#MountaineerRunGncc

Can-Am racers earned a podium sweep with the Maverick 1000R in the XC1 Modified SxS class and won all four ATV 4×4 classes at round seven of the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country series in Masontown, WV. Can-Am DS 450 racers also won both the Pro and Pro-Am classes at the third round of the New England ATV Motocross series in Pennsylvania.

“We had an outstanding weekend at the Mountaineer Run GNCC in West Virginia and in the New England series. Earning a historic sweep in the XC1 Modified SxS class, winning the 4×4 Pro class and also both Pro-level NEATV-MX classes was perfect,” says Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am. “During their push toward winning a GNCC championship, our Maverick pilots continue to showcase their merits and those of their Can-Am vehicles.”

Michael Swift piloted his Can-Am Renegade 800R X xc to victory in the U2 class as the Grand National Cross Country series headed to West Virginia for the Mountaineer Run GNCC.

Swift led the way, as Can-Am racers won all five GNCC morning 4×4 classes and took all 15 podium positions at the Mountaineer Run. The Masontown, WV facility also hosted round four of the GNCC SxS series, and Can-Am side-by-side pilots earned a total of four podiums in three different classes. Can-Am racers also competed in both the Canadian Quad Cross series and Texas Off-Road Nationals with good results.

“Our Can-Am ATV racers convincingly took wins in all five of the GNCC 4×4 classes. I was thrilled to see Michael Swift put his Team UXC Racing / Can-Am Renegade on the overall morning podium and to have Bryan Buckhannon extend his perfect season in the 4×4 Open class,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “Can-Am racers earned a total of 20 podium finishes at The Mountaineer, which is definitely a good trend heading into round nine, right before the GNCC summer break.”

William Yokley fought off 47 other UTVs to take the checkers in the XC1 class at the Mountaineer GNCC this past weekend. Team driver Scott Kiger joined Yokley on the podium with a third place finish. Yokley’s guest passenger was his wife Tina, and Kiger’s passenger was Tyler King.

Summary

The Mountaineer GNCC course features rocks, rocks and more rocks! To do well here, you must be cautious and choose your lines carefully. The area received rain on Thursday and Friday, and by race day, the track was almost perfect. There was no mud, no dust, low humidity and temperature in the 70s.

The Polaris Coastal National Guard team of William Yokley and Scott Kiger got decent starts and entered the woods in third and fourth places. At the end of lap 1, they were 10th and 13th respectively, mainly due to the later rows making up corrected time as the machines got bunched up trying to navigate the new course.

(Photo by Ken Hill)

The XC1 Pro ATV class has produced only two different winners in the first seven rounds of the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country season, despite some of the most highly contested lead battles in recent history.

Reigning champion Chris Borich and runner-up Walker Fowler have dominated the center of the podium up to this point, but there’s a stacked field of pro riders waiting to secure a win in the remaining six rounds.

This weekend, June 15 and 16, the series heads to Masontown, W. Va. for the second running of the Parts Unlimited Mountaineer Run GNCC. Lonestar/Precision/ITP’s Adam McGill matched his best finish of the season with second place last round, giving the West Virginia native momentum heading into his home state this weekend. McGill experienced mechanical issues at the last year’s Mountaineer Run GNCC, so there’s no doubt that McGill is looking for redemption this time around.

The Mountaineer Run, held at Marvin’s Mountaintop in Masontown, WV, was another new stop on the 2012 Grand National Cross Country schedule, but for many it had an old school feel. Round seven of 13 was held on a technical, rough, rocky, semi-muddy course not far from the familiar Snowshoe GNCC site. Plus it was also just good old fashioned hot, which all added up to a challenging weekend for man and machine. But Team ITP was up for it, and notched a number of victories using a variety of ITP QuadCross and Holeshot tire setups.

A most impressive display of skill and endurance was put up by Patrick McGuire (Yamaha). The Valencia, Penn. native blasted out of the first turn in first and never looked back, leading the XC2 Pro Am class from start to finish, securing his second win of the season by nearly three minutes. It was good for ninth overall out of 186 top competitors in the afternoon wave of racing, and moved him back into the points lead.

Finishing second in XC2 was Matt Hanna, backed by Greg’s ATV and running ITP tires on his Yamaha YFZ450. It was Hanna’s third podium appearance of the season, which puts him in fifth place in the class standings.

National Guard / Polaris / Coastal / Yoshimura / DragonFire / Yokley Racing teammates Scott Kiger and William Yokley finished second and third in the Side by Side XC1 Modified Class at the Mountaineer Run GNCC in Masontown, WV. Meanwhile, National Guard / Coastal / Bowers Motorcycle Supplies / Yokley Racing Team rider Jarrod McClure finished sixth Overall and sixth in the XC1 Pro Class.

Summary – Side by Side

The GNCC Series moved on to the Mountaineer Run in West Virginia for Round 3 for the Side by Side machines. This race is new for the GNCC Series in 2012 and the competitors did not know exactly what to expect. The track featured a very technical 4.6 mile course with lots of rocky sections and tight woods. Taking care of your machine in the rocks would be important today.

The start flag dropped and after the first few turns, Kiger had the lead with Yokley in third. Later in the lap, Kiger slid wide in a turn and had to back up, dropping him back to third place. The course had tight woods trails and a few open areas, and about one half of the track was on totally newly cut trails. Both Yokley and Kiger had good pace and other than a few bottlenecks, they were on pace for good finishes.