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Yamaha's
Traci Cecco Wins 7th Women's Championship
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Cypress, CA (10/28/2008) - Team
Yamaha Factory Racers dominated the Grand National
Cross Country Championship (GNCC) ATV field in
Crawfordsville, Ind., this past weekend with Bill
Ballance celebrating his record ninth consecutive
ATV XC1 Pro championship, Donnie Ockerman enjoying
his 2008 GNCC XC2 Pro Am championship, and Traci
Cecco capturing her unprecedented seventh Women’s
ATV championship.
Both Ballance and Ockerman had their titles
wrapped up coming into the weekend, so the big
news was the heated women’s race. Cecco
entered the weekend’s event with a single
series point lead and a win would secure her
title. That’s just what she produced after
pushing her YFZ450 through tough, cold, muddy
trails.
This was a special win for Cecco, not only
for her seventh title but also for the year’s
heated competition. She fought back emotion
on the podium while describing her win and season
as: “… the hardest championship
ever.” As the end of the season approached,
Traci had predicted she would need to win the
final four GNCC stops to capture the series
title again this year, and that’s exactly
what happened – an impressive accomplishment
in itself.
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Yamaha's
Bill Ballance Podiums at the Ironman
along with Donald Ockerman
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Ballance continues to be considered by many
as the best ATV racer of all time, now with
nine consecutive professional championships.
He had secured the ATV XC1 Pro championship
two weeks before the Ironman but still raced
hard swapping the lead several times before
finishing third on the day just behind teammate
Donnie Ockerman.
Ockerman, who had wrapped up the 2008 GNCC
XC2 Pro Am championship two stops earlier, raced
the professional class again this weekend and
showed he’s ready for prime time. He battled
with the leaders all race and finished in an
amazing second place.
Brandon Sommers, last year’s XC2 Pro
Am champion, finished sixth in the Ironman and
fifth overall in this year’s XC1 Pro class.
Yamaha representatives were on hand to support
their race team and the GNCC series, which attracted
approximately 10,000 spectators to the Ironman
Finale. Yamaha celebrated its weekend of championships
with fans at the Yamaha hospitality area handing
out free popcorn, hot chocolate and commemorative
Bill Ballance nine-time championship T-shirts.
Yamaha employees also joined Ballance and Cecco
on the podium congratulating them with special
trophies for their unprecedented accomplishments
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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