Neal got a quick jump off the line, earning himself the $250 Kanati Performance Tires Holeshot Award. Neal would continue to push as he made his way through the all-new course on lap one. As the race continued on, Neal would push forward and remain in the lead position until the checkered flag flew after two intense hours of racing. Neal remains undefeated as he earned his fifth-straight win of the season.
WFR/GBC/Fly Racing/BNR/Yamaha’s Walker Fowler would have a good start to his day as he came around third on the opening lap. Fowler would continue to make his way through, making the pass for second on lap two and holding that position for the remaining two laps. Fowler would come through 42 seconds behind Neal to earn second overall on the day.
Earning his third podium finish of the season was Action Off-Road/GBC/BNR Motorsports’ Josh Merritt. As the green flag waved, Merritt would get a good jump off the line and would come through second on the opening lap. Merritt and Fowler would battle for part of the second lap before Fowler would make the pass stick. Merritt would hold onto the last podium spot as he finished third overall and in the XC1 Pro class.
Action Off-Road/GBC/Houser Racing’s Wyatt Wilkin did not have the start he hoped for as he came through seventh on the opening lap of the race. However, Wilkin would try to turn his day around as he continued to make the necessary passes towards the front of the pack. Wilkin would find himself inside the top five with just one lap remaining, and as he continued to charge, he would make the pass for fourth overall on the day.
Rounding out the top five overall finishers was Hunter Hart Racing/Fly Racing/Ithaca Recreation Sports’ Hunter Hart. As he came through eighth on the opening lap, Hart would put his head down and push on. He would come through fourth on the next lap and remain towards the front battling, but as Wilkin made his way up both of them would battle for that spot. Hart would be unable to hold off Wilkin, but he would continue to finish fifth overall on the day and in the XC1 class.
Phoenix Racing Yamaha’s John Glauda Jr. would have a consistent day as he battled back-and-forth in the sixth place position for the majority of the race. Glauda would come through to the checkered flag in sixth overall. BNR Motorsports/Fearless/Kenda’s Steven Harrell battled back from a ninth place start to his day, to coming through and finishing seventh overall at round five.
After running up in fifth on the opening lap of the race, Bullet Proof Doorz/BNR Motorsports/Senge Graphics’ Ronnie Rusch would unfortunately fall back to cross the line in eighth overall in Tennessee. JMR/GBC/Elka/Moose Racing’s Jarrod McClure also had a good start to his day as he came through fourth on lap one. However, McClure would fall back to ninth on lap two and be unable to make a real push towards the front. McClure would ultimately cross the line ninth overall. McGill Mafia/OBOR Tires/Moose Racing’s Adam McGill unfortunately got tangled up right after the start and would be unable to regroup and make a run towards the front pack. McGill would still push and come through tenth overall on the day.
For Action Off-Road/AMSOIL/CB Racing’s Chris Borich, he would unfortunately have to get towed off the course after the opening lap. As for Action Off-Road/Maxxis/Fly Racing/Lonestar’s Austin Abney, he would look to suffer a lower leg injury after completing one lap of the race.
When the XC2 Pro-Am class took off it was BNR Motorsports/GBC Tires/FXR/Action Off-Road’s Kenny Shick earning himself the BNR Motorsports Holeshot Award, but as the race got underway it was BNR Motorsports/Pierce Performance/GBC Tire’s Alex Thieman making the pass for the lead early on. Thieman would not look back and continued to push out front for the duration of the race as he led from start to finish to earn his second XC2 class win of the season. Phoenix Racing Yamaha’s Grayson Eller would have his work cut out for him as he made his way up to third, just to fall back to sixth on the second lap. Eller would regroup and continue to push towards the front again and would make the passes for third and then second as the checkered flag flew. Action Off-Road/Pierce Performance/Guts Racing’s James Glauda would battle inside the top five the whole race, ultimately crossing the finish line third in the XC2 class.
Coming through to take the Top Amateur honors was Brody Lee of the College A class as he earned 16th overall and first in his class. Dayton Hickey would come through second for the Top Amateur podium as he earned second in the College A class and 19th overall in the afternoon race. Jase Cooper rounded out the top three Top Amateur finishers as he came through 20th overall and third in the College A class.
