Rachel Gutish

• Tuesday Toolbox: Craig DelongDecember 18, 2018Twenty-one-year-old Craig DeLong was this year’s representative from the GNCC Nation sent to compete at the final round of the JNCC (Japan National Cross Country) series. This exchange has been going on for thirteen years now, with notable names like Josh Strang, Ricky Russell and Trevor Bollinger traveling to Japan in the past. DeLong hails from Morganton, Pennsylvania, and finished third this year in a stacked XC2 class. This year, JNCC pro racer Ren Ishidoya competed in XC1 at Snowshoe, along with a top women’s racer, Mai Ishimoto. Despite a slow start and unfamiliar terrain at the JNCC in Omachi City, Japan, he was still able to place second against Japan’s best!
• Tuesday Toolbox: Kevin CunninghamDecember 11, 2018Kevin Cunningham, the 2018 4x4 Pro Champion has been unusually successful at GNCC Racing. Not only is this his third-consecutive title, but his third title out of only three years pursing the GNCC series. In short, every year he has raced GNCC full-time, he has won the title. The 27-year-old Indiana native’s GNCC career has been short but sweet – he recently announced that he will be retiring from full-time racing so that he can spend more time with his newborn son.
• Tuesday Toolbox: Jesse AnsleyDecember 4, 2018Jesse Ansley is the 2018 XC3 Champion. The 18 year-old from Myakka City, Florida won his first pro title this year. While he is on the injured list right now, he is already excited for the challenge of defending his title next season and is looking forward to working with a new team, the Trail Jesters.
• Tuesday Toolbox: Hunter MillerNovember 27, 2018Hunter Miller is runner-up no more! After the 32-year old from Texas lost the XC1 UTV title to his brother (Cody Miller) twice, he now has a championship of his own. The brothers are former ATV motocross racers who ended up in UTV racing almost by accident. They first came to GNCC racing in 2016, and one of the pair has won the title ever since. I talked with Hunter about how he finally netted his first title and how he came to race UTVs in the first place. With this being the last year of UTV racing at the GNCCs, I was especially interested in his plans for next season as well.
• Tuesday Toolbox: Traci PickensNovember 20, 2018Traci Pickens is arguably the most successful female ATV racer ever. She has over a decade’s worth of titles; her 2018 GNCC title marks her ELEVENTH championship in the premier women’s class, something that I feel can only be properly represented in all-caps. I chatted with Pickens about championship and her past and future in the sport. 
• Tuesday Toolbox: Hunter HartNovember 14, 2018The 2018 XC2 Pro-Am ATV champion is 18-year-old Hunter Hart, from Newfield, New York. He has been riding ATVs since he was two and a half years old and has been racing GNCCs since 2009. Fast-forward nine years, and Hart has worked his way up through the youth ranks and will be stepping up to the XC1 pro class next season.
• AMSOIL Ironman GNCC Women’s Race ReportNovember 9, 2018The last race in the 2018 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series, an AMA National Championship, took place on October 27 and 28. Named after the late, great “Ironman” Bob Sloan, the race is now in its 24th year on the GNCC circuit. Ironman is one of the most popular tracks in the series, while featuring creek crossings, elevation changes, flowing trails and gigantic grass track sections. Also, as an added bonus select parts of the Ironman Pro Motocross track are incorporated into the race course.
• Tuesday Toolbox: Ben KelleyNovember 6, 2018Ben Kelley was last interviewed back in March, between the first and second round of the series. He had quite the battle with reigning XC2 Champion Josh Toth at round one, and then at round two in Florida, after another close race, Kelley finally took home his first XC2 win. At this point I suspected he was going to have a strong season, but I never would have guessed before the season was out he would not only have wrapped up his first National Championship, but also have been on the overall podium two times – very impressive when you’re coming from a row behind!
• Tuesday Toolbox: Kailub RussellOctober 30, 2018This rider needs no introduction. He earned his sixth XC1 Open Pro National Championship this year, which puts him second on the all-time GNCC bike championships list. He also sits on top of the leaderboard for most GNCC bike overall wins with a whopping 54. Without further ado, here’s Kailub Russell!
• Powerline Park GNCC Women’s Race ReportOctober 24, 2018The twelfth round of the 2018 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series, an AMA National Championship took place on October 13th and 14th at Powerline Park in St. Clairsville, Ohio. It’s well-worn but familiar to longtime series chasers, with several good spectator points to keep the non-riders entertained.
• Tuesday Toolbox: Zac ZakowskiOctober 23, 2018You may have noticed in recent years that the Ironman GNCC is swimming in pink. One man behind that color change and the breast cancer awareness fundraising is Zac Zakowski. His name might sound familiar – though he now races his side-by-side in short course events, he is a former 4x4 ATV and UTV racer in the GNCC series. While he no longer regularly competes in GNCCs, he still returns for the annual breast cancer awareness fundraising. With the Ironman coming up this weekend, I thought it would be a good time to talk to Zac about how the fundraising got started and how the GNCC Racing Nation can help.
• Tuesday Toolbox: Walker FowlerOctober 16, 2018This past weekend at the Powerline Park GNCC, reigning ATV XC1 champion Walker Fowler wrapped up his fourth consecutive XC1 title. The 25-year-old from Rogers, Ohio first started attracting attention as a youth racer, both on ATVs and bikes. When he went pro he decided to focus on ATV racing, and it appears that decision has paid off. I talked with Walker about his season, the possibility of catching up to some people on the career ATV XC1 title leaderboard and what advice he would give kids who want to someday be a top racer.