#BigBuckGNCC

Can-Am X-Team ATV and Side-by-Side vehicle racers swept both the 4×4 Pro and UTV XC1 Pro class podiums at the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) race held in Union, SC. Can-Am also scored two podium finishes this past weekend in the Lucas Oil Regional Racing Series in Arizona.

“Defending national champions Bryan Buckhannon, on the Renegade, and Maverick 1000R racer Kyle Chaney, did not disappoint in South Carolina, earning significant victories in their chase to repeat,” says Jeff Leclerc, racing project leader, Can-Am. “Buckhannon regained the class points lead and Chaney is now second overall to Can-Am Maverick pilot Treavis Poynter in the UTV XC1 Pro class standings. In fact, Can-Am racers own the points lead in several classes with four rounds in the books, so we’re off to a good start in 2015.”

Can-Am ATV and side-by-side racers posted wins and podium finishes in the 2014 AMSOIL AMA Grand National Cross Country series in South Carolina, the World Off-Road Championship Series in Utah, the Texas Off-Road Nationals in Crafton, Texas, and In the New England ATV Motocross Opener in Wallkill, N.Y. The wins included podium sweeps in the NEATV-MX Pro and Pro-Am classes and another 1-2-3 finish in the GNCC 4×4 Pro class.

“It was a rewarding weekend, earning big wins and numerous podiums in GNCC, NEATV-MX, TORN and WORCS,” says Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am. “This successful weekend verifies Can-Am offers a diverse, competitive line of off-road vehicles and has a team of resolute racers piloting them.”

Polaris Factory Racers William Yokley, John Yokley, and Scott Kiger, along with 30 other XC1 Modified Racers, took to the starting line at the Big Buck GNCC in Union, SC, the second of six UTV races on the GNCC calendar.

When the dust settled, William Yokley, in his Polaris / Coastal / CST / National Guard / Yoshimura / Yokley Racing RZR XP 900, took the checkered flag with teammate Scott Kiger taking third. John Yokley, after finishing first at The Washington in his Big Country Powersports RZR 900, crossed the finish line in fourth. The win catapulted William Yokley into first place in the series standings, with teammates John Yokley and Scott Kiger in second and third.

Coming off a successful weekend of racing at the Steele Creek GNCC, Team UXC Racing was amped up for the Big Buck GNCC in South Carolina. The rain had set in on Friday, but it was done by Saturday morning to build what would be epic conditions for a day of racing.

The U2 class lined up with Team UXC Racing’s Michael Swift mentally prepared to get out front and keep the momentum up for the duration of the race. Leaving the line in second place, Swift began looking for his place to strikes.

“We had no issues all day,” says Swift. “I walked the entire track Friday morning and knew we had very little places, except for maybe the field sections, to get around other riders as well as my competition.”

Michael Swift (center) celebrates on the 4×4 podium.

Following the first place rider for the first two laps, Swift made a plan to take over the lead. He would not only take the number one spot, but he would also post the fastest lap time of his class.

“I knew I had to pace myself but I kept in mind that there were fast riders right behind me and I needed to stay on my game,” says Swift.

Swift would go on to win his U2 class and take first overall in the utility ATV segment of the race. He would also post the third place position out of the entire field of 222 racers and 20 classes for the morning event.

William Yokley jumped out to an early lead before damaging his machine.

Polaris / Coastal / CST / National Guard / Yoshimura / Yokley Racing Team driver William Yokley finished 33rd Overall and 13th in the XC1 Modified Class. Team driver Scott Kiger finished fourth Overall and third in the same class. There were 49 total entries including 21 XC1 Modified teams. William’s guest passenger was his wife Tina, and Scott’s passenger was Tyler King.

Yokley Racing Summary

The Racer Production promoters always lay out a good, challenging course for the competitors. This year, the four-mile course featured a combination of technical woods sections and faster open areas with multiple racing lines. Track conditions were very good and the temp was in the 70s.

Despite rolling his machine, Scott Kiger managed to recover and finish fourth overall and third in the XC1 Modified Class.

At the drop of the flag for the dead-engine start, the Polaris Team RZR XP 900s fired right up and were at the head of the pack heading into the woods. After some initial dicing, Yokley settled into the lead with Kiger close behind. Midway through lap 1, Kiger clipped a tree and flipped over on his top. He and his passenger got out, righted the machine, and took off in hot pursuit of the lead pack. On lap 3 of 6, Yokley experienced some bad luck when his front wheel came in contact with another machine’s rear wheel resulting in breaking a steering component. Unable to steer, his day was over.

This past weekend’s Big Buck GNCC, the fourth round of the Grand National Cross Country Series, featured heavy dust on a rough course with lots of hidden stumps and other nastiness lying in wait to ruin someone’s day. Several ITP-sponsored racers were able to fight through the conditions and earn a podium finish.

For the second event in a row, XC1 Pro star Adam McGill ( Honda) was able to storm back from a tough start and put himself in solid contention for the overall victory. His bid for the win came up just two seconds short after two hours of racing. This inspiring performance shot him into second place in the point standings with seven events still remaining on the long schedule.

XC2 Pro Am series leader Patrick McGuire ( Yamaha) just missed the podium with a fine fourth place and 13th overall out of 157 riders in the afternoon wave of racing. McGuire held onto his number one position in the class standings.

And how about Dave Simmons (Yamaha), who placed second overall in the morning wave while capturing yet another Super Senior 45+ class win? That’s four out of four so far, and he’s making it look easy in the process.