Morgantown, W. Va. (November 9, 2011) - Racer Productions is proud to announce the 2011 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series Youth Overall champions in both the ATV and bike disciplines. Congrats out to Newfield, New York's Hunter Hart for claiming the ATV Youth Championship title and Bedford, Indiana's Austin Lee for taking the Youth bike championship.
Hunter Hart dominated the ATV 90 Open (8-11) class all season long, sweeping every round except for his home state race at Unadilla when he sat out with a broken arm. Hart healed up and continued to edge out tough competition including Cody Collier, Blaine Martin, Zachary Jones, Josh Simmons and Charlie Welch - all who contested Hart for the Overall lead until the final round of racing. Hart, an 11-year-old sixth grader, goes down in GNCC Racing history as the youngest Youth Overall champion on the circuit.
On the bike side, Austin Lee won 11 of 13 races to claim the Super Mini (12-13) class championship over Ohio's Kevin Sutphin, the runner-up. While concentrating on beating out his class competition, Lee battled with front-runners of Super Mini (14-15) Levi Keller and Anthony Stone for the Overall Youth title. The championship came down to the final two races at the first-ever Parts Unlimited Loretta Lynn's GNCC double-header, and Lee performed under pressure with first and second place scores in the final two races, giving him the 2011 Youth championship title.
"GNCC Youth racers are the future of the sport and Racer Productions would like to congratulate all Youth competitors on a well-done 2011 season!" said Trail Boss Jeff Russell.
Youth ATV racers compete on Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. for one hour on a specially designed course throughout the woods, mimicking the very same obstacles that GNCC Pros see in the afternoon race. Youth bikes compete for 90 minutes, beginning at 8 a.m. on Sunday mornings and also follow the same course format as the Youth ATVs.
Austin Lee, Hunter Hart and the rest of the 2011 GNCC Champions will be honored at this year's GNCC Awards Banquet December 2 and 3 in Morgantown, W. Va. at the Waterfront Place Hotel and Convention Center. The top 10 ATV racers in each class will receive awards on Friday, December 2 and the bikes will celebrate on Saturday, December 3. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. each night and advanced reservations are required. For more information on the banquet or to reserve a room at the Waterfront Place Hotel, please visit the 2011 Awards Banquet Page.
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
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