Borich Picks up Second Win of Season
Suzuki’s Chris Borich picked up his second win of the season with a come-from-behind victory in Round 9 of the Can-Am GNCC Series in Somerset, Pa. on July 6.
After a mid-pack start, Borich started his move through the field of pro racers. He was in seventh place after the first lap worked his way into the lead one lap later – a lead he would never relinquish.
“The race went pretty good,” says Borich. “We had a mid-pack start but got to the lead on the second lap and just held onto it from there.”
The win is the first for Borich since he took top spot four months ago in the first GNCC race of the season. The win moves him up to fifth in the standings with 158 points. He is now 33 points behind Yamaha’s Bill Ballance and just two points out of second place.
Yamaha’s Brandon Sommers gave Borich his stiffest challenge and the GNCC rookie finished the race in second, while XCBob.com’s Matt Smiley rode his Honda to third, his best finish of the season.
Rounding out the top five were GT Thunder Yamaha’s Johnny Gallagher and KTM’s Taylor Kiser. Chris Jenks rode his Warnert-Racing Can-Am to sixth place, one spot ahead of Ballance.
Ballance led the race early and took the ITP Tires Holeshot Award, but he had problems with his steering that forced him to pit. Despite his seventh place finish, he still managed to increase his points lead over Team Excell Motorsports rider Bryan Cook, who finished ninth.
GT Thunder Yamaha’s Don Ockerman bested Mark Notman and Brian Wolf to claim the XC2 Class victory.
In the morning race, Tom Clark Motorsports Honda rider Angel Atwell fought off Yamaha’s Traci Cecco for the overall victory.
The Can-Am GNCC Series will now begin its annual summer break. Racing will resume Sept. 13-14 with the Snowshoe GNCC in Snowshoe, WV.
Mountain Ridge GNCC:
| Position | Rider | Manufacturer |
| 1. | Chris Borich | Suzuki |
| 2. | Brandon Sommers | Yamaha |
| 3. | Matthew J. Smiley | Honda |
| 4. | Johnny Gallagher | Yamaha |
| 5. | Taylor Kiser | KTM |
XC1 Pro Class Standings:
| Position | Rider | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1. | Bill Ballance | Yamaha | 191 |
| 2. | Bryan Cook | Honda | 166 |
| 3. | Adam McGill | KTM | 160 |
| 4. | Brandon Sommmers | Yamaha | 159 |
| 5. | Chris Borich | Suzuki | 158 |
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