#GnccRacing

Six-time GNCC National Champion Chris Borich is set to face off with fellow Factory Yamaha rider-and perhaps biggest rival-Walker Fowler this Saturday for the first time since their championship-deciding finale last October.

The 41st annual AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, kicks off this Saturday, March 7 with the Moose Racing Wild Boar GNCC where Borich, Fowler and the rest of the XC1 Pro ATV riders will line up for the 1 p.m. start at the Rodman Plantation in Palatka, Fla.

Racer Productions has announced that Maxxis has signed a multi-year deal as presenting sponsor of the 13-round AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series.

Maxxis has been a longtime supporter of the AMSOIL GNCC Series through many successful riders and teams, while also providing series sponsorship throughout the years.

GBC Motorsports decided to celebrate its successful year in ATV and UTV racing by looking back at the performance of its sponsored riders in 2012.

WORCS Series

Kayla Smith made her mark in 2012 with impressive performances throughout the year. Kicking off the WORCS season with a third place finish in the SXS Production 700 class, Smith would go on to land on the podium five more times in six races. With class wins at Race Town 395 and the Honolulu Hills finale, Kayla proved that she is capable of racing at a high level for any racer. The fact that she is 16 years old (and that some of her competitors have been racing since before she was born) makes her talent and vision behind the wheel even more remarkable. Smith finished the series in third place in her class aboard her GBC Dirt Commanders.

Yamaha Quad-X Racing Series

Dylan Dixon was one of the most talked-about up-and-comers on the West Coast racing scene, and his strong performances in the Quad-X Racing Series have something to do with that. Finding the podium in seven out of ten races, Dixon’s run through the Pro-Am class was highlighted by a Round 8 class win at Speedworld MX. Dixon improved on his second place 2011 finish by winning the Pro-Am class in 2012, and is on the verge of breaking into the Pro ranks.

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. was on hand in Crawfordsville, Ind. at the Ironman GNCC this weekend to celebrate the career of Traci Cecco-Pickens. The long-time Yamaha rider and GNCC icon has made history by securing her ninth overall women’s ATV series title and announced her retirement atop the Ironman podium.

“This ninth championship is very special to me and by far will be the most memorable – it is going to be my last championship,” says Cecco-Pickens. “I am retiring from chasing championships. With nine titles, my health, friends and memories for a lifetime, I finally feel this is the right time for me.”

Cecco-Pickens may be retiring from the track, but that doesn’t mean she’s leaving racing entirely. “I will continue to be at all of the GNCC events supporting my husband and his racing career,” she said. “Racing is a tremendous part of my life, and I will truly miss competing, but it’s time for me to be part of the sport I love in a different way – whether that be representing longtime sponsors at the track, working the gas can in the pits, or mentoring new lady racers.” To all of the up-and-coming women racers out there, she says: “Never quit setting achievable goals, and always act like a lady.”

Cecco clinched her historic championship at the last GNCC round October 6 in St. Clairsville, Ohio, allowing her to enjoy the Ironman knowing her championship is already in the books. Known as the best woman racer in the history of the sport, Cecco-Pickens captured six wins and was on the podium at every series stop this year leading up to Crawfordsville.

The GBC Bucks Awards Program rewards ATV riders who achieve racing success while using GBC Motorsports tires. Top finishers in all classes who run GBC tires and display GBC decals will be rewarded with GBC Bucks, which they may then redeem towards the purchase of tires from GBC Motorsports.

Maxxis/Yoshimura’s Chris Borich is not just the defending champion heading into this weekend’s season opener of the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series at Westgate River Ranch in River Ranch, Fla. After three consecutive titles, Borich is paving his way into the GNCC record books, one race-win at a time, which means the 2012 tour could help paint an even bigger picture for the Pennsylvania native.

