Millfield, Ohio (July 7, 2012) - With temperatures over the 100-degree mark,
Sunday Creek Raceway hosted Round 9 of the 2012 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series in sunny southern Ohio. Amidst the warm temperatures, Chris Borich was still able to extend his points lead by grabbing his sixth consecutive win in the XC1 Pro ATV class, while Adam McGill and Walker Fowler battled to the final moments in order to secure podium finishes at The Wiseco John Penton GNCC.
Fowler finished 3rd for the...
Fowler finished 3rd for the day in his home state of Ohio
The John Penton historically serves as the final stop before the series takes a break over the summer months, and for good reason as the blistering heat of early July intensified the already grueling two-hour competition. Precision Motorsports/Lonestar Racing/Moto X Perts' Adam McGill was rearing to go in his first full race back from injury, taking the $250 Motosport.com Holeshot Award and putting himself into the lead-pack right away. Ballance Racing Yamaha's Taylor Kiser took control of the opening lap as he led McGill and Borich through Lap 1-where Kiser and Borich set in for their first pit-while McGill chose to keep his momentum rolling into the second place position.
As a result of the extreme heat, the afternoon race was just under the two-hour mark in an effort to protect racers, and Borich adjusted his strategy accordingly. Rather than the come-from-behind approach Borich typically uses, the defending champ laid it all out in the beginning stages, taking over the lead from Kiser on Lap 2. The Maxxis/Yoshimura rider set a pace that only he was able to match as he stretched the lead to over 20 seconds on McGill's second place ride.
Borich extended his points...
Borich extended his points lead with his sixth consecutive win
Ballance Racing Yamaha's Walker Fowler had high hopes of securing his first XC1 class victory in his home state of Ohio but after getting a fifth place start, Fowler wasn't quite able to catch Borich's pace. Around the halfway point, Fowler put the pass on his teammate Kiser for third and eventually set his sights on McGill for the second spot. Kiser experienced a setback after crashing on Lap 3, but was able to hold on for a fourth place finish. McGill and Fowler battled back and forth on the final lap but McGill held on to secure second place, with Fowler close in tow for third.
Motoworks/Can-Am rider Chris Bithell began the day playing catch up after spending extra time getting a rock out of his chain right off the start. But Bithell quickly made his way into the top five, where he came in less than a second behind Kiser for fifth place in XC1.
JG Offroad/FRE/American Honda's Brian Wolf started off inside the top five but eventually ran into some issues along the way. It began with a series of crashes in the second half of the race, and Wolf eventually pulled off on the second-to-last lap and finished one lap down from the rest of the field.
Bowers/Coastal National Guard/Yokley Racing's Jarrod McClure took a close sixth place behind Bithell, while BNR's Kevin Yoho came in seventh. GBC/Cernics/HMF/Yamaha's Johnny Gallagher took eighth and Craig Bowman and Mark Notman rounded out the top ten.
Borich extended his points lead with his sixth consecutive win
DeRisi Racing's Braden Henthorn grabbed his second XC2 Pro Am win of the season, beating out points leader and Tireballs-backed rider Pat McGuire for the victory. DeRisi Racing's Eric Hoyland landed the final podium position, while Waynesburg Yamaha's Gabe Phillips came in fourth. Greg's ATV & Cycle's Matt Hanna rounded out the top five in the Pro Am division.
GT Thunder's Dave Simmons continues his perfect season in the Super Senior (45+) with a huge victory in the class, while grabbing yet another morning overall victory at The John Penton. North Carolina's Kevin Trantham put in a solid ride to claim second overall and first place in the 4x4 Lites division, allowing him to maintain the class points lead. U2 points leader Clif Beasley grabbed the final overall podium position, also taking the U2 class-win over BNR's Robert Smith. Smith made his first podium appearance with a season-best third overall in the 4x4 division.
4x4 overall podium
The 8 a.m. Youth race brought a new dynamic to the overall podium as the top three finishers all came from the 90 Open (12-15) class. It was once again South Carolina's Zachary Jones taking home the Youth overall, while also grabbing the 90 Open (12-15) class win over Defending Youth champ Hunter Hart. Hart took second in the class, as well as in the overall podium finish. Ohio's Cody Collier rounded out the top three overall, with a third place finish in the 90 Open (12-15) class as well.
Round 4 of UTV racing followed the afternoon race, providing one of the hottest settings all season long. Coastal/National Guard driver William Yokely set a quick pace early in the race, but unfortunately Yokley ran into radiator issues in Lap 2 that kept the team sidelined for the remainder of the race. Team Can-Am Motoworks then took command of the race, leading all the way to the white flag despite considerable pressure from Team Excavating 3. Things really heated up on the final lap between the duo, and it was Team Excavating 3 who crossed the checkered flag first, with Team Can-Am/Motoworks in hot pursuit. Coastal National Guard rounded out the overall podium with a solid third place performance.
The 2012 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series takes a summer break before getting back underway September 15 and 16 for the Can-Am Unadilla GNCC. For more information, go to www.gnccracing.com.
XC1 Pro Results:
Chris Borich (SUZ)
Adam McGill (HON)
Walker Fowler (YAM)
Taylor Kiser (YAM)
Chris Bithell (CAN)
Jarrod McClure (HON)
Kevin Yoho (YAM)
Johnny Gallagher (YAM)
Craig Bowman (HON)
Mark Notman (HON)
XC2 Pro Am Results:
Braden Henthorn (HON)
Patrick McGuire (YAM)
Eric Hoyland (HON)
Gabe Phillips (YAM)
Matt Hanna (YAM)
Tyler Bostock (HON)
Blake Kramer (YAM)
Seth Mumford (HON)
Roman Brown (YAM)
Mike Sroka (YAM)
XC1 Standings:
Chris Borich (261) (8 wins)
Taylor Kiser (171) (1 win)
Walker Fowler (166)
Chris Bithell (157)
Adam McGill (153)
Jarrod McClure (124)
Kevin Yoho (120)
Johnny Gallagher (116)
Brian Wolf (116)
Jeff Pickens (107)
XC2 Pro Am Standings:
Patrick McGuire (192) (2 wins)
Braden Henthorn (181) (2 wins)
Gabe Phillips (164) (4 wins)
Eric Hoyland (156) (1 win)
Matt Hanna (154)
Blake Kramer (112)
Michael Lancaster (102)
Josh Merritt (88)
Nathan Wallpe (88)
James Green (74)
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.