Morgantown, W. Va. (October 4, 2011) - Just as Chris Borich began to settle back into a winning groove, the Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider experienced a flat tire in the rocky Pennsylvania terrain, leaving him with a fifth place finish at round eleven. However, with six wins and a commanding points lead, Borich is only three races away from clenching the 2011 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series Championship for the second year in a row.
The thirteen-race circuit heads to St. Clairsville, Ohio for round eleven, the ITP Power Line Park GNCC where riders will experience tight woods, plenty of mud and rock-based soil throughout the course. Chris Borich took the XC1 win at Power Line Park in 2010, but that doesn't mean anything when it comes to course changes and new faces in 2011.
GT Thunder-backed Brian Wolf grabbed his second career XC1 win last round, and it's quite evident that the pro class rookie shines in adverse track conditions. Wolf currently sits twenty-six points behind Ballance Racing Yamaha's Taylor Kiser in the top five point standings; a rough start to the season keeps Wolf out of the top three contentions this year.
The Warnert Racing Can-Am duo of Adam McGill and Chris Bithell has been a strong force in this year's XC1 title chase. McGill holds two wins so far this season and sits twenty-seven points behind the leader - arguably the biggest threat to Borich's defending 2010 title. Bithell has managed to keep his Can-Am consistently on the podium, but the third place rider has yet to clench a race-win this year.
The story of the year has been Ballance Racing Yamaha's Walker Fowler, this year's XC2 Pro Am ATV Champion and the only rider to go undefeated so far this season. From the second row, Fowler has taken two overall wins on adjusted time - making for exciting racing this season and leaving high hopes for next year's physical battles, if the young racer decides to join the XC1 class.
In the morning class, Yamaha's Traci Cecco clenched the 2011 Women's Championship after dominating last year's champion Kristen Atwell and other heavy hitters like Angel Atwell and Lexie Coulter. Cecco is amongst some of the most decorated racers on the circuit with eight National titles under her belt.
ATVs will compete throughout the day on Saturday, October 8 and dirt bikes will race all day Sunday, October 9. Local riders are invited to race the event as well, as GNCC racing offers classes for riders of all skill and experience levels. The amateur racer entry fee is $40 and riders can sign up at the track.
Spectator passes run $15 for the full weekend, with pro pit access and pro autographs at no additional charge. On both Saturday and Sunday, youth riders race at 8 a.m., beginner riders race at 10 a.m., and the top amateurs and the pros race at 1 p.m.
About GNCC Racing
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 1,500 riders through tracks 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. Riders compete for more than $3 million in prize money, which draws talent from all over the U.S., Europe, Australia and New Zealand. GNCC Racing is televised and airs every week on the Versus Network. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.