Vero Beach, FL – March 6, 2007 – Bill Ballance is well on his way to adding a record-breaking 8th straight championship to his resume after decimating the competition at the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series opener in Vero Beach, Florida.  Aboard his Factory Yamaha YFZ450, Ballance dominated from start to finish and completed the 5-lap race almost a full minute ahead of the next Pro-class competitor, and 6:14 in front of the event’s third place finisher.

A post-race protest by second place finisher, Chris Borich, was immediately denied by GNCC Racing.  The decision was then unanimously upheld by an expedited appeals board made up of AMA congress and staff members.

Well known for being a thorn in the side of the reigning and seven-time champ, Florida GNCC series events and their sandy, whoop-laden tracks have given Ballance fits.  For the start of the 2007 season, however, Bill showed the entire ATV racing community just how physically and mentally prepared he is for a run at his 8th straight GNCC racing title.

“I am more prepared than I have ever been,” said Ballance after the race.  “In past years, to prepare for a season I rode and tested at home.  This year I made one trip to Florida in January and then packed up my family and came down again eight days before the GNCC series opener.  For six of those days I was on my YFZ450 every day riding and testing suspension.   Along with all that, for the first time in my life I watched my diet closely, lost some weight and incorporated mountain biking and weight training in order to prepare for this season.”

Success aboard the Yamaha YFZ450 at the opening GNCC series round in Florida was not reserved solely for Ballance, as a total of 10 Yamaha riders won their respective class including five-time and defending women’s champ Traci Cecco and Pro-Am rider Brandon Sommers, who finished an amazing 7th overall in the afternoon race.  Both are Yamaha Factory-supported riders.

About Yamaha:
Yamaha Motor Corp., USA was started in 1977 and is a Japanese-based, wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation. Yamaha Motor Corp., USA headquarters are located in Cypress, California. For more information on Yamaha, visit www.yamaha-motor.com.