| GNCC
ATV Racing
Round 1 "The Triton" |
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Vero Beach, FL - So we cleaned the
last bit of snow and ice off the truck and trailer and
loaded up the quads to make the annual trip down to
sunny Florida for the survival test we all know now
as the Triton GNCC. The first round of the Can-Am Grand
National Cross Country Series always guarantees sore
joints, sand in your shorts, and a handful of blisters-
this year's sand blast session in Vero Beach delivered
that and more. The huge Triton Ranch sod farm location
would bring back the open whoop fields and palmetto
root gardens from the past at Kirton Ranch in Okeechobee,
FL.
The 2007 series promises a ton of suspense and surprises,
with perennial champion Bill Ballance going for an
unprecedented eighth straight championship, the return
of Kawasaki Factory involvement, and a stacked Pro
class consisting of various new factory support riders
and wildcard ProAm class graduates.
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| #5
William Yokley's new truck & trailer along
with his new Kawasaki KFX450 ride
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Team shuffling over the winter had changed things
around a little, with the biggest news being William
Yokley's jump from Suzuki to the Monster Kawasaki
Team riding the new KFX450. The team was out in full
force, with a sharp looking custom hauler, Pro Circuit
tuned motors, and Doug Roll and the Elka techs dialing
in the suspension on William's quad under the scrutiny
of Kawasaki's head honcho Reid Nordin. The void Yokley
left in the Suzuki program is being filled by veteran
Johnny Gallagher and ProAm graduate Sean Neidlinger,
with Jeremy Rice not making the trip to the Vero Beach
sandbox. Mike Houston picked up a Yamaha support ride
and will campaign the proven YFZ450 along with the
Ballance brothers. Bryan Baker gave up his ever-present
green Honda to take Matt Smiley's spot on the Factory
Polaris team riding the all new KTM 525 powered Outlaw.
Smiley has teamed up with fellow Pennsylvania native
and championship contender Chris Borich to try to
collect on the $25,000 bonus that Honda is paying
out for the GNCC title. Duane Johnson and Chris Jenks
continue to run Hondas with their own programs, and
Chris Bithell is now joined by ProAm graduate Jeffrey
Pickens under the LTE Racing tent. North Carolina's
Santo Derisi and Bryan Cook remain on Hondas under
the Team Excel banner. Adam McGill is now a Baldwin
Racing rider, and my Honda is once again backed by
DirtFirst and Duncan Racing.
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| #8
Bryan Baker makes to the move to the Polaris
Outlaw 525 while #19 Matt Smiley switches to
the Honda TRX450R for 2007
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The rain that was soaking other parts of Florida
somehow completely missed the track. During practice
on Saturday, it was evident that everyone would be
eating sand dust sandwiches for lunch on Sunday. The
temperature was unusually comfortable and heat was
not a major player as in years past. Of course even
75 degree weather is a shock to many racers who come
out of the frozen tundra of the northern states, forced
to ride with four layers of clothes and Eskimo gloves
with the fur-lined wrist cuffs and handfulls of foot
warmer packets stuffed into their boots. The practice
loop was very deceptively smooth, but I knew the race
course would roughen up after the morning race and
become the bone-jarring cavity-loosening washboard
that it always is.
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#3
Duane Johnson claimed the ITP Pro Holeshot Award
followed by #4 Chris Jenks & #1 Bill Ballance |
Twenty eight XC1 Pro riders lined up for the start,
with 2005 ATVA champ John Natalie making another GNCC
appearance in preparation for next week's MX season
opener. As the flag waved for the start of the 2007
title chase, it was none other than Duane Johnson
taking the holeshot. The Ballance brothers were in
hot pursuit along with Natalie, with Chris Borich
starting in the rear of the dust cloud after a poor
start. The dusty course took its first victims, with
Mike Houston and Brent Sturdivant coming together
in a muddy ditch resulting in a DNF for both riders.
At the end of a lap, BJ Ballance came out of the dust
cloud and through the barrels in first, just ahead
of Bill. John Natalie was running strong in third
with Jenks and Bithell in fourth and fifth. Chris
Borich had already moved up to sixth. Tyler Lenig's
XC1 Pro debut was halted when he broke a spindle on
his YFZ, but a quick change allowed him to continue
a lap down.