Since his first championship in 2009, Borich has won a staggering 30 out of 39 races in the XC1 ATV Pro class, leaving little room for his competition to shine. But domination is not new to this field. The previous GNCC ATV King, Bill Ballance, still holds the record with nine-straight titles and before Ballance, Barry Hawk won seven straight. So while Borich has a long way to go to match history, he’s ready to make some more of his own as the 2012 season gets underway.

“I’m feeling really prepared for the opening round after spending some time down here in Florida getting my program dialed in,” says Borich. “I feel good and the bike feels good so the only thing left to do is get to racing!”

At a star-studded celebration of amateur racers held in Las Vegas, Nev., the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) named Walker Fowler as its 2011 AMA ATV Athlete of the year. The honor was presented to Fowler by AMA Racing Director Joe Bromley at the AMA Visa Card from Capital One Racing Championship Banquet on Nov. 20 at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa.

Fowler, of Rogers, Ohio, was the most dominant rider in the history of XC2 Pro-Am class competition in the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series. He won every round of the off-road racing series.

“It was just a crazy year for sure — a dream season,” says Fowler. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do it again. It’s every racer’s dream to be able to do something that no one else can. But there are a lot more goals in front of me that are the same thing, and that’s what keeps us racers going. I just want to thank the AMA for giving us all these series to compete in and letting us go out and do what we do.”

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., made its annual donation to the Feed the Children charity Friday, Nov. 18 at Yamaha’s corporate headquarters in Cypress, Calif. Company officials presented two checks totaling $25,000 along with a truck load of donated items to the organization. As part of the festivities, Yamaha also celebrated a successful 2011 racing season with several championship-winning Yamaha Race Team members in attendance.

“The annual Feed the Children and Race Team celebration is something everyone at Yamaha looks forward to each year,” says Bob Starr, Yamaha general manager of motorsports communications. “As we move into the holiday season, it’s a great time to reflect upon the hard work and donations collected over the year that have a direct impact on families in need. Thanks to all of the Yamaha employees and the Star Touring and Riding Association for their efforts.”

ATV racing champions Dustin Nelson and Walker Fowler were on hand to celebrate their successful ATV racing seasons. Both Nelson and Fowler boasted perfect campaigns: Fowler closes out the 2011 GNCC series with the XC2 championship, going undefeated and notching a record 13 straight wins. Nelson was also perfect and clinched his fifth QuadX Championship after winning all eight races in the series.

After thousands of laps at 13 different locations in the eastern U.S., the 2011 Grand National Cross Country Series came to a thrilling — albeit delayed — conclusion at Loretta Lynn’s in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. This location was originally to be round five, but diabolical weather forced a rare postponement and shift to the end of the schedule. Final celebrations may have been late in coming, but in the end there were a number of ITP riders heading for happy holidays.

Foremost Insurance/Warnert Can-Am teammates Adam McGill and Chris Bithell were consistent frontrunners all season in the premier XC1 Pro class. Implementing ITP Holeshot GNCC and QuadCross XC tires, McGill won two events and stepped onto the podium eight other times to claim an excellent second overall for the year. Bithell appeared in the top three a total of six times to finish a close fourth in the final standings.

“In order to avoid scheduling over top the historical ISDE in September, we have pushed the final round into November again, running the bikes on Saturday so they can also participate in the National Enduro finale,” says Trail Boss Jeff Russell. “As a former ISDE competitor and National Enduro champion, nobody understands the importance of these events more than myself,” says Trail Boss Jeff Russell.

National Guard Coastal Yokley Racing Team rider Jarrod McClure finished fifth overall and fifth in the XC1 Pro class at the GNCC finale at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. There were 120 total entries including 13 XC1 Pro racers.

Summary

This GNCC was a make-up race because the spring race was postponed due to flooding. The weather was perfect, nice and cool with sunny skies. The track was very rough since the motorcycle pros ran the course the day before. There were the typical rocks and whooped out sections, with parts of the famous Loretta Lynn’s National Motocross course utilized as well. The course crossed a fairly deep creek twice each lap.