Fowler Closes Points Gap to Within Five After a Big Victory at the Mountain Ridge GNCC
Walker Fowler Closes Points Gap to Within Five After a Big Victory at the Car-Mate Mountain Ridge GNCC
Marshal Goings Captures XC2 Pro Am Victory
Photos By:Ken Hill
SOMERSET, Pa. (September 21, 2014) – The Car-Mate Mountain Ridge GNCC made for an exciting day of racing at the 11th round of the 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship. N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Walker Fowler captured his fourth overall victory in the last five rounds, bringing himself within five points of Chris Borich’s National Championship lead with only two rounds remaining in 2014. In the XC2 Pro Am class, SICC Racing/Maxxis-backed Marshal Goings made his return to the center of the podium, gaining valuable championship points on leader Cole Richardson with only a five-point separation in the standings.
While McGill and Fowler had put nearly one-minute on the rest of the field by the end of lap one, Dave Bayless Motorsports/Dirtworks/DC Cycles Brycen Neal assumed the third place position right away. Neal was followed by Maxxis-backed Chris Borich, who came through the first lap in fourth, as well as GT Thunder’s Brian Wolf and Precision/Maxxis Tires Chris Bithell.
It was a tough day for Chris Borich, who finished 5th overall
As the race wore on, several different battles formed on the racetrack, making the two-hour race an exciting one for the fans all the way through. Perhaps one of the most exciting moments of the race came on lap two when Fowler decided to forego his pit stop in order to take the opportunity to pass McGill without dusty conditions. However, as Fowler moved into the lead, his pit crew questioned whether or not he would make it another lap on fuel.
Meanwhile, Borich ran into a slight issue that ultimately interfered with his rear brakes, and the five-time champion was forced to come in for a brief adjustment to the rotor during his first pit stop. Things didn’t seem to improve for Borich, as he slipped back into the fifth place position pretty quickly.
Fowler was able to make it back to his pits for a successful fuel stop, where he maintained his lead ahead of McGill for the remainder of the race.
Adam McGill (521) captured the $250 DeRisi Racing/Twin Air XC1 Holeshot and rookie Brycen Neal (9) maintained a solid third place running
XC1 podium: (left) Adam McGill, Walker Fowler, (right) Brycen Neal
“There were a few times I wasn’t sure the ATV was going to make it any further,” Fowler said. “It was overheating from all the dust so it kept getting hot and shutting off but I just want to thank the good lord for keeping us safe and allowing us to make it through.”
Fowler is making all the right moves at exactly the right time, as the young gun has secured four of the last five victories late in the season. Fowler’s recent hot streak has allowed him to make up a substantial amount of points on Borich’s lead in the championship standings, where the duo sits only five points apart heading into the final two rounds of the season.
While Borich holds the advantage in championship points, the five-time champ is looking to gain back some momentum in the final two rounds as he heads in with only two podium finishes in the last five rounds.
McGill’s second place finish allowed the West Virginia native to stay within striking distance of the championship battle as they head into the final rounds. XC1 Pro class rookie Brycen Neal was able to hold on for a career-best third place finish and his first appearance on the overall podium this season.
Bithell finished fourth overall for the day, followed by Borich in fifth, Wolf in sixth and Waynesburg Yamaha/GT Thunder’s Jay Shadron finished seventh. DWT Racing’s Jarrod McClure finished eighth, while GT Thunder/Maxxis/Howser Racing Josh Merritt took ninth and XC2 Pro Am winner Marshal Goings rounded out the top 10 overall.
Cole Richardson (15) and Marshal Goings (right) have a tight battle going in XC2.
Goings tightened up the XC2 Pro Am Championship after a big win at the 11th round, bringing himself within five points of N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Cole Richardson in the standings. Aftger capturing the $100 All Balls Racing XC2 Holeshot Award, Richardson had a tough day in the dusty conditions, where he was forced to stop in the pits to change his air filter. The Ohio native was able to salvage points with a second place finish, where he holds the points lead heading into the final two rounds.
