New Berlin, NY - The Grand National
Cross Country Series broke new ground this weekend
in New Berlin, New York. The first-ever off-road race
took place at the Unadilla Sports Center, and the
course included not only the beautiful countryside
in the area but also the famed Unadilla Motocross
track. This has been the site of numerous Grand Prix
and National Motocross races for the past three decades,
and fueled the legends of great racers such as Bob
Hannah, Roger DeCoster and Ricky Johnson. The thought
of riding the same loamy soil as the greats compelled
a record 1700 racers to make the trip to upstate New
York to say they rode Unadilla, making it the biggest
GNCC ever.
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| Unadilla
National MX Track |
The ATV Pro Championship was coming down to a battle
between the young prodigy Chris Borich and the tough
multi-time champion Bill Ballance, and Borich seemed
to have the upper hand as Ballance had missed the
previous round with a badly broken leg. Chris was
able to make up some ground on Bill in the points
race, but Bill showed his tenacity as he came to Unadilla,
suited up, and limped to his quad ready to give his
all on an obviously demanding track. William Yokely
was healthy after nursing a pulled hamstring to fifth
place at the last round in NC. Chris Jenks had confidence
on his side after his brilliant first win two weeks
ago, and he was ready to taste victory again. Matt
Smiley had the full support of the Polaris Factory
at Unadilla, and with their semi in the pro pits and
the new Outlaw quads on display Matt was getting the
backing to break through for his and Polaris' first
win.
The weekend's weather turned out perfect for the race,
with only the possibility of a little dust. As I walked
the MX track for the first time, every drop-off I came
to was bigger than the last. At least four near 100' ski
jumps and of course the infamous "Gravity Cavity"
made up the moto sections of the course, and the width
of the track made for good passing opportunities. The
woods were almost rock-free, and the soil was loamy and
mostly dry. A section of railroad bed with only the ties
in place created a unique obstacle, as trees had grown
around and through the ties. This made it a first gear
affair with no place to go on either side. The mix of
hills, open fields, and twisty virgin trails made this
a classic GNCC track.
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| #3
Chris Borich, Alba Action, watches the race
while Joe Borich replacing his broken Spindle,
so he could salvage a few laps at Unadilla |
The tension of the start was heavy, as everyone wanted
to do well (if not win) this great inaugural event. The
start went smooth, and as we came up on the first hillclimbs,
the dust had already started to play a factor. The silt
sitting in the rutted uphills exploded as we hit it, making
it impossible to see the lines up the hills after the
first few riders had gone through. I was looking about
8 feet up the trees and judging where I could go from
them, just gassing it the whole time up. Riders were getting
hung up here and there, and when I came to the railroad
ties I saw Chris Borich on the side of the track, victim
of front end damage. Matt Smiley was struck from behind
by another rider as he made his way up a dusty hillclimb,
injuring his back and putting him out of the race. Many
passes were made on the first lap, and who do you think
would come out on top after the first lap but Bill Ballance.
Mike Houston and Brian Cook followed Bill through on the
first lap.
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#7
Chris Jenks looked to be well on his way to
another Overall Win until he buried his 450R
in the Mud |
Shortly into the second lap, Bill stuck his Yamaha in a
mud bog and flipped. With some help from some spectators,
he managed to get back on and stayed in the top three.
Chris Jenks had taken over the lead at the end of the
second lap, with his Four Stroke Tech teammate Brian
Cook in second. William Yokely was in the hunt for the
first half of the race, until transmission problems
sidelined him on the fourth lap. Chris Jenks was tearing
up the track in first, hoping to take back-to-back victories.
At the tricky railroad bed, Jenks came upon a bottle
neck and chose to try to negotiate the swampy muck alongside
the ties with bad results. He was hung up good and lost
4 minutes to the leaders.
Brian Cook was now in the lead and determined. After
a rough start to the season, he had good rides in the
last two rounds. Now he was at the front and ready to
win. Brian pulled out a 1 minute lead at the finish, winning
his second career GNCC overall in front of Bill Ballance.
Bill proved once again that his tenacity is unparalleled;
and with his podium finish and Borich's DNF, he could
now realistically wrap up the title in Ohio in two weeks.
A great ride by veteran pro and previous Pro Production
champion Brian Baker put him on the podium in third place
overall. The Missouri resident followed Ballance on the
last lap, feeling he might be able to make a pass but
instead played it safe to secure his first podium in years.
The ever consistent Brandon Ballance came through for
fourth with Mike Houston putting in a good ride for fifth
overall.
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| #1
Bill Ballance returns to racing from a series
leg injury and pick up where he left off at
Wisp on the Podium! |
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#23
Bryan Baker, K&K ATV, earned the final spot
on the Podium behind Ballance by playing it
safe the last lap. |
The first Unadilla GNCC goes in the books as a great
track, phenomenal turnout, and close racing all the way
to the checkered flag. This is what GNCC racing was meant
to be like, and series founder Dave Coombs would be proud
knowing that all the racers, spectators, and track personnel
now have these great memories to cherish mostly due to
his own great vision of how American off-road racing should
be.
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#6
Bryan Cook, Four Stroke Tech, goes down in the
Record Books for winning the first Pro ATV GNCC
Race at Unadilla, and #1 Bill Ballance has yet
another Championship all but wrapped up. |
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