Nearby was the Alba Action Sports pit sporting Chris Borich's new Honda. Borich was plagued with issues as he struggled to dial in his production quads in early '04. As things came together throughout the season, Borich quickly grabbed the attention of the racing community when he gained the top position at two of the last three GNCC races. He was on fire during the off-season as his team won the 12 Hours of ATV America, and he earned the top finish at the ATV Olympics cross-country race in Florida. Keep your eyes on Borich this season, as he wants the No. 1 plate and we believe he has what it takes to get it.
As for the champ, things appeared much the same on the outside. Now that factory Yamaha has one cross-country championship under its belt, it appears to have given Bill Ballance the type of support he deserves. His YFZ450 sat under his pit area mounted up with a new shiny-blue set of plastics and a custom Yamaha factory graphic kit created for the championship-winning quad.
GNCC Makeover
The promoters of the GNCC series called a riders' meeting early Friday morning to discuss their new goals for the '05 season. They were extremely excited to announce that GNCC television would be back in action this year and would be better than ever, considering the '04 season never aired. They really want to step up the quality of filming and create an image that even nonenthusiasts would find compelling. As a result, they feel it is important to dress up the image of the series. Larger and more-professional pit areas will be a new requirement for the racers. Extreme obstacles will be strategically placed close to the pit areas in order to make it easy for spectators and cameras to view the race action. Vending areas will be nicely arranged across from the pro pits as a central gathering area. It is important to make this series as spectator-friendly as possible, and the promoters are committed to doing so. Later this season they will announce the details as to when you will be able to catch the race action on television. We expect it will showcase the racing in a professional manner and help draw fans from outside our sport.
The Flag Drops
When the race action was set to kick off, all of the riders were swarmed by the media. The GNCC film crew scattered to find the perfect spot from which to capture the start. Everything became quiet as the prayer and the National Anthem rang out on the loudspeakers. When the course marshal finally held up the flag, the announcer screamed, "Ten seconds!" Everyone was anxious to see who would come out on top. Would Ballance win as expected; would the new-and-improved Borich strut his stuff; or would Smiley give Polaris its very first podium? The flag dropped, and Ballance took the holeshot and easily held that position throughout the first lap. Following him was William Yokley, Smiley and Bryan Cook. As Smiley rounded the first turn, a rock popped up from another quad and kicked off his ignition switch. It took about 30 seconds to realize what the problem was, and by that time Smiley was at the back of the pack.
On lap two, we were completely shocked to see Borich leading Ballance. Borich had moved from midpack to make the pass that would later lead to victory, but not without a fight from Ballance. They battled back and forth, bumping and banging bars all the way to the finish line. Quads were getting stuck all over the course because of the Texas-sized rocks scattered throughout the 10-mile race. Yokley dropped back a position due to a torn tire but managed to hold on to third place. A happy Santo Derisi finished fourth, while Smiley made a phenomenal comeback from last place to fifth. As Borich rolled through the checkered flag with Ballance right on his tail, we found our wish for an exciting season had been granted.
Looking To The Future
Borich proved at round 1 that he has found the winning combination that could take him to his first championship.