As the 4x4 Pro line took off it was KMK Off-Road/OBOR/FXR’s Kaden Wharff grabbing the BNR Motorsports Holeshot Award, but Pro Row 784/TMS/Edgewood/DeRisi’s Brandon Frazier was right behind him to take over the lead on lap one. Frazier would continue to battle with Kenda/KMK/Ryco Electric’s Cody Collier, who would take over the lead on lap two from Frazier. As the race wore on the two would battle back-and-forth until the last lap when Frazier would unfortunately fall back to sixth in the 4x4 Pro class. Collier would go on to cross the finish line first overall and in the 4x4 Pro class with over a five minute lead on the rest of his 4x4 Pro competition.
DeRisi Racing/GBC/Action Off-Road’s Braden Reed would continue to battle throughout the day, making the necessary moves throughout the four laps to land himself in second on the 4x4 Pro podium, and third overall on the day. After winning at the previous round, Solesbee Racing/OBOR/DeRisi/Fly Racing’s Branson Solesbee would be another racer that continued to push himself for the duration of the race as he made his way back to third in the 4x4 Pro class after a sixth place start to the day.
Cole Lykins would finish second overall on the day after earning the overall win at the previous round. Lykins would also earn his 250 All-Star (14-17) class win as he continues to lead the points standings after five rounds of racing.
In the WXC class it would be Venom Powersports/DeRisi Racing/Houser’s Morgan Solesbee getting the jump off the line to earn herself the BNR Motorsports WXC Holeshot Award to start her day. The WXC class would see some intense battles throughout the two-hour race, but as the checkered flag flew it would be Osburn Off-Road/Pierce Performance/Moose Racing’s Chloe Harper making her way across the line first. Harper would have to make a last lap pass by Elioff Racing/BNR Motorsports/GBC Tire’s Jessica Elioff to take the class win after Elioff would lead the previous two laps of the race. This would be Harper’s second-straight win of the season. Elioff continues to hold the points lead after earning the first three wins of the season. Rounding out the top three WXC finishers was JMR/Action Off-Road/GBC/Moose Racing’s Katelyn Osburn as she battled back to the podium after starting the day back in the fifth place position.
As the Youth ATV race saw the checkered flag flying it was Stetson Owens coming through to take his first overall win and YXC1 Super Mini Sr. class win in Tennessee this season. As the rest of the racers made their way in it would be Garret Cox coming through in second overall and in the YXC1 class, while Jackson Hancock rounded out the top three overall finishers as he came through to earn the YXC2 Super Mini Jr. class.
Rounding out the top three YXC1 class finishers was Ethan Hopkins as he came through fifth overall in the youth race. Landon Glauda and Jacob Smallwood would round out the top three YXC2 class finishers at round five.
Keelyn Eichelberger would come through to take home the 250 (13-15) class win, while Ryder Mauney earned themselves the 250 Limited (13-15) class win. Then in the 125 (8-12) class it was Brantley Slack coming through to earn the win, and Mason Shrewsberry would come through to take the 125 Limited (8-12) class win. Eli Tate came through to take the 90 (8-12) class win, and in the Schoolgirl (12-15) class it would be Kaydence Ellis earning the class win. Raelynn Dickerson earned her fourth Girls Sr. (12-15) class win as Tenley Hart came through to earn her third Girls Jr. (8-11) class win. Rounding out the youth ATV results was JP Pickens Jr. who would battle back to earn the 70 CVT (6-11) class win.
Coming through to earn the Micro ATV overall win was Chad McCormick of the MXC1 class at round five. Casen Jennings in the MXC2 class would come through to finish second overall on the day and take home his class win. Kruz Libecco would battle back to earn third overall in the Micro ATV race, but second in the MXC2 class.
Hunter Lazzell and Joshua Swantek would come through second and third in the MXC1 class, while Justin Collins Jr. would come through to round out the top three finishers in the MXC2 class at The Old Gray GNCC.
Cash Knecht would come through to take the 50 Sr. (6-7) class win, while Ryder Lewis took the 50 Jr. (4-5) class win. In the 90 Stock (8-9) class it was Henry Cecco coming through to earn the class win in Tennessee and Sawyer Workman would take the 110 CVT Stock (8-9) class win.
In the Micro Bike race, it was Tripp Lewis coming through to take his third overall win this season and his third win in the MXC1 class. Davey Fairfield would battle back to finish second overall and, in his class, while rounding out the overall Micro Bike podium was Ben McDougald, as he came through to earn third in the class as well.
