GNCC Bike &
ATV Racers Anticipating $50,000 Snowshoe Purse
GNCC Racing - Round 9 - Snowshoe, West Virginia
Morgantown, WV (6/22/2009)
- With the promise of an extra $10,000
for an overall victory in the air, more than a
few racers are anticipating this weekend's MotorcycleUSA.com
Snowshoe GNCC, round nine of the Can-Am Grand
National Cross Country Series at the scenic Snowshoe
resort in West Virginia. The event will pay a
bonus of $10,000 to the overall winner of the
bike and ATV races, a bonus of $5000 for second
overall finshers, and $3000 for third place. ATVs
race at West Virginia's largest ski resort on
Saurday, June 27th, and bikes race Sunday, June
28th.
"I feel really excited about it. I hope
I take it home," said Am-Pro FMF Yamaha's
Barry Hawk, an eight-time GNCC Champion who will
compete for the bike purse. "I think it's
been a long time coming. It's great for MotorcycleUSA.com
to step up and do it. Hopefully it will bring
in more money for the future for the sport and
for the riders. Everyone in general benefits from
it."
The Snowshoe GNCC is the roughest race of the
13-stop series. GNCC officials have created a
brand-new 20-mile course, featuring deep mud bogs,
massive bolders and near-vertical hill climbs.
In fact, a special 1000-foot climb on a powerline
road seperates the riders from their pit areas
on each lap. The race is the ultimate test for
a cross-country racer and by the end of the race,
whoever does win, deserves the $10,000 prize waiting
for them. Besides that, racers view the largest
purse in the 30-year history of the Can-Am Grand
National Cross Country Series as a sign that the
sport is growing and that hefty purses like this
will be seen more often.
"It's exciting," said Houser Racing's
Bryan Cook, who took the ATV victory at Steele
Creek earlier in the year. "The sport keeps
growing and it's a thing of the future maybe.
I'm excited about it myself. It would be really
nice to win it, you know being a privateer. It
would pay a lot of expenses for me."
And while some want a chance at the payout,
others are just concentrating on a win to build
points for the championship. The bike battle is
perhaps the closest in the history of the tour,
as just a handful of points separates FMF Makita
Suzuki's Josh Strang and GEICO/JG Racing Monster
Energy Kawasaki's Paul Whibley, with Charlie Mullins
and Jimmy Jarrett, their respective teammates,
right behind them Strang is focused on the championship.
"I'm not too interested in the money,"
says Strang , who has held the points lead on
two different occasions this year . "It's
a bonus if I win it. The big picture is the GNCC
Championship."
For ATVs, Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Chris Borich
is leading the march, winning the last three rounds
in a row, and five for the season. Borich holds
a 23-point lead over Yamaha's Taylor Kiser and
11 more on KTM Adam McGill. A bad run on the rough
Snowshoe course could ruin Borich's championship
run.
"I'm just trying to stay clear of all the
mayhem," says Kiser, second in the ATV points
and the winner of the season-opener in Florida.
"That' s my goal. I'm not too worried about
it. I'm taking it as another race. I'm going to
try to put the $10,000 out of mind. It would be
nice, but it's better if I try not to think about
it too much."
"I think it's pretty cool they're going
to give out so much," said Mullins, third
in bike
Whibley and Jarrett want a GEICO win at Snowshoe.
They want the points, not just the money.
points and also a race winner this year. "I
think it will make everyone step up and put the
pace faster. I'm just going out and stick to what
I have been doing. I'm more concerned with the
championship than the purse."
With the championship still up for grabs, and
a rough track on the horizon, riders will have
to be careful with their strategy.
For added drama, with all the money on the line,
one never knows who might show up to race. There's
even a rumor that 2007 and 2008 GNCC Champion
David Knight might make a return appearance. Knight
is undefeated at Snowshoe. Last year, he battled
Yamaha's Thad Duvall, and Thad, despite riding
a 250F in the XC2 class, almost beat him outright
for the overall.
"I kind of hope he does show up,"
says DuVall, who now competes on a 450 in the
XC1 class. "I didn't get to beat him last
year so now's my chance! This is definitely one
to win. It's in my home state of West Virginia
and I have a lot of friends and family coming
out and I feel pretty comfortable. Hopefully I'll
be able to put on a good show."
Ticket prices for the event are just $15 for
the full race weekend, including ATV racing all
day on Saturday and bike racing on Sunday. In
all, up to 1500 riders are expected to compete.
Children five and under are free, as is full access
to the pro pits and pro rider autographs. Also,
Snowshoe will keep its ski lift chairs operating
all weekend to shuttle fans down to the more spectacular
parts of the course.
Snowshoe Resort is West Virginia's largest ski
resort, and also offers mountain biking and golf
in the summer months. The event offers riders
a once-a-year opportunity to race around a resort,
with hotels and restaurants all within site of
the track. The event will even start right in
the middle of the ski village.
For more information on Snowshoe, visit www.snowshoemtn.com
For more information on the Can-Am Grand National
Cross Country Series, visit www.gnccracing.com.
Overall Finish Bonus for Bike and ATV
1st-$10,000
2nd- $5,000
3rd- $3,000
XC1 Bike and ATV Payout
1st- $1000
2nd- $900
3rd- $750
4th- $600
5th- $500
6th- $450
7th-$400
8th- $350
9th-$300
10th- $250
XC2 Bike and ATV Payout
1st-$500
2nd- $400
3rd- $300
4th- $200
5th-$100
Specialty Awards for Bike and ATV
Bike:
XC1 MotorcycleUSA.com Holeshot Award- $250
XC2 Cometic Holeshot Award- $100
AM Race Coppersmith Holeshot Award- $100
ATV:
XC1 MotorcycleUSA.com Holeshot Award- $250
XC2 Rekluse Holeshot Award- $100
GT Thunder Morning Race Overall- $100
About
GNCC Racing:
The
Can-Am Grand National Cross Country series is
America's premier off-road racing series. Founded
in 1973, the 13-round championship is produced
exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross country
racing is one of the most physically demanding
sports in the world. The grueling three-hour GNCC
races lead as many as 1,800 riders through tracks
ranging in length from eight to 12 miles, competing
for more than $3 million in prizes. With varied
terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks
and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests
of both survival and speed. GNCC featured sponsors
include: Can-Am, Parts Unlimited, Moose, Maxxis,
Pirelli, Wiseco, Acerbis, Elka, GEICO, Klotz,
FMF, ITP and Weekend Warrior. Associate sponsors
include Alpine-stars, BRP, Cometic, HiPer Technology,
Laegers, Moose Utility Division, The National
Guard, Ogio, Powersport Grafx, Rekluse, REM, Scott,
Thor, Twin Air, and MotoTee's ATVRiders.com.
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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