William Yokley ATV/UTV Report – Ironman GNCC

ATV.com Staff
by ATV.com Staff
Team Yokley struggles at season finale

William Yokley finished 81st Overall and 18th in the ATV XC1 Pro Class today after a big crash on the third lap. There were 207 total entries with 20 XC1 Pro Riders. Team Rider Mark Notman finished 200th Overall and 28th in the 28 rider XC2 Pro Am Class after experiencing mechanical problems on the first lap. Yokley and designated passenger Tomas Scheckter did not finish the UTV Race after leading on the first lap.

William Yokley’s Race Summary

The Ironman marks the end of the season and is a very challenging track with creek crossings, steep hills, tight woods, and wide open field sections. Quite a bit of rain fell leading up to the race, and the property was soaked on Friday. The water crossings and steep hills were going to be difficult. A huge crowd of dedicated fans gathered on Saturday in spite of the conditions, and most were positioned by the deep water crossing and steep hills.

The race began and the first lap was mostly picking the best lines and getting settled in. I was not having a very good day, and on the last lap the “Ironman Hill” got me. I came out of the water and there was a bottleneck at the base of the hill causing me to get a poor run up the hill. I did not have the momentum to reach the top, so I just pinned it and held on. Right at the top, it caught traction in a rut and flipped over backward. It cart-wheeled down the hill and got stuck on a tree. I got it turned back over and discovered the handlebars were severely bent, and a lot of oil had leaked out through the vent tube. I tried the hill again and realized I could only turn the bars about half way. So, the end result was I did pretty much exactly the same thing and flipped down the hill again. The bars were pretty much destroyed at that point and my day was over.

Mark Notman had a very brief race after a great start and first lap. He was unable to finish due to some unknown engine problems.

Scheckter and Yokley all smiles before the UTV race.
All does not appear well with Yokley's Polaris Ranger RZR.

I made it back to the pit area just in time to get ready for the final UTV Race. I was fortunate to have Monavie Indy Car driver Tomas Scheckter riding with me today. We started out great and got the lead about halfway through lap 1.

We were just cruising and not taking any chances. Then it happened! We hit a small stump which was perfectly camouflaged by some leaves and brush. We went from about 40 MPH to zero in about 12 inches! I felt bad about introducing Tomas to woods racing that way. The impact ripped the front wheel and suspension off. Someone finally brought some tools to us so we could remove the dangling pieces. I was able to drive it back to the pit area on 3 wheels which brought an end to a pretty tough day for the team.

We have some exciting news for next year which I will pass along soon, but right now, I’m ready for a break!

Many Thanks to all our Sponsors!

Yokley Racing Team Sponsors are: The Army National Guard, Polaris Industries, Kenda Tires, Elka Suspension, Roll Design, HMF Exhaust Systems, IMS/Roll, PURE Polaris Lubricants & Fuels, Intense Fabrication & Design, Douglas Wheel Technology, Moto Pro Training, Tire Balls, Andrews Cycle, Tsubaki Chains, IMS, Four Apparel, ASV Levers, CV4 Hoses, Hygh Octane Design, PIER Graphics, Universal Handlebars, Scott Goggles, ATVRiders.com, Hetrick Motorsports, Powermadd, Recluse Clutches, and Monavie Energy Drinks.

ATV.com Staff
ATV.com Staff

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