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GNCC Pro ATV Racer Bill Ballance suffers a broken leg & ankle

#1 Bill Ballance, Yamaha Factory Rider (5 Time GNCC Champion)
#1 Bill Ballance, Yamaha Factory Rider (5 Time GNCC Champion)
Los Alamos, CA (8/3/2005) - Bill Ballance suffers a broken ankle during the press intro for 2006 Yamaha YFZ450 on Monday, August 1st while riding on the Castillo Ranch in Los Alamos, CA.

The injury occurred while Ballance was performing for the media at the press intro when he attempted a jump and the take off didn’t go as planned. Ballance bailed off the back of the YFZ450, and landed straight legged and the impact apparently broke a bone in his left ankle according to Steve Nessl, Yamaha public relations.

Bill Ballance was rushed to the Santa Maria hospital for X-rays and MRI, and he was released Monday night, and flew back home to Kentucky on Tuesday to meet with his local doctors on Wednesday to make a final prognosis on his ankles condition and the amount of time he will be sidelined from riding or racing.

The five time GNCC Champion, Bill Ballance is currently leading the GNCC Pro Class with a 43 points lead over #3 Chris Borich, Alba Action/Honda, who injured his collar bone at the Wisp GNCC, but has made a complete recovery and will be ready to race at Yadkin Valley Stomp GNCC on September 10th, 2005.

Whether or not, Bill Ballance will be ready to race by September 10th has yet to be decided depending upon the prognosis, but with five weeks to heal up, it remains very possible that he will be ready to race after the Summer break.

UPDATE (8/31/2005) - Steve Nessl, Yamaha Public Relations
As for an update on Bill, he is very good spirits and the timetable for his return depends on the progress he and his leg make over the next few weeks, and is completely contingent on whether or not he gets the green light from his doctor to race. He will, for sure, miss the next GNCC round in Yadkinville, but is unsure at this point if he will be in New Berlin, NY, on September 24th.

Regarding the injury, Bill reports the leg is healing fine - he no longer has any pain and the incisions from the surgery are healing nicely. Further, he is getting stronger every day and says that he is also starting to get back some mobility in the ankle. He has also taken to swimming every day except Sunday in order to stay in shape as much as possible while he is off the YFZ450.

"I'm feeling good," says Bill. "I am getting better every day."

As more details become available, ATVriders.com will keep you up to date.

2005 GNCC Reason Remaining Race Schedule

  9/10/05 Round #10 Yadkin Valley Stomp GNCC Yadkinville, NC
  9/24/05 Round #11 Unadilla GNCC New Berlin, NY
  10/8/05 Round #12 Power Line Park GNCC St. Clairsville, OH
  10/22/05 Round #13 The Klotz Ironman GNCC Crawfordsville, IN

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.

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