| 7th
- #7 Taylor Kiser - FRE KTM 525XC ATV Racer
- 125 Pts. |
Sitting just one point behind Yokley in the XC1
class is Alva, Florida’s Taylor Kiser. Over
the winter break, Taylor Kiser signed on with
the FRE KTM Race Team and joined Adam McGill on
the new KTM 525XC ATV, and after training with
McGill most of the winter, Kiser came out swinging
a big stick early in the season by finishing 4th
and then 2nd at the first two rounds.
Taylor Kiser had momentum behind his teammate
McGill and it looked like we could see a pair
of KTM’s upfront at every round. Racing
is racing however and the young rider found
himself with a few races where being upfront
just wasn’t in the cards. Kiser has shown
he can adapt and looks to be putting in a solid
season.
Also, after an impressive 2nd place finish
at the famous Maxxis
Pont de Vaux 12 Hour Endurance Race in France
with teammates Tim Farr and Adam McGill just
a few weeks ago, Kiser may have the extra drive
he needs to get back on the Podium during the
second half of the GNCC season.
| 8th
- #4 Matt Smiley - XC Bob's Honda TRX 450R
ATV - 124 Pts. |
For XC Bob’s Matt Smiley, 2008 could
have been a year where he read about the racing
as he was unsure if putting forth the effort
was feasible. Thankfully he did, as Matt is
one of the most enjoyable riders in competition,
in the pits and on the track. This GNCC ATV
veteran has kept the new boys in check and offer
many a glimpse into what being a privateer looks
like. You won’t find anything flashy in
Smiley’s pit or on his machine, just rock
solid parts and a get it done attitude. Matt
had a terrific season going until a wreck at
Loretta’s injured his thumb and set his
efforts back. Rebounding from the injury the
following round had him finishing 4th, and finishing
out the fist half of the season in his homestate
of Pennsylvania at “Mountain Ridge GNCC”,
Mighty Matt Smiley returned to the Podium, which
is exactly what he did in 2007 before the summer
break at Snowshoe.
