#JohnPentonGNCC

Team UXC Racing’s Michael Swift won the Pro 4×4 class for the second straight time on his Polaris Scrambler 850 at the John Penton GNCC in Millfield, Ohio this past weekend.

Pro 4×4 teammates Swift and Kevin Trantham worked their way into position through lap one. Trantham suffered a drive belt issue pulling him from the race. Swift swapped positions a couple of times for second and then took advantage of a line in the woods to make a clean pass for the lead. After receiving the white flag, he utilized the superior handling of his Polaris Scrambler 850 to place a buffer between him and second place before entering the last mile of the race consisting of the motor cross section. Swift was able to hold the lead for his third Pro 4×4 Class win of the 2015 GNCC season.

Can-Am ATV and side-by-side vehicle racers earned numerous wins and podiums this past weekend during national and regional races across North America. Kyle Chaney won the XC1 Pro UTV class with Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicle at the John Penton Grand National Cross Country race in Ohio. Can-Am Maverick racers also scored wins in the Texas Off-Road Nationals, Louisiana Cross Country Series and a solid second-place finish at the SCORE International Baja 500.

“Our Can-Am Maverick 1000R and X ds Turbo racers took advantage of the unit’s unbeatable performance to earn wins in different series, including the Ohio GNCC, where we earned another XC1 Pro UTV class podium sweep. And the Murray Racing team earned a very solid second-place at the Baja 500,” says Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am.

Team ITP side-by-side vehicle racer Kyle Chaney won the UTV XC1 class and the UTV overall at round seven of the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country series in Ohio. ITP-backed Adam McGill finished second in the XC1 ATV Pro class, while Veteran ATV racer Kenny Rich Sr. won the Master 50+ class. Team ITP racers earned a dozen class podiums, which featured both ATV and UTV racing.

“I was very pleased to learn that Team ITP racer Kyle Chaney won the highly competitive XC1 Modified class and moved into a tie for second in points. It was also good to see Adam McGill finish on the XC1 Pro ATV podium. He was the front-runner all day at round seven running ITP Holeshot GNCC tires. The podium finish is a huge confidence builder for him,” says Pat McGuire, public relations / race support. “Our team had another double-digit performance, with a dozen podiums, and an outstanding weekend at a historic racing venue.”

Round seven of the ATV series was held in Millfield, Ohio, marking the 23rd running of The Wiseco John Penton GNCC. Round three of the popular SxS series was also held in Ohio. JB Racing / ITP SxS Pro racer Kyle Chaney drove his SxS to the overall victory and the XC1 Modified class win at round seven. He was sixth place after lap one, but passed three riders to move into second on adjusted time after lap two. Chaney rode confidently in second place until the final lap, when he made his move into first on adjusted time. It was his first victory this season. The win pulled Chaney into a tie for second overall, just 15 points behind the class leader with three rounds remaining on the schedule.

Polaris / Coastal / CST / National Guard / Yoshimura / Yokley Racing Team driver William Yokley finished fourth Overall and fourth in the XC1 Modified Class at this past weekend’s John Penton GNCC. Team driver Scott Kiger finished fifth Overall and fifth in the same class. Fifty-one UTVs were entered in the race, including 23 XC1 Modified teams. William’s guest passenger was his wife Tina, and Scott’s passenger was Tyler King.

The John Penton GNCC course is always challenging with technical woods sections, open fields and parts of a pro motocross track. The area got some much needed rain on Friday night, which made the track just about perfect for Saturday’s Side by Side race. With the temperature in the 90s and high humidity, the racers headed to the starting area.

At the start, the Coastal Polaris National Guard teams of Yokley and Kiger headed into the woods in third and fourth positions. The teams liked the five-mile course because it offered adequate passing zones for this six-lap race. The teammates stayed glued together for most all of the race, and it came down to the last few turns to decide who would be on the podium.

(Photo by Ken Hill)

After chasing Chris Borich all season, Walker Fowler finally took the checkers a couple of weeks back at the Limestone 100 GNCC. He’ll try to make it two in a row this weekend as the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series heads to Millfield, Ohio for the Wiseco John Penton GNCC.

