Samantha VanBuskirk's
GNCC Women's Pro-Am ATV Race Report
Union, SC (4/9/2009) - Well,
last time I blinked I was sitting on the line
of Women's PRO-AM in River Ranch, Florida rattling
off times tables to calm my nerves before 'the
big race.' After harboring a feeling of intense
curiosity, anticipation, and maybe a little fear,
there was nothing I wanted more than… Oh
you know how it goes… “TEEEEEEENNNN
SECONDSSSS!”
The morning racers found a fairly decent fresh
cut track awaiting them after a long off-season,
but as time went on, the soft Florida sand became
whooped out and the motocross in us all was tested
with more than a smidge of endurance as riders
skimmed through what may have been braking bumps
the lap before, were now deep craters. Suspension
set-up easily decided many placements here. Though
the whoops may have challenged some, the temperatures
during the AM race fell nothing less than compliant.
A fairly warm day was about us, but with a bit
of wind and a few drops of rain, riders were easily
cooled off. Angel Atwell set the season off with
the morning overall followed by Jennifer Albright
and Michael Swift rounding out the podium of the
inaugural River Ranch GNCC.
No sooner did the RVs and pickup trucks hit
the road there was word of some rain in Georgia.
Being from Pennsylvania, we decided not to make
the 22 hour hike back home for a few days and
spent the week between rounds practicing at Durhamtown
Plantation in Union Point, Georgia (www.durhamtown.com).
Only about twenty minutes from the track, we had
a good feel for what to expect. The first day
of practice we got muddy, real muddy, but as the
week progressed the mud dissipated and the true
conditions began to show. Many riders were contemplating
tire sizes for the Georgia round. After walking
the track, I had decided to run the 21x11-9 ITP
GNCC tires in the rear and 22x7-10 in the front.
I probably should have stuck with my shorter GNCC
tires as they would have proved more effective
in maneuvering through the tight confines in the
woods, but with a bit of extra clearance I was
able to power right through the mud holes which
helped substantially. As with any cross country
event, suspension held its own here. Fox Racing
Shox had their rig at the first two rounds and
the guys definitely seemed to be keeping busy
having a good time and aiding the anxious racers
sporting their products. After they set up my
machine for me Saturday morning, I was confident
I would have no problems with it. That one I was
right about!
While, for the most part, the GNCC Mud Fleas
got to keep their boots clean in Georgia, they
got them dirty in North Carolina, stop three on
this year's tour. About a week before the race
my parents were both stuck working the weekend.
I was fortunate enough to travel down with some
real A Classers from back home, AMA District 6!
They were a huge support and we all had a great
time. We all ran into our own predicaments on
the track, but all in all the run was nice. Steele
Creek offered its infamous creek crossing as usual,
but the rest of the track held up rather nicely.
The ups and downs of the course seemed all too
familiar to morning racers and proved grounds
for a third straight win for Angel Atwell and
team KTM. Lexie Coulter kicked it into high gear
grabbing second place just ahead of seven time
champion Traci Cecco. With the race over, we jumped
back in the trucks and headed North, but not for
long!
Round four this year was the Pirelli Big Buck
GNCC located in Union, South Carolina. This one,
I'll admit had me a little worried. It all started
Wednesday night. I had left work with eight ITP
tires on Hiper wheels nestled cozily in the bed
of my Chevy S10 pickup. It was raining and I was
driving like a teenage girl, that I have to admit.
The details are minor, but the outcome left that
little Chevy wrapped around three trees and me
climbing out the passenger side. I was heartbroken
as we collected my ATV tires from the neighboring
field and they lifted what was left of my truck
onto a flatbed tow truck. My parents decided that
we had even more of a reason to go racing now,
none of us wanted to look at it and I was ashamed.
Come Saturday morning, I was hyped up on Motrin
with a throbbing shoulder that I could scarcely
lift high enough to hold the bars. It made the
quintessential pat on the shoulder “Good
Lucks” tear jerking, but I wanted to race
more than anything. Well, after my signature last
place holeshot, I was hanging back, but keeping
up when the fuel injection started cutting out
again. Now the tears were flowing as I pulled
into our pit. Tara Robinson wiped my face with
her sleeve, Chip Slate took the front of my helmet
and said, “Don't you over do it now, you
CAN pull off!” With that being said, I had
to keep going if nothing more to prove to myself
that I could finish- quitting is not a word in
my dictionary. Managing an eighth place finish
after bad luck swept through an array of classmates,
I hastily idled my sputtering Kawasaki back to
the pits to load up. The track had been nice.
It got a little rough as the sandy terrain wore
down and the open stretches posed as a fun split
between wooded confines. Round Four offered Angel
Atwell her fourth win with Lexie Coulter and her
Can-Am hot on her tail. Traci Cecco held tight
to her consistent third place finish. Soon we
had our four truck caravan consisting of youth
riders Allie Slate, Derrec and Brody Robinson,
Justin Hess and Schoolboy riders Brandon Hess
and Chris VanBuskirk pointed North- we had a race
to make! We all competed again Sunday in our home
state, but I think I speak for everyone when I
say it was easy to fall asleep as soon as we got
back in the truck for that last haul home.
With two weeks to figure out this fuel injection
mess, things are looking different for the next
stop on the 2009 GNCC tour…Loretta Lynn's
Dude Ranch!!!
www.gnccracing.com
122 Vista Del Rio Drive,
Morgantown, WV 26508
304-284-0084
|
