| GNCC
ATV Racing
Round 4 "Big Buck" |
|
|
|
|
|
Union, SC - The Grand National Cross
Country Series made it’s way to Union, South
Carolina this weekend for round four of the series,
the Big Buck GNCC. The season so far has been a Ballance/Borich
affair, with Bill Ballance determined to put a definitive
stamp of domination on the series as the all-time
greatest champion of the sport by winning a record
eight championships. Chris Borich is equally as focused
on winning his first championship after coming so
close in the past. Ballance made a huge statement
at the first two rounds by taking the overall wins
and setting the stage for his eighth consecutive romp
through the series. Borich turned it around at round
three and bested Ballance to keep the points race
tight and served notice to everyone that he is more
than capable of dethroning the king.
The final spot on the podium so far this year has
been a mix of young talent and veterans, with XC1
rookie Taylor Kiser busting on the scene in Florida
with a third overall, and maintaining consistent finishes
at the following two rounds to stay near the top of
the points table. Chris Bithell, in his sophomore
XC1 season, was on the podium in Georgia. Bryan Cook
put himself on the box in North Carolina, showing
the talent that earned him rookie of the year honors
and two overall victories in the past.
|
|
|
#6
Chris Bithell |
#17
Taylor Kiser |
#14
Bryan Cook |
| |
| #21
Santo Deris was blessed with the birth of his
son, Nate, just days before the race |
The races so far this season have been blessed with
perfect weather, and no rain. The Big Buck was slated
to be a mud race, with all the weather forecasts showing
an imminent precipitation onslaught. Even the last
weather report I saw before leaving the motel to go
to the track on raceday showed rain starting by 1
o’clock. The rain never materialized, and with
the area not having received much rain prior to the
race, it looked like the conditions would be dry and
dusty.
The Big Buck is a staple of the GNCC Series, and
the course is a Buren Hamrick-designed masterpiece
of off-road terrain that is always a challenging loop
enjoyed by everyone. The race always gets a good bit
of local media attention, and loads of spectators
come out to see the riders tackle the elements as
well as hit the infamous creek jump. Last year’s
race saw Mike Houston take a close win over the podium
regulars, in a race that was contested right up to
the finish.
|
|
|
#4
Chris jenks & #1 Bill Ballance collide heading
into turn two with Ballance coming out of it
in front of Jenks with #2 Chris Borich taking
over the early lead.
|
Twenty-five Pro riders lined up for the start under
partly cloudy skies, ready to attack the thirteen-mile
course. At the green flag it was holeshot artist Bill
Ballance and Chris Jenks getting the jump, with Jenks
getting the nod for the ITP Holeshot Award. The two
frontrunners would collide briefly in the second turn,
and the altercation would allow Chris Borich to get
by and lead the race into the woods. Borich admittedly
let Ballance by before the creek jump so he would
jump it first, then Borich was able to retake the
lead. Adam McGill and Chris Bithell battled for third
behind the leaders, with Brent Sturdivant getting
a good start and running in fifth
|
|
|
#2 Chris Borich took over the early lead and
the clear air that came with it as #1 Bill Ballance
& #16 Brent Sturdivant kept Borich within
reach |
#7
Adam McGill was in 4th ahead of Jenks, Bithell,
Johnson, Pickens, Cook, and Lenig rounding out
the top 10 as they sliced through the dust |
