The first lap ended with Chris Borich
holding first just ahead of Brent Sturdivant. Brent
had a great run at Loretta’s last year in his
Pro debut, and was looking to make a repeat performance.
Chris Jenks held third ahead of William Yokley and Duane
Johnson. The XC1 field was separated by seconds, and
it was clearly anyone’s race at this point. Bill
Ballance had already moved up to seventh place, roughly
forty seconds behind Borich. The top three stayed the
same through lap two, but Bill Ballance made his way
into fourth at the halfway point, now within 30 seconds
of Chris Borich. Yokley began to experience rear brake
problems, and dropped back to tenth. Matt Smiley was
on the gas hard, and moved into the top five going into
lap three.
|
|
|
#16 Brent Sturdivant stayed within a few seconds
of Borich in the lead for the first three laps,
but in the final lap, he would miss-out on his
first Podium with a 4th Overall finish |
#9
Adam Mcgill was a roller-coaster ride as he
dropped back out of the top 10 before rebounding
back to a 7th place finish right behind #17
Taylor Kiser |
The course had lines opening up everywhere, and I
had to look ahead to every sharp corner each lap to
see if it had been cut off shorter with a new line.
With the hillclimbs being riddled with zigzagging
lines, it was vital to pick the fastest lines and
connect them smoothly to go fast. The fast switchbacks
through the pit areas around the motocross track were
an absolute blast to race on, and the sweeping turns
welcomed a good flattrack technique.
|
|
|
#3 Duane Johnson & #4 Chris Jenks were on
the move early on running in the top five overall,
but once again, the pair would run into issues
with Jenks taking a nasty spill down one of
the hill climbs, and the pair both dropped out
of the top 10 overall
|
The third lap would take its toll on Johnson and
Jenks, and both dropped out of the top ten. Bill Ballance
moved into second, right on Borich’s rear wheels
as they came through the barrels to start the final
lap. Chris showed everyone that he has matured into
a champion by keeping his head together and holding
off Ballance to win his third race in a row and take
over the points lead after five races.
| |
| #19
Matt Smiley made his return to Podium after
nearly a 2 year absence with his last appearance
in 2005 at the Wisp with a 2nd Overall |
Matt Smiley kept up a blistering pace to finish on
the podium for the first time since 2005, coming across
the line ahead of Sturdivant. Brent is a super-fast
rider, and will surely be a front runner in the series
when he combines his speed with consistency. Chris
Bithell continues to put in good finishes, logging
in another top five just ahead of Taylor Kiser and
Adam McGill. Craig Reed is riding very impressively
in his first Pro season, and finished eighth after
running as high as sixth. Brandon Ballance overcame
his nagging back injury to finish ninth in front of
Bryan Cook.
Round six of the GNCCs, the John Penton, takes place
at the Sunday Creek facility in Millfield, Ohio. The
venue has hosted a round of the series for years,
and look for another great race as the battle for
ATV woods racing supremacy continues. See you there!
