GNCC Round 12 2020 Race Report

Cole Richardson Earns Inaugural Yamaha Mountaineer GNCC
Overall Win at Summit Bechtel Reserve
Jordon Poplaski Takes XC2 Pro-Am Class Win

Cole Richardson earned the Inaugural Yamaha Mountaineer GNCC ATV overall win.

BECKLEY, W.Va. (October 12, 2019) – The Yamaha Mountaineer GNCC, round 12 of the 2019 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, kicked off today at Summit Bechtel Reserve near Beckley, West Virginia. Rain showers greeted the morning riders, with overcast and chilly temperatures continuing throughout the day.

Yamaha/AmPro/Action OffRoad/GBC’s Cole Richardson battled through the pack to earn the inaugural Yamaha Mountaineer GNCC win. This is Richardson’s first win of the season, and second in his XC1 Pro career. Richardson currently sits fourth in the points standings, but is looking ahead to the finale in just two weeks, where he could earn another overall win and improve his overall standings.

Making his return to the podium with a second overall was LanMills XC/CST Tires/Houser/Yamaha’s Brycen Neal. On the opening lap Neal sat back in the seventh place position, but would put his head down and push throughout the duration of the race. Neal would work his way up to fourth then up to second as the white flag came out. Neal remains second in the points standings as the series heads into the last round of racing in two weeks.

Brycen Neal battled his way back onto the podium, coming through second overall.

Holding the lead for the first couple of laps was WFR/GBC/Fly Racing/Yamaha’s Walker Fowler. After a mid-race mishap, Fowler would find himself battling back from the fifth place position. As the checkered flag came out Fowler worked his way into the final podium position, earning his 12^th podium finish of the season.

Maxxis/Fly Racing/Ye Olde Cycle Barn’s Chris Borich had his work cut out for him as he fell back to the eighth place position on the second lap. Borich would battle back to sixth as the white flag came out, and then work his way to fourth overall just in time for the checkered flag to come out.

West Virginia native and OBOR/Moose Racing/Parts Unlimited/McGill Mafia’s Adam McGill came through to earn fifth overall in his home state. McGill was working hard to make a run for a podium finish, but would run out of time to make the necessary passes. McGill heads into the season finale sitting sixth in the points standings, just 13 points behind fifth.

Walker Fowler kept his podium streak alive with a third place finish on the day.

After landing on the podium at the past two events, JMR/Maxxis/Elka/Moose Racing’s Jarrod McClure would come through sixth overall. It was a hard-fought day for McClure as he battled from as far back as eighth to running sixth as the riders came through to the checkered flag after four laps of competition.

Earning seventh overall on the day was Maxxis/Ithaca Recreation Sports/Fly Racing’s Hunter Hart. As the riders came through on the opening lap, Hart was running in the fourth place position. However, as the race wore on Hart would find himself back in seventh. The XC1 Pro rookie, Hart also sits in the seventh place position in the points standings.

Ryland Johnson Racing, GBC Motorsports/Ye Olde Cycle Barn’s Westley Wolfe would start back in the 11^th place position as the riders came through on the opening lap. As the race continued on, Wolfe would work his way through the pack to finish in the eight place position.

BNR Motorsports/GBC Motorsports/HMF Racing’s Joshua Merritt came through ninth in the XC1 Pro class, 10^th overall on the day. Merritt currently rounds out the top 10 in the points standings as the series heads to Ironman in two weeks. Custom Axis/Goldspeed/Houser Racing’s Greg Covert rounded out the top 10 in the XC1 Pro, finishing 11^th overall on the day in West Virginia.

Jordon Poplaski (center), Drew Landers (right) and Wyatt Wilkin (left) rounded out the XC2 Pro-Am class podium.

Taking home the XC2 Pro-Am class win was Jordon Poplaski. This was Poplaski’s first-ever XC2 Pro-Am class win. After working his way through the pack, Poplaski would battle throughout the entire 2-hour race. LanMills XC/CST Tires/Moose Racing’s Drew Landers came through second in the class. Landers currently sits second in the points standings, and will be aiming for his first class win of the season at the season finale in Indiana. Rounding out the XC2 class podium was Wyatt Wilkin. Wilkin came through to earn his third podium finish of the season.

Landon Wolfe clinched his first 4×4 Pro National Championship.

Pierce Performance/Moose Racing/Spider Graphix’s Cody Collier battling back and forth throughout the morning ATV race. Wolfe would grab the upper-hand on the last lap and manage to pull a gap over Collier by 1 minute and 57 seconds. Collier would take second in 4×4 Pro, and third overall. Wolfe clinched his first-ever 4×4 Pro National Championship, and has 10 wins in the season with one round remaining in 2019. Derisi Racing/Cometic Gasket/Savage Designs’ Robbie Pecorari came through to take third in the 4×4 Pro class and fourth overall. Layne McCormick made his way around from the Schoolboy Sr. class to earn second overall on the day with adjusted time.

