Cypress, CA (6/2/2008)
- Taking advantage of perfect racing conditions,
Yamaha YFZ450 racers put in a perfect day’s
work at the seventh round of the 2008 Grand National
Cross Country series as Bill Ballance and Brandon
Sommers went 1-2 in the XC1 Pro class, Donnie
Ockerman won XC2 Pro Am, and Traci Cecco commanded
the Women’s category in Sparta, Ky., on
Saturday, May 31. Better still, the victories
secure Ballance, Ockerman and Cecco atop their
respective divisions as the GNCC season passes
the halfway point.
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|
#201 Traci
Cecco
|
Cecco not only won the morning Women’s race,
but took the overall win against almost 300 riders
in 16 different categories as well. However the
victory didn’t come easily for the multi-time
GNCC champion. She tangled with fellow Yamaha
rider Stephanie Parton’s machine after Parton
stalled near the start, putting the pair at the
back of the pack. But Cecco quickly battled forward
and had taken over second behind Angel Atwell
by the end of the first lap. With no serious traffic
problems to contend with, she passed Atwell on
lap five and finished the two-hour, six-lap marathon
with a comfortable 37-second margin of victory.
Jennifer Albright, Kristen Atwell and Parton followed
up in third, fourth and fifth to give Yamaha four
out of the top five places.
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|
#1 Bill
Ballance
|
The XC1 Pro and XC2 Pro Am classes ran in the
afternoon. Ballance grabbed the holeshot and looked
set to disappear immediately, but he bent a heel
guard and pitted after the first lap to straighten
it. Ballance then charged strongly up-field to
grab the lead on the third of four longer laps,
claiming his third consecutive win and taking
over the points lead in the process. “When
Bill disappeared, I thought he had pulled away,”
recalled Sommers after the race. “Then I
saw someone behind me and it was Bill on a mission.
I pulled over and then followed every line and
detail that he followed on the track.” Eventually
the pair caught and then passed the leaders to
score their memorable 1-2 sweep. Not far behind
was Ockerman, dominating his sixth XC2 Pro Am
race of the year and further extending his points
lead.
| 2008 GNCC ATV
XC1 Pro Points |
5/31/08 |
| Pos. |
Rider |
Points |
| 1 |
Bill Ballance
– Yamaha |
152 |
| 2 |
Adam McGill |
138 |
| 3 |
Brandon Sommers –
Yamaha |
124 |
| 4 |
Bryan Cook |
124 |
| 5 |
Chris Borich |
113 |
| 2008 GNCC ATV
XC2 Pro Am Points |
5/31/08 |
| Pos. |
Rider |
Points |
| 1 |
Donnie Ockerman
– Yamaha |
182 |
| 2 |
Brian Wolf |
126 |
| 3 |
David Crane –
Yamaha |
112 |
| 4 |
Mark Notman |
108 |
| 5 |
Joshua Kirkland |
106 |
|
2008 GNCC ATV
Women Points |
5/31/08 |
| Pos. |
Rider |
Points |
| 1 |
Traci Cecco –
Yamaha |
130 |
| 2 |
Angel Atwell |
127 |
| 3 |
Stefanie Verkade |
110 |
| 4 |
Jennifer Albright
– Yamaha |
108 |
| 5 |
Stephanie Parton
– Yamaha |
101 |
About Yamaha:
Yamaha ATVs and SxS vehicles are designed, engineered
and built tough! Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.
headquarters are located in Cypress, California.
For more information on Yamaha, visit yamaha-motor.com.
www.yamaha-motor.com
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