ITP Race Report: John Penton GNCC

Team ITP side-by-side vehicle racer Kyle Chaney won the UTV XC1 class and the UTV overall at round seven of the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country series in Ohio. ITP-backed Adam McGill finished second in the XC1 ATV Pro class, while Veteran ATV racer Kenny Rich Sr. won the Master 50+ class. Team ITP racers earned a dozen class podiums, which featured both ATV and UTV racing.

“I was very pleased to learn that Team ITP racer Kyle Chaney won the highly competitive XC1 Modified class and moved into a tie for second in points. It was also good to see Adam McGill finish on the XC1 Pro ATV podium. He was the front-runner all day at round seven running ITP Holeshot GNCC tires. The podium finish is a huge confidence builder for him,” says Pat McGuire, public relations / race support. “Our team had another double-digit performance, with a dozen podiums, and an outstanding weekend at a historic racing venue.”

Round seven of the ATV series was held in Millfield, Ohio, marking the 23rd running of The Wiseco John Penton GNCC. Round three of the popular SxS series was also held in Ohio. JB Racing / ITP SxS Pro racer Kyle Chaney drove his SxS to the overall victory and the XC1 Modified class win at round seven. He was sixth place after lap one, but passed three riders to move into second on adjusted time after lap two. Chaney rode confidently in second place until the final lap, when he made his move into first on adjusted time. It was his first victory this season. The win pulled Chaney into a tie for second overall, just 15 points behind the class leader with three rounds remaining on the schedule.

“I love the ITP Terracross tires for every type of terrain. I always know I can power through a corner and not have to worry about tire bite being an issue with ITP tires – they just hook up and I go,” says Chaney. “ITP tires are tough and that’s what it takes to be on top of the box.”

Team Jacks I (Jack’s Excavating / DragonFire Racing / ITP) finished third on the UTV XC1 class podium. The team finished the first lap in ninth place, but had gained three spots by the end of lap four. One lap later, Jacks I put the hammer down and passed three riders before the end of lap five to take over third place. It held that position the rest of the way to earn third overall and move into fifth in the class point standings. Chaney’s JB Racing teammate Tim Farr, piloted his ITP-outfitted side-by-side to sixth in the XC1 Modified class. Farr is currently 10th in the points chase after finishing in the top six at the last two rounds.

Team Jacks II continued its 2013 winning streak, extending it to three, by taking the UTV XC2 Limited class victory at round seven. The ITP support team finished 11th overall during the UTV portion of the event, completing the six-lap race in just over an hour.

In ATV racing action, Adam McGill (Lonestar Racing / Precision) put in an impressive ride in the XC1 Pro class. The ITP Pro led all but the final lap at round seven. He came off the start in good position and was the race leader by the end of lap one. McGill led the next three laps as well, but lost the lead on the fifth-and-final lap of the race. However, he matched his season’s top finish with second overall and currently is fourth in the XC1 ATV Pro class point standings.

William Lloyd finished third in the Junior A 22+ division for his fifth podium finish of the year. He’s currently the class points leader. Senior A/B (40+) racer Brian Schmid saw his string of class wins end, but his second-place finish at round seven bumped his points lead to six.

Masters 50+ class racer Kenny Rich Sr. won his class at round seven to expand his current points lead to 17. It was the third consecutive victory for Rich Sr., who was running ITP Holeshot GNCC tires at The John Penton event, and sixth podium of 2013. Kenny Rich Jr., who leads the 24+ C class in points, tallied his fourth podium finish of the year riding his ITP tires to second place in his class.

Media All-Stars / ITP racers Mark Batson and Kristen Deloach also posted class victories at The John Penton round. Batson, who has competed in five rounds this season and is third in points, won the 35+ C class for the fourth time. Deloach used ITP tires to win the Women’s Amateur (15+) class. It was her fourth class overall and sixth podium (she missed round one) in 2013.

Sam Williams, who finished second in the 4×4 Open class and 11th overall in the morning at round seven, ran ITP Terracross R/T XD tires on his 4×4 quad. Williams earned his sixth class podium and second straight runner-up finish of the season to move into a tie for second place in the 4×4 Open class points race.

After missing round six for personal reasons, reigning Super Senior 45+ class champion Dave Simmons made the trip to Ohio for round seven. He broke a chain, but still managed to earn the third spot on the class podium. Simmons holds second place in the class points race, but has four wins and five total podium finishes on the season.

XC2 Pro-Am class and ITP racers Nathan Wallpe and Chad Jones competed at round seven, but finished outside the top five. Jordan Digby, who competes in the 90 Limited 8-12 class and has two wins this year, took sixth in his class. After notching his first win of the year in the 125 Sr. class at the previous round, Carter Kerens took eighth in Ohio, but still holds down a top-five spot in the class points race.

Round eight of the GNCC series resumes with the Mountaineer Run, June 15-16, in Masontown, W.Va.