Can-Am
GNCC UTV Racing
Round 13 "Ironman" |
|
|
|
|
Crawfordsville, IN -
With record number of 71 UTVs on the GNCC starting
line, there was plenty of action going on at
the final round of the 2008 GNCC series with
National Guard sponsored WillianYokley once
again claiming his 4th straight win of the season
in his Polaris Rzr 800 after an incredible come
from behind charge to victory.
UTV racing was incorporated into four rounds
of the GNCC series this year with phenomenal
success. According to Racer Production’s
Carrie Coombs, what was intended to be just
for fun has grown into a very competitive race
segment of the GNCC series. With several Pro
teams in the Open Modified class, the competition
was quite fierce this weekend.
|
Tim
Farr & Julie Farr grabbed the Holeshot
in the Open Modified Class
|
As the Open Modified class left the line, it was
Tim Farr’s team that grabbed the holeshot,
edging out the Polaris RZR’s of Jarrett
Stephens, Justin Jones, and Mike Hajec. Meanwhile,
William Yokley got off to a slow start. “My
start was horrible, but I caught up and made some
passes,” said Yokley who had a special guest
co-piloting for him at this round instead of his
usual teammate Mark Notman. “I had Colonel
Ronald Turner, the Chief of Staff from the National
Guard riding with me. He had a great time out
there and says he’s now hooked on UTV racing,”
said William, who will once again be backed by
the National Guard for the 2009 season.
|
|
#36 Media
Allstars Dustin Shule grabbed the Holeshot
in the Lites Modified with his Yamaha
Rhino, and he held on for a 2nd place
finish to win the class Championship
|
For
the 2nd straight race, a Honda Pilot exhibition
class has run, and this time it was Jim
Carte grabbing the Holeshot, but his race
would end in lap two |
Meanwhile, Yokley’s cousin, and second
in points, Jarrett Stephens was running strong
and had worked his way to second place by the
end of the first lap, right behind Tim Farr.
In lap two, Stephens made his move and took
over the lead, but Farr remained close, waiting
for his opportunity to regain the lead despite
pressure from Yokley, who made an amazing charge
from 7th to 3rd place.
Stephens was still leading into lap three until
he came to a creek crossing. “We went
through the creek and up the bank and got stuck
up on top. It was pretty intense knowing that
Farr and Yokley were right behind us and there
wasn’t really much we could do. Luckily,
some spectators helped push us out, but by then,
Tim and Will both got by us,” said Stephens.
Farr retook the lead from Stephens, who was
now being pressured by Yokley. As the trio made
their way into the fourth lap, Farr was still
in the lead, but Yokley was gaining ground and
waiting for an opportunity to pass. In lap five,
Yokley got his wish and took the lead with Farr
in a close second and Stephens in third.
The order stayed the same until lap seven when
Farr ran into mechanical issues and could no
longer continue. With Farr out of the race,
Yokley and Stephens took over the top two spots
and the number 240 of Ken Gibb took over the
number three spot. As they crossed the finish
line, it was Yokley in first, followed by Stephens,
and Gibb while Denny Shadron’s team claimed
fourth and Ken Shaver’s team rounded out
the top five.