Well this was the last GNCC of the year and Why not go out on a bang. First off the track was muddy in the morning do to about 5 hours of steady race the night before the race. Towards the end of the race the track worked up great. The cool thing is a Cannondale in the stock class one the overall (Richard Travalena)!.

Well now to how I did. I had an bad start. Worst of the year. The quad start then stalled so I was the last off the line (32nd) in the class. Pass a couple in the field before heading into the woods and just kept pace with a Banshee for a lap in a half before I lost him do to a 400ex getting between us. Then the fun started. Goggles got wet and mud so I had to remove them. The wiring was acting up the whole start. I had a short in the wiring (totally my fault do to bad connect that I change). So when the quad died I would have to wiggle the wiring to get it to refire. This happen 3 or 4 times during the race. Once at a check point and once when I change googles on the 3rd lap. The others times were in a deep water section and a small hill when I hit a tree (oops). There were 2 nice big hills same of the quads were having problems on, but not me I passed at least 30 of them on the last 2 laps do to the fact they were waiting to see if the guy in front would make it up before they would try it. Not me as soon as the guy in front was almost to the top I would pass the ones waiting and shoot up the hill. Well when it was all over. I finished 17th in the class out of 32 and 36 overall out of 300 quads. I think that's pretty good of the last one. I finished the seaond in the points in 21st place in the stock 4-stroke and to my calculates my national number for next season should be 191 or close to that. Not bad for only running the last 9 on a 4-stroke quad (which I've never race a 4 stroke before), being a die-hard 2-stroke rider. Plus the fact this was my first year racing the nationals. Look out next year I'm going to be looking for a win or 2.

 

lt250r91- Who won the Pro class? I heard Yokely, I think.

 

Yep, Yokely won the race then it was Ballance, Smiley.

Bill won the title for the 3rd year.

This years top 10 national pros:

#1 Bill Ballance
#2 Matt Smiley
#3 William Yokey
#4 Chris Borich
#5 Bradley Page
#6 Santo Derisi
#7 Chad Duvall
#8 Bryan Baker
#9 Gregory Trew
#10 Jeremy Rice


Side note on a total different subject. One of the Pro Cannondale guys (I can't remember which one) said that Doug Dust has been signed as a cannondale factory rider and will be racing a cannondale Moto next year in the GNC's.

 

lt,
I was there! I looked for you, but so many quads around I didn't see ya. Got Yokely and Mike Pendlands autographs. Both really cool guys. They both actually talked to me for a few minutes. I know the hill you are speaking of. I was one, of the many, at the top that would help get up to the top if they got into a jam, and boy did they. It was awesome. Wish I would have came across ya. Good job, though!

 

lt250r91- Good luck to you next year at the Nationals.

 

lt250r91,

Way to go man!! Great finish for the toughest race of the year.

Hope next year is even better for you.


I've heard that Cannondale was pulling all the stops next year in both GNC MX and the GNCCs....so the rumor of Gust going to the 'Dale is a big possibility.

 

Great job lt! Glad to hear you pulled through. That was definately a nasty starting line. I ran the 4-stroke C class.

I didn't have any luck at all. I went out on the second lap after hitting a tree and flipping. I was lucky enough to get thrown through a barb wire fence and busted the inside of my mouth up and scraped my side up pretty bad where my chest protector didn't cover.

The quad did great. Got behind the utilities as they were busting new trails around the bottle necks. Got around a lot of people that way. Had no problem on the hills or in the water. I think people were suprise to see a dale blowin' through the deep stuff instead of taking it easy!

The funniest thing was that my friend got taken out by the same tree and bent his tie rods on his 400EX. They cut the tree down after that and told him that there were a lot of wrecks there that morning.

I hope to run into you sometime before next year, but if I don't, GOOD LUCK. Are you going to run the stock class again?

Jason

 

stebob

I was camped all the way in the back next to a pro-production rider (Chris Kerr #72) I'm good friends with him and we help each other out during the race. All the pros are super nice. I talk to Chad Duvall at every GNCC, he gives me pointers on the track some times. At round 6 this year I walked the entire track with Bill & Brandon Ballance and they gave me a ton of pointers for the race the next day. Maybe that had someting to do with my 6th place finish and 24th overall that day.

Mrp

Thanks, I'll need all the luck I can get. Hoping to start picking up some sponsors. I'm ready for the season to start already. Goodluck to you too.

Knowsalot

Thanks, to tell you the truth I thought Deep Creek (round 9) was the toughest one. The Ironman was a fun track and tough in spots, you just had to know how to tackle the track. Smart rinding was the key. The thing with Gust from what I hear is a done deal. I hope it's true, because Gust would be an awesome addition to the team.

TurboJay

I know that start was awful, I'm going to have to do alot of work on me starts in the off season. Sorry to heard about all the badluck you ran across. Hope your all right. Hey at least you can say you survived the ironman. THe water secetion where deep, but the c'dale love them. It didn't miss a beat. What I thought was funny was all the 250r that didn't like water. You could hear them missing and spitting and sputtering. People got to water proof those machines. I like the one water section that you could ride the bank all away around and not go in the water. I passed a couple guys there because they decided to make a straight thru the water to the other side and I just ran the wall and pass them all. I hope to meet up with you next season if not sooner. I'm planing on running the open A class in the afternoon race next year on the new machine. GasGas 300 with hopeful some factory backing. The Cannodale will be at all the races just incase I need to call on it. I might race it at the Local tracks next year. Not planning on selling it. It's too good of a quad to let go.


Thanks everyone and hope to run across you sometime at the track. And goodluck to all of you.

 

We watched the afternoon race at the big 3 hillclimb. The rapters seemed to have the toughest time at not flipping but the 250r did have a lot of trouble after the water sections. I didn't see one 'dale have water problems that day!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]