ATV Riders Message Board Articles Reviews Videos Photo Gallery wallpaper Links ATV SxS News Interviews Racing News Models Donations Quad of the Month Contact Us

GNCC Racing - Round #11
Unadilla Sports Complex
New Berlin, NY
September 24,2005

GNCC ATV Racing Links
New Berlin, NY - The Grand National Cross Country Series broke new ground this weekend in New Berlin, New York. The first-ever off-road race took place at the Unadilla Sports Center, and the course included not only the beautiful countryside in the area but also the famed Unadilla Motocross track. This has been the site of numerous Grand Prix and National Motocross races for the past three decades, and fueled the legends of great racers such as Bob Hannah, Roger DeCoster and Ricky Johnson. The thought of riding the same loamy soil as the greats compelled a record 1700 racers to make the trip to upstate New York to say they rode Unadilla, making it the biggest GNCC ever.

Unadilla National MX Track
The ATV Pro Championship was coming down to a battle between the young prodigy Chris Borich and the tough multi-time champion Bill Ballance, and Borich seemed to have the upper hand as Ballance had missed the previous round with a badly broken leg. Chris was able to make up some ground on Bill in the points race, but Bill showed his tenacity as he came to Unadilla, suited up, and limped to his quad ready to give his all on an obviously demanding track. William Yokely was healthy after nursing a pulled hamstring to fifth place at the last round in NC. Chris Jenks had confidence on his side after his brilliant first win two weeks ago, and he was ready to taste victory again. Matt Smiley had the full support of the Polaris Factory at Unadilla, and with their semi in the pro pits and the new Outlaw quads on display Matt was getting the backing to break through for his and Polaris' first win.

The weekend's weather turned out perfect for the race, with only the possibility of a little dust. As I walked the MX track for the first time, every drop-off I came to was bigger than the last. At least four near 100' ski jumps and of course the infamous "Gravity Cavity" made up the moto sections of the course, and the width of the track made for good passing opportunities. The woods were almost rock-free, and the soil was loamy and mostly dry. A section of railroad bed with only the ties in place created a unique obstacle, as trees had grown around and through the ties. This made it a first gear affair with no place to go on either side. The mix of hills, open fields, and twisty virgin trails made this a classic GNCC track.

#3 Chris Borich, Alba Action, watches the race while Joe Borich replacing his broken Spindle, so he could salvage a few laps at Unadilla
The tension of the start was heavy, as everyone wanted to do well (if not win) this great inaugural event. The start went smooth, and as we came up on the first hillclimbs, the dust had already started to play a factor. The silt sitting in the rutted uphills exploded as we hit it, making it impossible to see the lines up the hills after the first few riders had gone through. I was looking about 8 feet up the trees and judging where I could go from them, just gassing it the whole time up. Riders were getting hung up here and there, and when I came to the railroad ties I saw Chris Borich on the side of the track, victim of front end damage. Matt Smiley was struck from behind by another rider as he made his way up a dusty hillclimb, injuring his back and putting him out of the race. Many passes were made on the first lap, and who do you think would come out on top after the first lap but Bill Ballance. Mike Houston and Brian Cook followed Bill through on the first lap.

#7 Chris Jenks looked to be well on his way to another Overall Win until he buried his 450R in the Mud
Shortly into the second lap, Bill stuck his Yamaha in a mud bog and flipped. With some help from some spectators, he managed to get back on and stayed in the top three. Chris Jenks had taken over the lead at the end of the second lap, with his Four Stroke Tech teammate Brian Cook in second. William Yokely was in the hunt for the first half of the race, until transmission problems sidelined him on the fourth lap. Chris Jenks was tearing up the track in first, hoping to take back-to-back victories. At the tricky railroad bed, Jenks came upon a bottle neck and chose to try to negotiate the swampy muck alongside the ties with bad results. He was hung up good and lost 4 minutes to the leaders.

Brian Cook was now in the lead and determined. After a rough start to the season, he had good rides in the last two rounds. Now he was at the front and ready to win. Brian pulled out a 1 minute lead at the finish, winning his second career GNCC overall in front of Bill Ballance. Bill proved once again that his tenacity is unparalleled; and with his podium finish and Borich's DNF, he could now realistically wrap up the title in Ohio in two weeks. A great ride by veteran pro and previous Pro Production champion Brian Baker put him on the podium in third place overall. The Missouri resident followed Ballance on the last lap, feeling he might be able to make a pass but instead played it safe to secure his first podium in years. The ever consistent Brandon Ballance came through for fourth with Mike Houston putting in a good ride for fifth overall.

#1 Bill Ballance returns to racing from a series leg injury and pick up where he left off at Wisp on the Podium!
#23 Bryan Baker, K&K ATV, earned the final spot on the Podium behind Ballance by playing it safe the last lap.

The first Unadilla GNCC goes in the books as a great track, phenomenal turnout, and close racing all the way to the checkered flag. This is what GNCC racing was meant to be like, and series founder Dave Coombs would be proud knowing that all the racers, spectators, and track personnel now have these great memories to cherish mostly due to his own great vision of how American off-road racing should be.

#6 Bryan Cook, Four Stroke Tech, goes down in the Record Books for winning the first Pro ATV GNCC Race at Unadilla, and #1 Bill Ballance has yet another Championship all but wrapped up.

ATVriders.com Forum Discussion

Copyright 2002-2022, ATV Riders All Rights Reserved - ATV Riders Forum - Message Board - Archive