Walker Fowler Emerges Victorious at VP Racing Fuels Big Buck GNCC
Cole Richardson Extends Win Streak to Four-in-a-Row in XC2 Pro Am
Photos By: Ken Hill
UNION, S.C. (April 11, 2015) – The XC1 Pro ATV points battle tightened up on Saturday as N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha/Maxxis/Lonestar/MXP’s Walker Fowler earned his second victory of the season at the VP Racing Fuels Big Buck GNCC, where he also gained five points on leader Adam McGill at the fourth round of racing. Fowler’s Yamaha teammate Cole Richardson extended his perfect season in the XC2 Pro Am class with his fourth consecutive win of the 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship.
The XC1 race action was close all afternoon
CST/PirateMX.com/LSR/DeRisi/
McGill worked hard to create a comfortable gap on the rest of the field early on, but around the halfway mark of the four-lap race it was Fowler who began his charge to the front. As the two-lap card fell, Fowler made his move to the front and the lead duo battled their way to another exciting finish.
The excitement didn’t stop with the lead battle, as the final podium position was up for grabs all afternoon. Neal and Bithell exchanged the third place position several times through the first hour of the race but it was McClure who quietly made his way into podium contention on the final lap.
Adam McGill (left) and Walker Fowler (right) were wheel-to-wheel on the final lap
Despite the pass two laps earlier, McGill didn’t let Fowler out of his sights as the two raced into the final turns of the two-hour race with only seconds separating their machines. In the end, Fowler held a three-second lead on the West Virginia native as he came through for his second victory of the season in South Carolina. Fowler’s win allowed him to make up five points toward McGill’s lead in the championship standings, where McGill now holds a 15-point lead heading into round five.
McClure upped the pace in the final moments to break through for his first podium appearance of the season with third overall. The Pennsylvania native now sits fourth in the championship standings, only eight points outside third place.
Despite running inside the top three for a majority of the afternoon, Neal finished about 35 seconds off the podium at round four. However, Neal’s consistency thus far has earned the sophomore XC1 Pro rider a third place position in the championship standings amidst a talented field of veteran riders. Bithell extended his consistent string of top five finishes with his third fifth place finish of the season. Bithell sits in eighth place in the championship standings despite a mechanical issue at round three, where he earned zero points toward the championship.
Walker Fowler gained five championship points with a big win in South Carolina
After getting off to a mid-pack start, Maxxis/SSi/FLY/Yamaha’s Chris Borich maintained a consistent pace where he ultimately finished sixth overall for the day. Borich’s sixth place finish marks the second time in four races that the six-time champion has finished off the podium, where he sits in fifth place in the early championship standings.
It was a tough day for Coastal/Waynesburg Yamaha’s Jay Shadron, who was running near the front when he collided with a tree and reportedly injured his left shoulder. After attempting to push through the pain, Shadron decided to call it a day after the first lap.
Landon Wolfe put in a season-best seventh place finish in the XC1 Pro class, followed by Fasttrax/Wolf Racing’s Brian Wolf in eighth, BNR Motorsports/GBC Racing’s Kevin Yoho in ninth and Team Woodhead/Baldwin Motorsports/DeRisi Racing’s Braden Henthorn rounded out the top ten in the class.
In XC2 Pro Am action, it was N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha/Maxxis/Lonestar/MXP’s Cole Richardson who captured his fourth consecutive $100 All Balls Racing XC2 Holeshot Award before extending his win streak to four-in-a-row in 2015. Richardson got off to the early lead but the reigning champion experienced a minor setback when a rock hit his front shock and forced him to stop in the AmPro Yamaha pits for almost two minutes to make a repair. Despite falling back to fifth place, Richardson was able to bounce back and capture yet another win in his quest for a second XC2 Pro Am title.
RYCO Racing/Pierce Performance’s Cody Collier took advantage of Richardson’s misfortune early on where he led his first career laps as an XC2 rider. Collier eventually went on to capture second place in the class, just ahead of Dillingers/Hygear’s Marty Christofferson in third.
Cole Richardson extended his win streak to four-in-a-row
Maryland’s Westley Wolfe captured his first-ever Top Amateur Award with a 18th overall and his first career win in the College A (16-21) class.
The 1 p.m. race was broadcast LIVE in its entirety on RacerTV.com and can be viewed as an archived video now online by visiting the GNCC LIVE page online.
The 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series resumes April 25 and 26 with the Limestone 100 GNCC in Springville, Indiana. 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.
VP Racing Fuels Big Buck Creek GNCC
Union, SC
Round 4 of 13
Saturday, April 11
XC1 Event Results:
- Walker Fowler (YAM)
- Adam McGill (HON)
- Jarrod McClure (HON)
- Brycen Neal (HON)
- Chris Bithell (SUZ)
- Chris Borich (YAM)
- Landon Wolfe (YAM)
- Brian Wolf (HON)
- Kevin Yoho (YAM)
- Braden Henthorn (HON)
*Overall National Championship Standings:
- Adam McGill (110)
- Walker Fowler (95)
- Brycen Neal (76)
- Jarrod McClure (68)
- Chris Borich (61)
- Cole Richardson (53)
- Jay Shadron (52)
- Chris Bithell (48)
- Johnny Gallagher (41)
- Kevin Yoho (36)
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2015 National Champion.
XC2 Event Results:
- Cole Richardson (YAM)
- Cody Collier (YAM)
- Martin Christofferson (HON)
- Randy Hamilton (HON)
- Blake Tornes (YAM)
- Thomas Koontz (YAM)
- James Green (HON)
- Jonathan Fugate (HON)
- Bryson Hoppes (YAM)
- Levi Coen (HON)
XC2 Series Standings:
- Cole Richardson (90)
- Martin Christofferson (68)
- Cody Collier (58)
- Randy Hamilton (53)
- Blake Tornes (40)
- Michael Lancaster (39)
- Bryson Hoppes (37)
- Jonathan Fugate (34)
- Cameron Bruce (32)
- Kevin Cunningham (25)
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.
Related Posts
HMF YFZ450R Cross-country Racer Project Test Review →
2022 Yamaha YFZ450R Test Review →
OBOR Advent Sport ATV Tire Test Review →
