GNCC Round 5 Coverage: Dunlop Old Gray

The mud dried up just in time.

The Progressive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC Racing) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, kicked off its fifth round of racing in Monterey, Tennessee with The Dunlop Motorcycle Tires Old Gray GNCC on Saturday, April 13. With rain leading up to the event, the pit area was soft and muddy, however it made for prime conditions throughout the new trails in the woods.

Tennessee fans lined the woods for a thrilling 2 p.m. pro race. Phoenix Racing Yamaha’s Brycen Neal got a quick jump off the line, earning himself the $250 Kanati Performance Tires Holeshot Award. Neal would continue to push as he made his way through the all-new course on lap one. As the race continued on, Neal would push forward and remain in the lead position until the checkered flag flew after two intense hours of racing. Neal remains undefeated as he earned his fifth-straight win of the season.

WFR/GBC/Fly Racing/BNR/Yamaha’s Walker Fowler would have a good start to his day as he came around third on the opening lap. Fowler would continue to make his way through, making the pass for second on lap two and holding that position for the remaining two laps. Fowler would come through 42 seconds behind Neal to earn second overall on the day.

Earning his third podium finish of the season was Action Off-Road/GBC/BNR Motorsports’ Josh Merritt. As the green flag waved, Merritt would get a good jump off the line and would come through second on the opening lap. Merritt and Fowler would battle for part of the second lap before Fowler would make the pass stick. Merritt would hold onto the last podium spot as he finished third overall and in the XC1 Pro class.

Action Off-Road/GBC/Houser Racing’s Wyatt Wilkin did not have the start he hoped for as he came through seventh on the opening lap of the race. However, Wilkin would try to turn his day around as he continued to make the necessary passes towards the front of the pack. Wilkin would find himself inside the top five with just one lap remaining, and as he continued to charge, he would make the pass for fourth overall on the day.

Rounding out the top five overall finishers was Hunter Hart Racing/Fly Racing/Ithaca Recreation Sports’ Hunter Hart. As he came through eighth on the opening lap, Hart would put his head down and push on. He would come through fourth on the next lap and remain towards the front battling, but as Wilkin made his way up both of them would battle for that spot. Hart would be unable to hold off Wilkin, but he would continue to finish fifth overall on the day and in the XC1 class.

Phoenix Racing Yamaha’s John Glauda Jr. would have a consistent day as he battled back-and-forth in the sixth place position for the majority of the race. Glauda would come through to the checkered flag in sixth overall. BNR Motorsports/Fearless/Kenda’s Steven Harrell battled back from a ninth place start to his day, to coming through and finishing seventh overall at round five.

After running up in fifth on the opening lap of the race, Bullet Proof Doorz/BNR Motorsports/Senge Graphics’ Ronnie Rusch would unfortunately fall back to cross the line in eighth overall in Tennessee. JMR/GBC/Elka/Moose Racing’s Jarrod McClure also had a good start to his day as he came through fourth on lap one. However, McClure would fall back to ninth on lap two and be unable to make a real push towards the front. McClure would ultimately cross the line ninth overall. McGill Mafia/OBOR Tires/Moose Racing’s Adam McGill unfortunately got tangled up right after the start and would be unable to regroup and make a run towards the front pack. McGill would still push and come through tenth overall on the day.

For Action Off-Road/AMSOIL/CB Racing’s Chris Borich, he would unfortunately have to get towed off the course after the opening lap. As for Action Off-Road/Maxxis/Fly Racing/Lonestar’s Austin Abney, he would look to suffer a lower leg injury after completing one lap of the race.

When the XC2 Pro-Am class took off it was BNR Motorsports/GBC Tires/FXR/Action Off-Road’s Kenny Shick earning himself the BNR Motorsports Holeshot Award, but as the race got underway it was BNR Motorsports/Pierce Performance/GBC Tire’s Alex Thieman making the pass for the lead early on. Thieman would not look back and continued to push out front for the duration of the race as he led from start to finish to earn his second XC2 class win of the season. Phoenix Racing Yamaha’s Grayson Eller would have his work cut out for him as he made his way up to third, just to fall back to sixth on the second lap. Eller would regroup and continue to push towards the front again and would make the passes for third and then second as the checkered flag flew. Action Off-Road/Pierce Performance/Guts Racing’s James Glauda would battle inside the top five the whole race, ultimately crossing the finish line third in the XC2 class.

