After months of seemingly endless rain and cancelled races the GBC crew rolled into the Rock Run GNCC in Patton, PA to find near perfect weather conditions with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 70’s. Upon completing the pre-race course inspection several top XC1 riders commented that the hard pack clay surface, with numerous jagged rocks strewn throughout would be a tire torture test of both traction and durability.
When the green flag dropped for the 10am race it was Kristen “Lightning” Atwell who used the grip of her X-Rex tires to grab her 4th consecutive holeshot. The top 3 ladies put on a show through the two hour race and all came flying across the finish line separated by less than 3 seconds. Kristen earned the second place position as well as 3rd overall out of 226 riders.
There was a scent of anticipation in the air as the riders lined up for the afternoon race, and it only heightened as the race got underway. It is quickly becoming a trend for GBC racers to earn the coveted holeshot awards and this week it was Bryan CookÂ’s turn. His Ground Buster II XC’s helped him launch off the line and lead the pack of XC1 pro riders out onto the 12.5-mile course. Cook finished 11th in round 7 but remains in 6th overall for the season.
In what has already been labeled the most exciting race in GNCC history the top 15 overall riders were separated by mere inches for over 3/4 of the race. Johnny Gallagher ended the day in 6th position, moving him up to 10th place in the standings. “I started near the back and had to fight and claw all day. The track made passing difficult, but my Ground Buster IIÂ’s hooked up awesome and pulled me up through the pack,” said Johnny after matching his season best finish.
Kevin Yoho followed Gallagher, finishing in 8th. Yoho sits just ahead of Gallagher in the points at 9th place. Jeff Pickens rebounded from a crash to cross the line in 9th and is in 11th in the points standings. With 6 rounds of racing complete GBC has a combined 9 riders in top 10 points positions of the premier XC1 and XC 2 classes.
David Reeves rode his Derisi Racing/ GBC backed machine to his 2nd win of 2011 in the Junior A class. Other standout rides by GBC supported riders included Rick Cecco’s 3rd place in the 4×4 open class, Jay Shadron’s 2nd place in the schoolboy A/B class, and Ashley Barbee finishing 2nd in the womenÂ’s novice class.
About GBC Motorsports: GBC Motorsports has been building ATV tires for over 30 years. Manufactured under the Greenball name initially, in 1995, GBC Motorsports was formed to focus on bringing to the ATV and Powersports market performance tires for every riding style. GBC MotorsportÂ’s passion is to provide the highest quality, best value, and most innovative performance tires to the Powersports enthusiast.
