Fowler Wins Season-Opening Wild Boar GNCC

After narrowly missing out on the 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series championship, N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha/Maxxis/Lonestar Racing’s Walker Fowler started off the 2015 season on a high note. Following two hours of intense racing, Fowler picked up a hard-earned victory at the Moose Racing Wild Boar GNCC in Palatka, Fla.

CST/Lonestar/DeRisi/Tire Blocks/Spider Graphics-backed Adam McGill shot off the start to capture the $250 AMSOIL XC1 Holeshot Award and the early lead. Coastal/Waynesburg Yamaha’s Jay Shadron jumped in behind McGill on the opening lap with Bithell Racing/Maxxis/Precision-backed Chris Bithell close behind.

Borich Earns Sixth Straight GNCC Championship

Off the start, six-time GNCC National Champion Chris Borich had issues getting off the line, where he was forced to make his way through the pack on the opening lap. Fowler also struggled to make it to the front early on, beginning the opening lap just behind Borich.

As the Yamaha-backed duo picked their way through the field, West Virginia native Adam McGill continued to maintain his lead out front. Bithell moved into the second place position by the halfway point but Borich and Fowler eventually caught and passed the Pennsylvania native to put themselves into podium contention.

Adam McGill led for the majority of the race before falling behind Fowler after getting stuck behind lapped traffic.

McGill dominated a majority of the two-hour race but it wasn’t until the final moments that things began to heat up. On the final lap, Fowler caught the rear wheel of McGill and the two battled through the final turns of the sandy Florida soil. With lapped traffic scattered throughout the course, McGill and Fowler were forced to take alternative lines. Fowler capitalized on the opportunity to make his way into the lead, while McGill got stuck behind lapped traffic. Fowler went on to capture the first win of the season, with McGill only two seconds behind for the runner-up position.

Fowler wasn’t able to make the podium celebration as he experienced some cramping issues immediately following the race. His mechanic, Mark Notman, gave an update to the fans on the podium.

Borich, aboard his all-new Yamaha-backed program, finished third for the day. Maxxis/B. Neal Motorsports’ Brycen Neal finished fourth ahead of Bithell, who rounded out the top five overall.

Six-time GNCC champ Chris Borich finished third in his debut with Yamaha.

JMR/ATVRiders.com-backed Jarrod McClure came in sixth, followed by Shadron in seventh, Landon Wolfe in eighth, Kevin Yoho in ninth and Johnny Gallagher rounded out the top ten in XC1.

N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha/Maxxis/Lonestar’s Cole Richardson finished seventh overall with his first XC2 Pro Am victory of the season. The defending XC2 champion got the $100 All Balls Racing XC2 Holeshot Award and led every lap of the two hour race. Moose Racing/GBC’s Marty Christofferson finished second in the class, while XC2 rookie Cody Collier made his afternoon debut with an impressive third place finish.

Defending XC2 champ Cole Richardson picked up right where he left off with a class win in Florida.

The 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series resumes March 14 and 15 with the Maxxis General GNCC in Washington, Ga.