Morgantown, W.Va. (December 7, 2009) -- Over 1100 members of the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series racing community arrived at the annual series' banquet throughout the weekend, held at Lakeview Resort in Morgantown, W.Va. , to celebrate the season's accomplishments a final time in 2009. The banquets--held on Friday night for ATVs and Saturday night for motorcycles--recognize the top-ten riders in every GNCC class and also present a variety of specialty awards to riders as voted on by their fellow racers and GNCC staff.
While riders, friends, fans and family enjoyed a buffet meal, photos from the year flashed across two projector screens until the awards ceremony began. On the ATV side, Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Chris Borich was presented with the Rider of the Year Award for toppling Yamaha's Bill Ballance's nine-year win streak and taking his first GNCC Title. Ballance was named the rider with the most wins in GNCC history with 68 wins. Ballance currently leads Barry Hawk, who won championships on bikes and ATVs by one win on the all-time list.
Warnert Can-Am's Michael Swift won the Utility Rider of the Year award after he finished the season undefeated in the 4X4 Limited class. Doug Howarth won Youth Rider of the Year award for clinching the 90 Modified (12-15) class championship.
Yamaha's Taylor Kiser moved up from national number six to national number two, and was presented with the Most Improved Rider Award for his hard work. The Bad Ass Award went to Ballance. He had a cancerous mass removed from his ribs just weeks before the season opener in Florida, and after two rough rounds, worked his way up to fourth overall by the end of the season.
Warnert Can-Am's Brent Sturdivant was presented The Good Samaritan Award for assisting Yamaha's Brandon Sommers off the track when he was injured at Ironman. The Shadron Family was presented with the Rough and Ready Pit Crew award for all of their help in the GNCC Youth Series. Team Faith, headed by Chuck Lemaster, who races both UTVs and bikes, was presented with the Sport Ambassador Award. The Award of Media Excellence went to Dave Smith and Rodney Tomblin for Track Smack Live. Can-Am was named Sponsor of the Year for their funding of the GNCC Television Shows on the Versus Network.
The Hard Luck Award went to XC2 Pro-Am's Brian Wolf, who battled with Josh Kirkland the entire season for the championship. Wolf lost the championship by one point when he DNF'd at St. Clairsville.
Yamaha Motor Corporation won the Manufacturer's Cup based on the finishes of each brand's top two overall riders in each race. The state of Ohio won the State Championship, based on winning the most GNCC Titles of any state.
The top five riders in each GNCC Class received contingency awards and prizes from sponsors such as Can-Am, Acerbis, Elka, FMF, ITP, Klotz, Maxxis, Moose Racing, Parts Unlimited, Pirelli, Wiseco, Alpinestars, BRP, Cometic, HiPer Technology, Moto Tees, MUD, National Guard, Ogio, Powersports Grafx, Rekluse, Scott, Thor, Tire Balls, Twin Air and Weekend Warrior.
After the awards ceremony, riders, friends, families and fans headed to the Can-Am After Party as the live band Eighties Enough played tons of popular hits from the 1980s. Guests danced until the early hours of the morning as they celebrated the 2009 season.
College A rider Patrick Burch was awarded the Hot Bod award, beating out tough competition.
The 2010 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series kicks off on February 27th- March 2nd as part of Bike Week at the Westgate River Ranch Resort in River Ranch, Florida, ATV's racing on Sunday, February 28, and bikes racing on Tuesday, March 2.
For more information, check out the official series website at www.gnccracing.com or call 304-284-0084.
The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series is America's premier off-road racing series. Founded in 1979, the 13-round championship is produced exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The grueling three-hour GNCC races lead as many as 1,800 riders through tracks ranging in length from eight to 12 miles, competing for more than $3 million in prizes. With varied terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.