Bill
Ballance Looks to Continue Can-Am GNCC Win Streak
Chris Borich right behind in
Pro ATV points
Morganton, NC (3/22/2007) -
With two wins in the first two rounds of racing, Team
Yamaha's Bill Ballance is already working on his eighth-straight
Can-Am Grand National Cross Country ATV Title. But East
Coast ATV's Chris Borich is looking be the streak breaker
at this weekend's FMF Steele Creek GNCC in Morganton,
North Carolina.
The popular Borich, 24, of Sunbury, Pennsylvania, won
last year's Steele Creek race in a classic battle over
Ballance. The duo hooked up and traded the lead countless
times throughout the day, before Borich finally blasted
past in the final straightaway and charged to a dramatic
win. "I'm very happy with this one," said
Borich last year. "I didn't think I'd be able to
catch him. I really had to dig down at the end."
"It's a lot of fun to get out there and battle
for one, but I'm not one for losing," said Ballance,
who hails from Oakland, Kentucky. "I don't like
that one bit. It gets a little fire burning and we'll
just try to come back and be that much tougher next
race."
The duo went on to battle for the Can-AM GNCC Championship
throughout the year, until Ballance wrapped up his seventh
GNCC #1 plate in October. With two wins in a row to
start the '07 campaign, Ballance, 30, looks stronger
than ever.
The rest of the GNCC pack needs Steele Creek to rebound
after tough races to start the 2007 tour in Florida
and Georgia. LTERacing.com's Chris Bithell had a podium
(top three finish) at round two in Georgia and podiumed
last year in North Carolina. The teenaged talent from
Pennsylvania has been edging closer to Ballance and
Borich, and hopes to someday be considered the third
GNCC "Killer B."
Bithell is in his sophomore year in the pro class.
Fellow sophomores Adam McGill and Duane Johnson have
struggled early in 2007 and will look to rebound at
Steele Creek.
Along with Ballance, Yamaha backs two former GNCC race
winners, Michael Houston and BJ Ballance, Bill's brother.
BJ Ballance has looked very fast early in the races
this season, and with more staying power he could win
another. Houston, a North Carolina native, is especially
adept in races near his home.
Veteran contender William Yokley has looked fast on
his new Monster Energy Kawasaki KFX450, but bad starts
and mistakes have kept him off of the podium. There
are other veterans still in the mix, including East
Coast ATV's Matt Smiley, who is making a comeback this
year, and factory Polaris rider Bryan Baker. Team Excell
Motorsports Bryan Cook is also a former GNCC winner
who is hoping to find that old magic again.
A gang of rookie pros have added even more depth to
the XC1 Pro GNCC class. At the top of that group is
Alva, Florida's Taylor Kiser has shown speed and consistency
this year with third and fourth place finishes. The
XC2 Pro Am class, for young pros, has also packed plenty
of speed, with GT Thunder's Brandon Sommers winning
both rounds this season and finishing in the top ten
overall both times.
Pro-level racing begins at 1 p.m on Saturday March
24. The weekend also includes Youth ATV racing at 8
a.m. Saturday, and a 10 a.m. race featuring superstars
in the Women and 4x4 divisions.
The show continues Sunday with the fastest dirt bike
woods racers in the world, with Youth racing at 8 a.m.,
a 10 a.m morning race for beginners, and a 1 p.m. race
for pros.
For more information, check out www.gnccracing.com.
About
GNCC Racing:
The
AMA/ATVA-sanctioned Grand National Cross Country
series is America’s premier off-road racing
series. The 13-round series is produced exclusively
by Racer Productions. Cross-country racing is
one of the most physically demanding sports in
the world. The nearly three-hour long GNCC races
lead as many as 1800 riders through tracks ranging
from eight to twelve miles in length. With varied
terrain including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks
and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests
of both survival and speed. GNCC Racing airs weekly
television shows on Versus (formerly Outdoor Life
Network) every Saturday at 3 p.m. and Thursday
at 4 p.m. beginning on April 14. GNCC featured
sponsors include Parts Unlimited, Moose, Maxxis,
Pirelli, Wiseco, Acerbis, Elka, Geico, Klotz,
FMF, ITP and Tire Balls, and riders compete for
over $3 million in series prizes and contingency
money. Associate sponsors include Alpinestars,
Cometic, EK Chain, HiPer Technology, Laegers,
Motion Pro, Moose Utility Division, Powersport
Grafx, Pro Clean, Race Tools, REM, Scott, Thor,
Twin Air, Weekend Warrior, and MotoTee’s.
Media Sponsors include Racer X Illustrated, ATV
Rider, ATV Sport, www.ATVRiders.com,
Dirt Rider and ATV Insider. For more information
log on to www.GNCCRacing.com.
www.gnccracing.com
122 Vista Del Rio Drive,
Morgantown, WV 26508
304-284-0084
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