2017
GNCC Racing Series
Round #3 - Cannonball
Sparta, GA
March 25, 2017 |
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Walker Fowler Wins Third Straight
at Cannonball GNCC
Hunter Hart Takes his First
Pro-Am XC2 ATV Win
Sparta, GA (3/26/2017) - The third
round of the 2017 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country
(GNCC) series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National
Championship, was treated to perfect weather conditions
today, March 25, at the second annual Maxxis Cannonball
GNCC in Sparta, Georgia. The track provided plenty
of racing action, where WFR/Yamaha/Maxxis/Fly Racing's
Walker Fowler eventually took home the overall win
at the conclusion of the two-hour race.
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GNCC Racing
Pro XC1 ATV Podium (left to right)
Jarrod McClure (2nd), Walker Fowler (1st),
Chris Borich (3rd)
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CST/Induction Solutions/LSR/HiPer/Spider Graphix's
Adam McGill jumped out to the early lead and grabbed
the $250 Wiseco XC1 Pro Holeshot Award. While
McGill faced a clear track in front of him, there
was nothing but riders behind him who were all
eager to take his place.
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The Maxxis Cannonball
GNCC witnessed the best racing action
of the entire season
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Six-time GNCC champion, Chris Borich and GBC/Canyon
Motorsports/Fly Racing's Landon Wolfe were applying
the pressure to McGill early on. After an unfavorable
start, Fowler sat in fifth around the three-mile
marker.
Within five miles, Fowler was able to shave off
two positions where he sat in third. With a tight
track, Fowler was accompanied by Coastal Racing's
Brycen Neal who sat in fourth.
As the front runners checked through timing and
scoring for the first time, the group was all
wheel-to-wheel with less than four seconds separating
them. They would continue racing this way for
the majority of the race.
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Brycen Neal was able
to lead half of the race, proving it won't
be long until he stands in the middle
of the box
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As McGill continued to lead, Fowler faded back
and Neal was able to secure second right before
they hit the nine-mile mark. Borich wasn't ready
to settle for third, where within the next few
miles he took the second place back.
This pass fired Neal up where he made another
move on both Borich and McGill and moved into
the lead as the two-lap card came out. While Neal
was finding success, Fowler found himself struggling
with a loss of front brakes.
Neal continued to lead the race, while Fowler
pushed through. Once the white flag was out, Neal
sat a few bike lengths ahead of Fowler and Borich
who were rubbing plastic. With only a few miles
remaining, Fowler took a unique line across a
creek to take the pass for the lead.
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After riding half
the race without front brakes, Walker
Fowler extended his win streak to three-in-a-row
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Shortly after the pass, Neal would face more
issues and clip a tree allowing JMR/ATVriders.com's
Jarrod McClure to move into second. After starting
the race outside of the top ten, McClure slid
under the radar just as his nickname "Sneaky
Snake" implies.
With the largest lead anyone had experienced
all race, Fowler rode the last mile comfortably
and crossed the finish line victorious. McClure
followed just 30 seconds behind in second. Neal
was back on-track and in second as he and Borich
headed into the final field section. Borich was
right on his tail, and was able to hold onto the
gas for just a second longer as they went back
into the last woods section. This would play a
major role in the final podium position where
Borich would end up.
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Jarrod McClure worked
his way from outside the top ten to second
overall
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As if his come-from-behind win wasn't exciting
enough, Fowler was able to set the fastest lap
time of the day on the last lap. "The first
two races I was able to do my thing, but that
wasn't the case today. Everyone showed up to race,
and it kind of caught me off guard," said
Fowler. "I had an uncommon fifth place start.
We hit the trail and I kept making small mistakes
and hitting trees. After about the first hour
I bent the front brake rotor so I didn't have
any brakes and I just gave up. Everyone kept cheering
me on and then everything started clicking again.
I was able to pass Borich and McGill over the
creek crossing on the third lap, and I took another
line through that same spot the last lap and made
the pass on Neal."
Neal finished just off the podium in forth, and
McGill managed to hold onto fifth. Wolfe earned
his second sixth place finish of the season, and
Shockworx Motorsports/Spider Graphics/GBC Tires
‘s Tucker Wyatt raced his way to a personal best
finish in seventh.
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