Team ITP Race Report: Mountaineer Run GNCC

Lucas Cooney
by Lucas Cooney
Patrick McGuire Mountaineer Run GNCC (Amy McConnell, XCountry Photos)

The Mountaineer Run, held at Marvin’s Mountaintop in Masontown, WV, was another new stop on the 2012 Grand National Cross Country schedule, but for many it had an old school feel. Round seven of 13 was held on a technical, rough, rocky, semi-muddy course not far from the familiar Snowshoe GNCC site. Plus it was also just good old fashioned hot, which all added up to a challenging weekend for man and machine. But Team ITP was up for it, and notched a number of victories using a variety of ITP QuadCross and Holeshot tire setups.

A most impressive display of skill and endurance was put up by Patrick McGuire (Yamaha). The Valencia, Penn. native blasted out of the first turn in first and never looked back, leading the XC2 Pro Am class from start to finish, securing his second win of the season by nearly three minutes. It was good for ninth overall out of 186 top competitors in the afternoon wave of racing, and moved him back into the points lead.

Finishing second in XC2 was Matt Hanna, backed by Greg’s ATV and running ITP tires on his Yamaha YFZ450. It was Hanna’s third podium appearance of the season, which puts him in fifth place in the class standings.

Glenn McConnell Mountaineer Run GNCC (Amy McConnell, XCountry Photos)

The morning race was once again the domain of Dave Simmons (Yamaha). It’s the fifth occasion this veteran has taken the overall victory in 2012, this time ahead of 250 other amateur class athletes. He’s also undefeated for the year in the Super Senior 45+ class. Maybe age really is just a number.

Angel Atwell Mountaineer Run GNCC (Amy McConnell, XCountry Photos)

The Masters 50+ class proved to be a slugfest, as ITP’s Glenn McConnell (Yamaha) came up just five seconds shot – in over two hours of racing – of his fifth win of the year. He’s still in it to win it when the series concludes in early November, as he holds a close third in the class standings.

Speaking of close, the Women’s class championship could very well be decided by a tiebreaker. Angel Atwell (Honda) finished second in class and sixth overall at the Mountaineer, and is just two points out of the points lead. It was her seventh podium finish in seven events, including three victories.

Still searching for that elusive top step is Adam McGill (Honda). Bad luck has plagued this XC1 Pro star all year, and this event was another agonizing example. McGill nailed a decisive holeshot and was battling for the lead on the first lap when a mechanical failure put him on the sidelines early. But McGill is one of the most popular, upbeat riders on the circuit, and he’s remaining focused on that checkered flag.

The next event takes place at the ski resort in Snowshoe, WV June 23-24.

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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