In the MXC2 class it would be Maura Tsakanikas crossing the finish line first in the class, earning her first class win of the season in Tennessee. Kane Morrison would come through to finish second in the MXC2 class while Cade Propst would come through to earn third in the MXC2 class at round five.
Peyton Austin would take home the 50 Sr. 1 (7) class win, while Carson Zink earned the 50 Sr. 2 (6) class win. Paxton Allen would battle back to earn the 50 Jr. 1 (6-7) class, Kolt Morrison took home the 50 Jr. 2 (4-5) class, Ryker Stuter would come through first in the Micro-E (4-7) class, Carson Propst earned his fifth straight win in the Micro Shaft Drive (4-6) class while Jamison Dodson took the Trail Rider (7-9) class win.
On Friday afternoon the first round of the Specialized eMTB GNCC National Championship took place where Ride Kanuga/Specialized/Rouleur Coaching’s Cypress Gorry would battle back and forth with Ben Ortt to take the win in Tennessee. Gorry would come through to earn the win with a 3.3 second lead over Ortt as the checkered flag came out. Orr finished second overall and in the XC1 class, while Specialized back racer, Hayden Dillon came through to round out the top three finishers at round one.
Coming through to take the XC2 win in the eMTB race was Coastal Racing’s Talon Hawk while Phillip Sollon and Gerald White would round out the top three XC2 class finishers.
Also grabbing a class win was Gunnar Shogren in the XC3 (40+) class, Ashley Hendershot would come through to earn herself the WXC class win, and Skyler McPherson brought home the Women’s class win. John Pellan would battle back to earn the Senior (40+) class win, and Alicia Meacham took the Women (35+) class win in Tennessee. Ralph Thorn would come through first in the Masters (55+) class, Marty Aloisio earned the Big Bore (200lb+) class win, Trevor Harris would earn the Amateur class win and Phillip Sollon would come through to earn the Youth (8-13) class win at round one.
Catch GNCC Pro ATV and Motorcycle Racing free via RacerTV.com all season long. Pro ATV Racing starts Saturday’s at 2pm ET, with the exception of Big Buck, Snowshoe and Ironman events where they will start at 1pm ET. GNCC Pro Motorcycle Racing will begin at 1pm ET on Sunday’s.
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.
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Dunlop Motorcycle Tires Old Gray GNCC Results and Points Standings
Monterey, Tennessee
Round 5 of 13
Saturday, April 13, 2024
XC1 Pro Event Results:
- Brycen Neal (YAM)
- Walker Fowler (YAM)
- Josh Merritt (YAM)
- Wyatt Wilkin (YAM)
- Hunter Hart (YAM)
- John Glauda Jr. (YAM)
- Steven Harrell (YAM)
- Ronnie Rusch (YAM)
- Jarrod McClure (HON)
- Adam McGill (HON)
*Overall National Championship Standings:
- Brycen Neal (150)
- Walker Fowler (121)
- Joshua Merritt (99)
- Wyatt Wilkin (80)
- Adam McGill (75)
- Hunter Hart (71)
- Steven Harrell (65)
- John Glauda Jr. (55)
- Austin Abney (53)
- Chris Borich (51)
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2024 National Champion.
XC2 Pro-Am Event Results:
- Alex Thieman (YAM)
- Grayson Eller (YAM)
- James Glauda (YAM)
- Daulton Keyes (HON)
- Keaton Henderson (YAM)
- Branden Owens (YAM)
- Christopher Howard (YAM)
- Tavin Cook (YAM)
- Tanner Walker (YAM)
- Braxton Grosse (HON)
XC2 Pro-Am Series Standings:
- Alex Thieman (122)
- Grayson Eller (116)
- Braxton Grosse (101)
- James Glauda (88)
- Dylan Walraven (73)
- Alex Elioff (67)
- Daulton Keyes (63)
- Christopher Howard (63)
- Keaton Henderson (52)
- Kenny Shick (51)
To get the latest GNCC Racing clothing and merchandise visit https://www.mototees.com.
About GNCC Racing
The Progressive Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, is the world premier cross country racing series. Founded in 1975, the 13-round motorcycle and ATV championship and 10-round eMTB 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 2,800 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]