FRE/KTM GNCC Race Report - Round 2

ATV.com Staff
by ATV.com Staff
Angel Atwell wins the General

FRE/KTM rider Angel Atwell took the win in the Women’s class at the second round of the GNCC Series passing for the lead with three turns to go after a two-hour battle.

At the start of the morning race, Atwell muscled her way into a third place starting position around the first corner. Atwell took the lead for a brief moment on the first lap battling back and forth with her niece and fellow competitor, Kristen Atwell. She lost the lead and dropped back to fifth on the second lap after getting hung up in the woods. A quick pit at the end of the third lap helped Atwell climb back into third and pull Kristen Atwell and Tracy Cecco back into sight.

At the end of the fourth lap Atwell overtook Cecco for second position and began to close in on Kristen Atwell. The two riders battled for the entirety of the final lap going wheel to wheel into the final woods section. Three turns before the finish Atwell made a bold move through the trees and was able to make the pass and take home the victory winning the race by a mere one second.

Angel Atwell

The excitement of the day would carry on into the afternoon race where XC1 rider Byran Cook lined up for his second race aboard his new KTM machine. Cook started the race in sixth and quickly moved to fourth after passing Donald Ockerman who missed a jump on the motocross section. At the end of the second lap top runners Chris Bithell and Chris Borich along with Cook decided not to pit and all took over the top three positions. At the end of the third lap Bithell crashed, holding up Borich in the process allowing Taylor Kiser, Bill Ballance and Cook to get around. Near the end of the race, Borich, Adam McGill and Bithell were able to make a last minute charge finding there way around Cook. After the two-hour race, Cook went home with a respectable sixth place finish.

In the XC2 class FRE/KTM rider Josh Kirkland started in third position around the first turn. Early in the race he hit a tree and lost a lot of time to the lead group which he fought to make up the remainder of the race. Unfortunately, near the end of the race he also encountered overheating of his rear brakes which caused him to move from his third place position back to fourth. It was a tough race for the defending XC2 Champion, but at the end of the day, he was able to finish in fourth position to remain in the points chase.

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FRE/KTM GNCC race report – Round 1

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