"Ironman" GNCC Amateur
Race Report
Crawfordsville, IN (10/22/05)
– With the GNCC coming to a close, the Ironman
event proved to be just as exciting as Texas was in
earlier in the season in February. With many championships
left to be decided on the day’s checkered flag,
tension mounted high on the starting line. The hills,
the rocks, the mud, and the creek crossings were about
to be conquered.
Youth ATV Race
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2005
Youth Overall Champion Walker Fowler |
ast year, Racer Productions decided to give Youth
ATV racing another chance and just over 30 riders showed
up on short notice, and ATVriders.com with the help
its members and BK Performance donated a mini ATV to
Brandon Boso for winning the 90cc Youth Limited Class
with Walker Fowler taking the overall win on that cold
and wet day.
This year the final round of the six race series
was attended by 80 riders and the 90cc Production
class had 36 entries, which is exciting for the future
of Youth ATV racing as the series continues to gain
popularity.
Once again, Walker Fowler would jump out to the early
lead, but his run out front would be short lived as
he began to experience mechanical issues with his
Kasea and eventually come to a stop on the final lap,
which sent him back to a twelfth place finish, but
his four previous overall wins were more than enough
for him to wrap up the Youth ATV Championship and
earn the Youth #1 Plate.
Devon Delucca’s Honda TRX90 wasn’t fazed
by the muddy conditions and carried him to his first
overall win with Cheyne Gravley and Stephen McCulloch
finishing less than a minute behind him and claiming
the final two podium positions.
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Mathew
Close makes the pass on Dusty Wright to take
the 90cc Limited (8-10) Class Win and Championship |
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Ironman
GNCC Top Three Overall Finishers Devon Delucca,
Cheyne Gravley, and Stephen McCulloch |
Matthew Close would also conquer the mud and claim
his third win of the season in the 90cc Limited (8-10)
and win the class championship over Dusty Wright by
two points.
Michael Mussi lead the 70cc Production (6-11) Class
from start to finish to claim his second win in a
row, which was enough to tie him with points leader
Haydn Wolpert with 77 points each, but Mussi’s
two wins would secure him the championship
Morning ATV Race
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Traci
Cecco takes the Women's Class Win and Championship
with her 3rd Overall Finish |
In the Women’s Class, the championship fate
was once again between Traci Cecco and Stephanie Parton,
rivals for several years. Just like a few years ago,
the 2005 championship would be decided on the day’s
winner. When the green flag went up, Stephanie Parton
took an easy holeshot aboard her Suzuki with Cecco
battling in third. By just miles into the track, Cecco
took over the lead. At the end of lap one, Cecco lead
the overall, but just seconds over Parton, but on
lap two, Parton took a pit stop for goggles and gloves,
giving Cecco some time to extend her lead. Cecco knew
that by riding smart through the muddy terrain, she
would be able to take the championship to the podium.
When the checkered flag came out, Billy Good from
the 4 Stroke Stock Class took the overall with Cecco
taking third overall, but the Women’s Class
win, crowning her with her fourth Women’s Class
Championship. Billy Good was able to clinch another
4 Stroke Stock Class Championship with Jarrod McClure
taking third place in the class for the day, wrapping
him up for second place in the Class and earning himself
the #201 for next season, which will be the first
time anyone besides Stephanie Parton held the morning
number one overall equivalent plate.
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| #254
Bill Good was back on top with his sixth overall
win of the season with Matt Hanna finishing
2nd Overall |
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#211
Mike Penland earns his first win since switching
to the Bombarider, but misses 12th Championship
by one win. |
In the Utility Modified Class, Jim Stack took another
class win and top twenty overall, but wasn’t
able to wrap up a Championship win for the year; Scott
Kilby was leading the race, but was injured and air-lifted
out to the hospital, but was able to still take the
Championship. Mike Penland, in the Utility Stock Class
took the win after running a flawless race, leaving
Ken Robey to finish second place. With Robey’s
second place finish, he and Penland tied in the Championship
point’s race, giving Robey the upper hand with
more wins. Robey was pressured by Sam Williams on
that last lap, where he finished just a few seconds
behind him for third. If Robey was to be passed on
the last lap and finish third, Penland would have
been able to take home his championship, but Robey
ended Penland’s ten year Championship streak.
