Team ITP Report: Big Buck GNCC

Lucas Cooney
by Lucas Cooney
Patrick McGuire GNCC

This past weekend’s Big Buck GNCC, the fourth round of the Grand National Cross Country Series, featured heavy dust on a rough course with lots of hidden stumps and other nastiness lying in wait to ruin someone’s day. Several ITP-sponsored racers were able to fight through the conditions and earn a podium finish.

For the second event in a row, XC1 Pro star Adam McGill ( Honda) was able to storm back from a tough start and put himself in solid contention for the overall victory. His bid for the win came up just two seconds short after two hours of racing. This inspiring performance shot him into second place in the point standings with seven events still remaining on the long schedule.

XC2 Pro Am series leader Patrick McGuire ( Yamaha) just missed the podium with a fine fourth place and 13th overall out of 157 riders in the afternoon wave of racing. McGuire held onto his number one position in the class standings.

Dave Simmons GNCC

And how about Dave Simmons (Yamaha), who placed second overall in the morning wave while capturing yet another Super Senior 45+ class win? That’s four out of four so far, and he’s making it look easy in the process.

Another “silver fox” having a good time showing the kids how to do it is Glenn McConnell (Yamaha). For the third GNCC in a row McConnell stood on the top step of the Masters 50+ class. He was also 13th overall out of more than 200 morning competitors. Because McConnell did not attend the opening round he only holds third in the class standings; at this rate won’t be there for long.

Angel Atwell

The Women’s championship is shaping up to be another nail-biter. At the Big Buck, Angel Atwell (Yamaha) was second in class and fifth overall in the morning racing. So, after four rounds she is now tied for first place in the standings. This one could very well come down to the wire when the series ends in early November.

Finally, here’s a shout-out for Jordan Digby (Yamaha), the youngster from Mississippi who’s been racing at every round of both the GNCC and ATV National Motocross series (plus motorcycles at the GNCCs). At Big Buck, Digby was seventh in the 90 Open 8-11 class, and he currently holds fourth in the standings. There were 89 youth division competitors at this event—a sunny forecast for the future of the sport.

The series now moves to a new venue, Park Mammoth Resort in Park City, Ky., April 28-29.

Lucas Cooney
Lucas Cooney

I have been working exclusively in digital media since 1997. I started out with TSN.ca, spending nearly nine years creating and editing content on Canada's leading sports website. I left to join VerticalScope, Inc., one of the world's largest online publishers, to start a number of powersports publications. While at VerticalScope, I've helped create and oversee content for a wide variety of different publications, including ATV.com, Off-Road.com, ArcheryTalk.com, Tractor.com, RVGuide.com, and many more.

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