XC2 podium: (left) Cole Richardson, Marshal Goings, (right) Marty Christofferson
New York’s Marty Christofferson captured yet another solid podium finish with third place in the class, where he sits third in the championship standings.
College A (16-21) winner Kenny Shick took the Top Amateur honors, finishing 19th overall for the day.
The 4×4 Pro class swept the overall podium with BNR/Loctite/Can-Am’s Rob Smith at the head of the pack. Smith’s performance not only earned him a class-win but the Pennsylvania native also topped the entire morning overall with his second career 4×4 Pro victory. ATV Parts Plus/Can-Am’s Bryan Buckhannon finished second overall, with Factory Polaris/Team UXC Racing’s Michael Swift rounding out the top three overall. Buckhannon maintains the points lead in the 4×4 Pro class over Can-Am X-Team’s Kevin Trantham.
Kenny Shick took the Top Amateur Honors with 19th overall and the College A
After stopping in the pits to swap out a header pipe, the #201 of Cody Collier put in an impressive come-from-behind performance to capture yet another win in the Schoolboy (13-15) A/B class. Collier’s 5th overall was good enough to capture the $125 GT Thunder Amateur Overall Award as the highest placing non-4×4 machine.
In the Youth division, Florida’s Brandon Frazier captured his ninth victory of the season in the 90 Open (12-15) class, marking yet another overall win at the 11th round. Pennsylvania’s Timmy Sroka finished second in the class and second overall for the day, while 125 Sr. class winner Ronnie Rusch rounded out the top three overall.
10 a.m. podium: (left) Bryan Buckhannon, Rob Smith, (right) Michael Swift
The 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series will head to St. Clairsville, Ohio on Oct. 4 and 5 for the ITP Powerline Park GNCC. For more information on the series, visit www.gnccracing.com.
Stay up-to-date with exclusive content from the AMSOIL GNCC Series by following the series Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Car-Mate Mountain Ridge GNCC
Somerset, Pennsylvania
Round 11 of 13
Saturday, September 20
XC1 Event Results:
- Walker Fowler (YAM)
- Adam McGill (HON)
- Brycen Neal (HON)
- Chris Bithell (SUZ)
- Chris Borich (SUZ)
- Brian Wolf (HON)
- Jay Shadron (YAM)
- Jarrod McClure (HON)
- Josh Merritt (YAM)
- Landon Wolfe (SUZ)
*Overall National Championship Standings:
- Chris Borich (253)
- Walker Fowler (248)
- Adam McGill (208)
- Jarrod McClure (178)
- Chris Bithell (157)
- Cole Richardson (140)
- Brycen Neal (131)
- Brian Wolf (123)
- Marshal Goings (111)
- Jay Shadron (107)
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2014 National Champion.
XC2 Event Results:
- Marshal Goings (HON)
- Cole Richardson (YAM)
- Martin Christofferson (HON)
- Jonathan Fugate (HON)
- Matt Hanna (YAM)
- Luke Upah (HON)
- Kody McClung (HON)
- Randy Hamilton (HON)
- James Green (HON)
- Luke Shepherd (HON)
XC2 Series Standings:
- Cole Richardson (285)
- Marshal Goings (280)
- Martin Christofferson (213)
- Randy Hamilton (161)
- Fred Marley (143)
- James Green (142)
- Blake Kramer (134)
- Jonathan Fugate (131)
- Thomas Koontz (128)
- Luke Upah (110)
Cody Collier was all smiles after capturing another $125 GT Thunder Amateur Overall Award
About GNCC Racing
The AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country series presented by Maxxis is America’s premier off-road racing series. Founded in 1975, the 13-round championship is produced exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross-country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The grueling three-hour GNCC races lead as many as 1,500 riders through tracks ranging in length from eight to 12 miles. With varied terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed. The series draws talent from all over the U.S., Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. GNCC Racing is televised weekly on NBC Sports and RacerTV.com. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.
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