AmPro Yamaha‘s Fowler made a statement last round as he secured the Round 6 victory that also ended Borich’s five-race win streak in 2013. Fowler has been in contention for the lead all season long and the young gun looks to keep it rolling with two in a row this weekend.

Although Borich has the most wins this season, the Maxxis-backed rider hasn’t necessarily spent the most time out front. Reliable Tool Supply/Maxxis rider Chris Bithell has arguably led the most laps this season as he continues to fight for the overall win each round. However, Borich has the last-lap pass down to a science and the seasoned veteran knows what it takes to secure the win after two hours of racing. As the series reaches the second half of the schedule, strategy becomes even more crucial in winning a championship at the end of the season.

National Guard / Coastal / Bowers Motorcycle Supplies / Yokley Racing Team rider Jarrod McClure finished sixth Overall and sixth in the XC1 Pro Class at the John Penton GNCC in southern Ohio. Meanwhile, National Guard / Polaris / Coastal / Yoshimura / DragonFire / Yokley Racing Team driver William Yokley had a mechanical issue and did not finish today while teammate Scott Kiger finished third overall and third in XC1 Modified class.

Summary – ATV

The main concern for everyone at this year’s John Penton GNCC was the heat wave that is hanging over the eastern U.S. Temperatures for race day were well over 100 degrees with high humidity, making it hard on everyone. The course consisted of some new, technical woods sections, open fields, creek crossings and the Sunday Creek Raceway motocross track.

At the start, McClure’s machine did not immediately fire up, putting him near the rear of the XC1 Pros going into the woods. He quickly worked his way up to fifth place halfway through lap 1. The field sections were very dusty, and McClure hit a stump that he couldn’t see. The resulting impact threw him off the ATV, forcing him to dodge other riders as he tried to locate his machine! After losing a few positions, he got going and tried to make up some ground.

McClure worked his way up to a sixth place finish on the last lap. These were some of the hottest and toughest conditions in which Jarrod has competed. The GNCC now takes their summer break and the next event is the Unadilla in New Berlin, NY on Sept. 15. See you there!

High temperatures and sweat-inducing humidity made for sweltering, Safari-like conditions in Millfield, Ohio for the John Penton GNCC. But Team ITP racers managed to overcome the elements and pounce on a number of podiums with their ITP Holeshot- and QuadCross-equipped quads.

The king of the jungle in the morning race was forever-young Dave Simmons ( Yamaha), an Ohio native. This cool cat was the overall winner for the sixth time in 2012, and bagged his ninth straight Super Senior 45+ class kill.

Glenn McConnell (Yamaha) had another good hunt despite feeling diseased from the heat. He snapped up third place in the 50+ Masters class and was 17th overall – and is on the scent of a title with second in the standings.

In the fierce Women’s class, Angel Atwell ( Honda) clawed out the holeshot and persevered to third place while finishing eighth overall in the morning. She’s sunk her teeth into second place in the standings with four events remaining in the season. An amateur’s best nine of 11 scores are counted toward year-end championships.

National Guard Coastal Yokley Racing Team rider Jarrod McClure finished fifth Overall and fifth in the XC1 Pro class today. There were 164 total entries including 14 XC1 Pro racers. Yokley Racing Youth ATV Team rider Kalab Hagan finished second in the 90 Open (8-11) class. There were 82 total entries including 13 in his class

Summary – XC1 Pro ATV

The track at Millfield can be really muddy, or really dusty. This weekend’s race was run in almost perfect conditions after receiving some rain recently; it was sunny and the temperature in the 80’s. There was very little dust, and there were some muddy hillclimbs and creek crossings. The course included a pro-style motocross track as well as tight woods sections.

Jarrod McClure got off the line well, but someone ran over his rear tire in the first turn, almost flipping him over. He completed lap 1 in sixth position, and was being smart with his line selections in the muddy areas. He moved into fifth on lap 2, and maintained that position to the finish. Many of the pro riders were getting stuck, but McClure said he never did. He attributed that to the new Kenda tires and Tireballs, and was really stoked about the traction they provided.