Snowshoe, W. Va. (June 23, 2012) – Brian Wolf’s aggressive racing style has almost become synonymous with the Snowshoe GNCC, the most grueling stop on the 13-round Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series. Wolf has had his fair share of good times on Snowshoe Mountain—including two overall wins in 2009 and 2010—but in the last two years, Wolf has run into issues that have hindered his ability to complete in the full two-hour race. After leading much of the 2012 Motosport.com Snowshoe GNCC, Wolf experienced yet another mechanical issue on the final lap, leaving Chris Borich to secure his seventh victory of the season in the XC1 Pro ATV class. West Virginia's Gabe Phillips went on to grab his fourth victory in the XC2 Pro Am division.
JG Offroad/FRE/American Honda’s Brian Wolf immediately put himself into the lead at the beginning of the two-hour race and by the end of Lap 1 Wolf had stretched the lead to nearly one-minute over Ballance Racing Yamaha’s Walker Fowler and Maxxis/Yoshimura’s Chris Borich. Fowler ran into some issues midway through the race, pushing the young gun outside the top five for quite some time.
“At one point I think I was all the way back to sixth and I guess I figured that was as good as I could do today, but before I knew it I had caught up with [Chris] Bithell and Borich,” Fowler said. “The mud holes were getting wider and deeper so it was getting a little more difficult to maneuver around, but the fans were awesome today in helping all of us get through!”
As Fowler dropped back, his Ballance Racing Yamaha teammate Taylor Kiser pushed his way into the lead-battle with Borich and Wolf. But it didn’t take long for Motoworks/Can-Am rider Chris Bithell to make his way around Kiser for the third spot, despite some mechanical issues he was experiencing along the way.
“Halfway through the second lap the link bolt came out of my stabilizer and I lost it,” Bithell said. “I thought the day was over but something sparked in me with the fans cheering like crazy and I honestly rode the rest of the race purely on adrenaline.”
Bowers/Coastal National Guard/Yokley Racing’s Jarrod McClure moved his way into the fourth place position and then engaged Fowler in a battle for the final podium position. McClure laid the pressure on the final lap, but after getting caught up in the treacherous Snowshoe terrain, he wasn’t able to secure a pass on Fowler for the podium spot. Meanwhile, Taylor Kiser lost a few positions as he got hung up on a rocky section on the final lap.
Borich inherited the lead from Wolf on the final lap of racing and the duo battled it out for the lead spot until Wolf snapped his chain near the 3-mile marker and wasn’t able to finish. Bithell then made his way into the second place spot, finishing only 30 seconds behind Borich for what would be a season-best second place for the Pennsylvania native. Borich's win makes it five in a row for the points leader.
“It was one of the toughest roughest tracks we’ve been to this year but it was an awesome time,” Borich said. “I was having a ball and the screaming, cheering fans made a huge difference helping us out of the mud hole.”
Fowler secured the third place position, followed by McClure in fourth and Taylor Kiser rounded out the top five. Fowler's third place moved him into the third spot in series points, just behind Kiser who sits in second.
Precision Motorsports/Lonestar Racing/Moto X Perts’ Adam McGill sustained a previous shoulder injury but McGill made one lap around the course to salvage class points at Snowshoe. BNR’s Kevin Yoho put in another solid sixth place finish, putting him in a four-way-tie for seventh place in the series with Jarrod McClure, Johnny Gallagher and Jeff Pickens. DeRisi Racing’s Bryan Cook finished seventh, while GBC/Cernics/HMF/Yamaha’s Johnny Gallagher came in eighth just ahead of Mark Notman in ninth and Josh Whitehead rounded out the top ten.
Waynesburg Yamaha’s Gabe Phillips secured his fourth win of the season after spending the afternoon battling with points leader and Tireballs-backed rider Pat McGuire for the win. Phillips made his way around McGuire in the final stages of the race, but it's McGuire who holds the XC2 points lead after eight rounds of racing. Greg’s ATV & Cycle’s Matt Hanna took home the third place position, just behind McGuire.
The brutal rocks, mud and slippery roots of snowshoe offered the ultimate showcase for the 4x4 machines. The Can-Am backed duo of Andrew Langston and Jordan Phillips made the most of the opportunity by grabbing the top two overall positions, marking each of their first podium appearances of the season. GT Thunder backed Dave Simmons persevered through the tough conditions to finish third overall for the day.
Can-Am X-Team’s Bryan Buckhannon and UXC Racing’s Michael Swift battled all morning for not only the 4x4 Open class-win, but the duo also ran in the overall lead for a majority of the race. Buckhannon got caught up on the final lap and Swift also ran into some issues, keeping both riders off the overall podium.
South Carolina’s Zachary Jones took home the Youth overall, in addition to the 90 Open (12-15) class win. Kentucky’s Kalab Hagan came in about two minutes behind Jones to secure second place in both the (12-15) division and the overall podium. Third place overall went to Indiana’s Drew Moore, who also took the 90 Open (8-10) class win.
Round 9 of the 2012 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series heads to Millfield, Ohio July 7 and 8 for the Wiseco John Penton GNCC. For more information, go to www.gnccracing.com.
XC1 Pro Results:
1. Chris Borich (SUZ)
2. Chris Bithell (CAN)
3. Walker Fowler (YAM)
4. Jarrod McClure (HON)
5. Taylor Kiser (YAM)
6. Kevin Yoho (YAM)
7. Bryan Cook (HON)
8. Johnny Gallagher (YAM)
9. Mark Notman (HON)
10. Josh Whitehead (HON)
XC2 Pro Am Results:
1. Gabe Phillips (YAM)
2. Patrick McGuire (YAM)
3. Matt Hanna (YAM)
4. Braden Henthorn (HON)
5. Joshua Merritt (YAM)
6. Tyler Bostock (HON)
7. Blake Kramer (YAM)
8. Mike Sroka (YAM)
9. Matt Pierce (YAM)
10. Jonathan Fugate (HON)
XC1 Standings:
1. Chris Borich (201) (7 wins)
2. Taylor Kiser (137) (1 win)
3. Walker Fowler (124)
4. Adam McGill (123)
5. Chris Bithell (116)
6. Brian Wolf (96)
7. Jarrod McClure (91)
8. Jeff Pickens (91)
9. Kevin Yoho (91)
10. Johnny Gallagher (91)
XC2 Pro Am Standings:
1. Patrick McGuire (148) (2 wins)
2. Braden Henthorn (134) (1 win)
3. Eric Hoyland (133) (1 win)
4. Gabe Phillips (126) (4 wins)
5. Matt Hanna (120)
6. Michael Lancaster (91)
7. Blake Kramer (84)
8. Josh Merritt (71)
9. Nathan Wallpe (70)
10. Randy Hamilton (62)
About GNCC Racing:
The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country series is America's premier off-road racing series. Founded in 1975, 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 ten to 12 miles. With varied terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed and draw talent from all over the U.S., Europe, Australia and New Zealand. GNCC Racing is televised and airs every week on NBC Sports Network. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.