Taking her first-ever WXC class win was Ryland Johnson Racing/Precision Racing/Tireballs’ Hannah Hunter. After coming through second on the opening lap, Hunter put her head down and pushed throughout the remaining laps of the 2-hour race. Hunter made the pass on Action OffRoad/Moose Racing/GBC Motorsports’ Katelyn Osburn during the last lap to take her first win.

annah Hunter (center) earned her first-ever WXC class win. Katelyn Osburn (right) and Sadiee Gorrell (left) made up the WXC class podium.

Osburn would lead the first three laps of the race, however, would fall to second as the checkered flag came out. Osburn sits second in the points standings with just one round remaining. Making her way to third in the WXC class was Pierce Performance/560 Graphics/Maxxis’ Sadiee Gorrell. After battling with GBC Motorsports/Yamaha/Fly Racing’s Traci Pickens, Gorrell made a last lap pass to take the final spot on the podium.

As the youth race took off it was Damien Hawkins leading the way. Hawkins would run in the number one position throughout the first five laps, however as the riders made their way to the checkered flag it was Parker Henderson checking in first to take the youth overall win and YXC1 Super Mini Sr. class win. Henderson was also able to secure his first-ever Youth ATV Overall National Championship.

Parker Henderson (center) earned the Youth Overall ATV National Championship. Charlie Stewart (right) and Tyler Cox (left) rounded out the 8 a.m. youth overall podium.

Moving up to the YXC1 Super Mini Sr. class was competitor Charlie Stewart. Stewart worked his way up to second overall throughout the duration of the race. Stewart started in the seventh place position, but then consistently moved through the pack each lap. Coming through to earn the final spot on the youth overall podium was YXC2 class winner, Tyler Cox. This was Cox’s first YXC2 class win of the season, and as the season heads into the final round he sits third in the class points standings.

In the Micro ATV division, it was Khyler Davis coming through first, taking home her third overall win of the season, and her first win in the MXC1 (8-9) division. Tyler McLaughlin came through to earn second overall with Bodie Buckhannon rounding out the podium.

In the Bike Micro division, it was Colby Goodman clinching the overall win, and the Bike Micro Overall National Championship. Nash Peerson came through to take home second overall followed by Landon Husted in third overall.

The 2 p.m. pro ATV race and 1 p.m. pro bike race are both broadcast LIVE on the Internet via Racer TV on www.racertv.com both Saturday and Sunday. A highlight show featuring the event will air on NBC Sports Network on Sunday, November 17 at 2 p.m.

For more information on the GNCC series, visit the official website at www.gnccracing.com or call (304) 284-0084. Join the conversation on the series Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and be sure to always hashtag #GNCC.

Facebook: @gnccracing
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Cole Richardson (center), Brycen Neal (right) and Walker Fowler (left) rounded out the Yamaha Mountaineer overall ATV podium.

Yamaha Mountaineer at Summit Bechtel Reserve
Beckley, West Virginia
Round 12 of 13
Saturday, October 12, 2019

XC1 Pro Event Results:

Cole Richardson (YAM)
Brycen Neal (YAM)
Walker Fowler (YAM)
Chris Borich (SUZ)
Adam McGill (HON)
Jarrod McClure (HON)
Hunter Hart (YAM)
Westley Wolfe (SUZ)
Joshua Merritt (YAM)
Greg Covert (YAM)

*Overall National Championship Standings:

Walker Fowler (377)
Brycen Neal (242)
Chris Borich (235)
Cole Richardson (228)
Jarrod McClure (190)
Adam McGill (177)
Hunter Hart (138)
John Glauda Jr. (133)
Westley Wolfe (132)
Johnny Gallagher (114)

*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2019 National Champion.

XC2 Pro-Am Event Results:

Jordon Poplaski (YAM)
Drew Landers (YAM)
Wyatt Wilkin (HON)
Ben Kowalewski (HON)
Ronnie Rusch (YAM)
Tanner Walker (YAM)
Charles Dunn III (HON)
Matthew Blankenship (YAM)
Kenny Shick (YAM)
Brent Henke (YAM)

XC2 Pro-Am Series Standings:

John Glauda Jr. (321)
Drew Landers (245)
Jordon Poplaski (240)
Ben Kowalewski (196)
Wyatt Wilkin (185)
Tanner Walker (179)
Ronnie Rusch (143)
Kenny Shick (131)
Matthew Blankenship (130)
Charles Dunn III (105)

About GNCC Racing

The AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Specialized 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 2,400 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., Central America, South America, 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.

How to Watch

Racer TV and NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) are the official homes for coverage of the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) events. All 13 rounds, from the season opening Big Buck GNCC in South Carolina to the finale at Ironman Raceway in Indiana, will air in 30-minute, taped-delayed telecasts on NBCSN, while Racer TV provides live streaming coverage of the 1 p.m. ATV and motorcycle races from each event. Catch all the action at http://www.nbcsports.com/ and http://www.racertv.com/.

About the American Motorcyclist Association

Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com. Not a member? Join the AMA today: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/membership/join.

Tags: 2020, atv racing, cross country, gncc, race report, round 12, round 12 2020