Afternoon ATV Race
With a great race completed in the morning, the afternoon
quads were ready to head to the starting line for
their last GNCC start in 2005. The track conditions
were tackier and many riders were excited to get out
and take on the Ironman GNCC head on (especially in
the since that so many riders flipped back from the
hill climbs!) With the green flag up in the air, the
first lap was under way. In the Pro Am Class, Chris
Bithell led from green to checkered, but on lap one,
was feeling the heat from Duane Johnson, James Wahl
and Tyler Lenig. By lap two, Bithell pulled himself
out of the pack by taking over a minute and a half
lead; Lenig positioned his Honda in second, with a
thirty second cushion over Johnson. On lap three,
Bithell was making his charge toward the overall and
not looking back at his Pro Am competition as he was
easily three minutes ahead of Lenig who was proving
his up-front racing at the previous GNCC in Ohio was
no fluke in the Pro Am Class. Lap four, Lenig dropped
to third place behind Wahl with Johnson finishing
in fourth.
In the 4 Stroke A Class, two new guns decided to
upset the fate of a victory. Brandon Sommers came
back to the 4 Stroke A Class after finishing third
in New York, Sommers, one of the most winning quad
riders of the season, decided he would not rest without
taking a class win. Also, Kevin Yoho, the second place
point’s finisher in the 4 Stroke C 16-21 year
old class decided to try his hand in the A Class.
On lap one, Sommers had a twenty second lead over
Yoho with Mark Notman and Todd Rothermel chasing behind.
Lap two, Notman reeled Sommers in by just seconds
with Yoho still hot on his tires for third. Notman
then ran into track troubles with Sommers stretching
his lead out by forty seconds at the end of lap three
with Yoho and Rothermel taking second and third. Todd
Rothermel, 2005 4 Stroke A Class Champion was not
taking it lightly that the two young upstarts were
giving him so much grief, so he turned up the heat
and pushed harder in the Indiana mud.
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| #81
Todd Rothermel second place finish earns him
the 4 Strok A title over Taylor Kiser by only
one point |
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#28
Chris Bithell flawless race earns him a 2nd
Overall Finish andPpodium appearance at only
17 years old |
When the checkered flag came out, seventeen year
old, Chris Bithell took second overall from the Pro
Am Class, accomplishing the same feat as 2005 Pro
Am Class Champion, Adam Mcgill did in the mud of Milfield,
Ohio. “This was a great track, and I ran pretty
much a flawless race,” said Bithell. James Wahl
took fifteenth overall and second place in the Pro
Am Class with Duane Johnson and Tyler Lenig wheel
to wheel at the finish line. Taking twentieth overall,
Brandon Sommers took the 4 Stroke A Class win, just
as he set out to do as the green flag went up. Over
a minute later, Todd Rothermel crossed the finish
line for second with Kevin Yoho just seconds behind
for third. In the Open A Class, Ryan Lane got his
second class win of the season, after taking the class
lead on just the last lap from Craig Reed. “Craig
Reed and I went back and forth several times on the
last lap, and I took the win, but if he wouldn’t
have broke off his footpeg at the beginning of the
race, you would have been interviewing him and not
me (laughing)”, said Lane. Reed finished several
seconds behind Lane, which was more than enough for
him to take home the Open A Class Championship over
Lane. Over four minutes later, Cliff King crossed
the finish line for third in the Open A, but he would
finish the season in fourth.
With the 2005 season at a close, the banquet is just
a few weeks away. Many riders left toward home on
Saturday evening already thinking of what 2006 will
bring; many were already anticipating what the 2006
Season Opener in March.
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