Coming through to take the Top Amateur honors was Brody Lee of the College A class as he earned 16th overall and first in his class. Dayton Hickey would come through second for the Top Amateur podium as he earned second in the College A class and 19th overall in the afternoon race. Jase Cooper rounded out the top three Top Amateur finishers as he came through 20th overall and third in the College A class.

As the 4×4 Pro line took off it was KMK Off-Road/OBOR/FXR’s Kaden Wharff grabbing the BNR Motorsports Holeshot Award, but Pro Row 784/TMS/Edgewood/DeRisi’s Brandon Frazier was right behind him to take over the lead on lap one. Frazier would continue to battle with Kenda/KMK/Ryco Electric’s Cody Collier, who would take over the lead on lap two from Frazier. As the race wore on the two would battle back-and-forth until the last lap when Frazier would unfortunately fall back to sixth in the 4×4 Pro class. Collier would go on to cross the finish line first overall and in the 4×4 Pro class with over a five minute lead on the rest of his 4×4 Pro competition.

DeRisi Racing/GBC/Action Off-Road’s Braden Reed would continue to battle throughout the day, making the necessary moves throughout the four laps to land himself in second on the 4×4 Pro podium, and third overall on the day. After winning at the previous round, Solesbee Racing/OBOR/DeRisi/Fly Racing’s Branson Solesbee would be another racer that continued to push himself for the duration of the race as he made his way back to third in the 4×4 Pro class after a sixth place start to the day.

Cole Lykins would finish second overall on the day after earning the overall win at the previous round. Lykins would also earn his 250 All-Star (14-17) class win as he continues to lead the points standings after five rounds of racing.

n the WXC class it would be Venom Powersports/DeRisi Racing/Houser’s Morgan Solesbee getting the jump off the line to earn herself the BNR Motorsports WXC Holeshot Award to start her day. The WXC class would see some intense battles throughout the two-hour race, but as the checkered flag flew it would be Osburn Off-Road/Pierce Performance/Moose Racing’s Chloe Harper making her way across the line first. Harper would have to make a last lap pass by Elioff Racing/BNR Motorsports/GBC Tire’s Jessica Elioff to take the class win after Elioff would lead the previous two laps of the race. This would be Harper’s second-straight win of the season. Elioff continues to hold the points lead after earning the first three wins of the season. Rounding out the top three WXC finishers was JMR/Action Off-Road/GBC/Moose Racing’s Katelyn Osburn as she battled back to the podium after starting the day back in the fifth place position.

Catch GNCC Pro ATV Racing free via RacerTV.com all season long. Pro ATV Racing starts Saturday’s at 2pm ET, with the exception of Big Buck, Snowshoe and Ironman events where they will start at 1pm ET.

For more information on the GNCC series, visit the official website at www.gnccracing.com

Dunlop Motorcycle Tires Old Gray GNCC Results and Points Standings
Monterey, Tennessee
Round 5 of 13
Saturday, April 13, 2024

XC1 Pro Event Results:

Brycen Neal (YAM)
Walker Fowler (YAM)
Josh Merritt (YAM)
Wyatt Wilkin (YAM)
Hunter Hart (YAM)
John Glauda Jr. (YAM)
Steven Harrell (YAM)
Ronnie Rusch (YAM)
Jarrod McClure (HON)
Adam McGill (HON)

Overall National Championship Standings:

Brycen Neal (150)
Walker Fowler (121)
Joshua Merritt (99)
Wyatt Wilkin (80)
Adam McGill (75)
Hunter Hart (71)
Steven Harrell (65)
John Glauda Jr. (55)
Austin Abney (53)
Chris Borich (51)

XC2 Pro-Am Event Results:

Alex Thieman (YAM)
Grayson Eller (YAM)
James Glauda (YAM)
Daulton Keyes (HON)
Keaton Henderson (YAM)
Branden Owens (YAM)
Christopher Howard (YAM)
Tavin Cook (YAM)
Tanner Walker (YAM)
Braxton Grosse (HON)

XC2 Pro-Am Series Standings:

Alex Thieman (122)
Grayson Eller (116)
Braxton Grosse (101)
James Glauda (88)
Dylan Walraven (73)
Alex Elioff (67)
Daulton Keyes (63)
Christopher Howard (63)
Keaton Henderson (52)
Kenny Shick (51)