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The Big Buck
GNCC Race Report. Union, SC - April 14, 2007
Union, SC - (4/17/2007) - William Yokley finished
11th overall today after experiencing some handling
issues. There were 224 total racers in this race including
25 XC1 Pro riders.
Summary:
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#5
William Yokley |
Union, South Carolina is a cool place for a GNCC and
is a very rough, physically demanding track. We arrived
on Friday to get set up and to get a new style National
Guard wrap installed on the front of my trailer. The
guys from 317 Graphics were at the track and put it
on in no time, and it pays homage to the soldiers protecting
our country. They also installed a Monster Energy claw
on the hood of my truck, really cool stuff.
The weather was great and everybody was lined up and
ready to go at race time. I’ll have to say that
I got the best start I’ve had all year and went
into the woods in 11th place. I thought this is going
to be a good day after all my last place starts in the
first three races, but my day never got any better.
I’m learning more about my KFX 450 every time
I race it, and I’m getting a better feel as to
what suspension settings work best. Unfortunately, the
settings that worked good in testing did not work for
me here; the track was very hard packed and rutted with
a lot of roots and stumps as well as some fast sections.
My problem was that I put too much air pressure in my
Tire Balls and tires for these conditions; also my rear
Elka shock was set up a little too soft. These factors
made the bike bottom out and hard to hold on to. The
good news is I know what to do to fix it after talking
it over with the Elka technicians. My rear brake lever
somehow got bent early in the race and was hitting the
frame every time I tried to slow down or steer with
the brakes. Needless to say, after overshooting turns
and bouncing off of trees, I knew it just wasn’t
my day.
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I still rode the race as hard as I could, trying to
make up some time without riding out of control because
all that does is get you hurt. I was able to ride as
smooth as I could without crashing. I did pass a few
guys, but just as many others passed me that were riding
a faster and stronger pace. I was not able to hold them
off today without doing something stupid, so instead
of getting hurt or tearing something up, I just let
them around and tried to keep up as long as I could.
Seeing these riders going through the same sections
in front of me let me know a lot about what was going
on with my bike. Sometimes when you are not going very
well and you don’t really know why, watching the
rider just ahead can help you pin point your problem
a little bit better. Everything goes through your mind
in these conditions and you wonder, “Is it you
or the machine, or both?”
I’m sure with the machine not doing exactly what
I like it to do that it played a roll with me mentally,
but I’ve learned to never give up and to keep
riding strong, no matter what. One bad day is not the
end of the world because I’m lucky enough to be
a part of a really awesome and strong group of sponsors
that I love working with. I can’t say enough about
my Kawasaki KFX 450; it’s a fantastic bike that
just rips! Some days are just better than others; I
will work hard getting myself and the bike ready for
the Loretta Lynn’s GNCC in two weeks in Hurricane
Mills, Tennessee. Congratulations to Chris Borich on
another win this weekend and all the other riders who
put in good rides. See you in two weeks.
www.YokleyRacing.com
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