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For Immediate Release
September 23, 2003
MSR/Maxxis/ITP/Klotz/Dunlop/Wiseco/FMF/Yamaha
AMA Grand National Cross Country Series
Yokley Finally in Kentucky
Veteran Contender gets First GNCC Overall Win on Suzuki
 Sparta, KY – Yamaha’s YFZ450 may be the hot new ATV, but
William Yokley just proved there’s plenty of fire in Suzuki’s
Z400 Quad Sport. Yokley, the fun-loving contender in the ATVA
Grand National Cross Country Series, piloted his
Nac’s/Yoshimura/Roll/ITP Z400 to his first overall win of the
season at the Dunlop Spartan GNCC in Kentucky.
“Man it’s good to be back up here,” said Yokley, who won four
races in 2002 on a 250R-based machine. “It’s all come a long
way with the equipment we’re running and it’s been a blast
getting there. We’ve definitely gone to another level, and I’m
glad to be a part of it.”
Yokley’s return to victory lane was mimicked by his
Tompkinsville, Kentucky neighbor Brad Page, who finally got
back on the GNCC podium after a year of terrible luck. Page
rides a Duncan Racing/Roll Designs Kawasaki KXF400, making for
a Suzuki-based one-two sweep. “As William Yokley would say,
hell yeah!” said the friendly Page. “I had no idea I was out
front, but I kept seeing all of these cameras and all of these
people cheering, so I knew I was up there. I just kept trying
to push. It’s great having two guys from Kentucky up here at
our home race.”
 Pennsylvania’s Matt Smiley was third on his Yamaha YFZ450,
which meant three production-based four-strokes ATVs shared
the GNCC podium for the first time ever. “I like it,” said
Smiley of his four-stroke. “I was leading for the first
quarter mile. I felt like I was going slow, but no one was
catching up with me. William passed when I was getting gas,
and then Brad passed me in a creek. He wanted to get a little
wetter than I did.”
Defending GNCC Champion Bill Ballance also rode a Yamaha in
Kentucky, but things did not go well. Struggling with his
front shock settings, he suffered a 13th overall finish, his
worst of the season.
East Coast ATV/Laeger’s rider Chris Borich had won the last
two GNCCs on his 250R, but his chances for a third ended when
his rear brake caliper came loose. Time spent in the pits
relegated him to sixth overall, although his lap times where
by far the fastest all day.
Maryland’s Todd Knippenberg has a career-high finish with
fourth overall, as did Jeremy Rice, who was fifth.
Yokley, Roll Designs and Elka suspension have been working
hard developing the Suzuki machine, and he debuted completely
new suspension components and shocks in Kentucky. The
additional droop and wheel travel paid off in the rough field
sections. In addition, Yokley rode with SRC’s new Tire Balls
in his ITP tires. The inflatable rubber tire inserts promise
to be nearly flat-proof, and they proved themselves in the
sharp rocks.
“I could just blast through those rocks with all the
confidence in the world,” said Yokley.
The Tire Balls carried Alba Suzuki’s Traci Cecco to an overall
win in the morning race too. Traci, the 2001 GNCC Women’s
Champion, rode her Yamaha YFZ450 to her first overall of the
season. Four-Stroke Stock racers John Wright and Rich
Travelena placed second and third. Cecco’s rival Stephanie
Parton had a flat front tire on her Troy Racing/LRD Suzuki,
relegating her to eighth overall.
The 2003 MSR/Klotz/Wiseco/Dunlop/Maxxis/ITP/FMF/Yamaha GNCC
Series continues in two weeks with the Power Line Park GNCC in
St. Clairsville, Ohio, on October 4 and 5.
The AMA Grand National Cross Country series is America’s
premier off-road racing series. One of the most physically
demanding sports in the world, the nearly three-hour long
cross-country races lead as many as 1300 riders through tracks
ranging from eight to twelve miles in length. With varied
terrain including hills, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross
sections, GNCC races are tests of both survival and speed.
GNCC featured sponsors include MSR, Yamaha, Dunlop, Wiseco,
Maxxis, FMF, Klotz, and ITP, and riders compete for over
$500,000 in series prizes and contingency money. The 13-round
series will air on cable television each week this fall.
Associate sponsors include Ohlins, Cometic, Scott, Sidi,
Boyesen, Twin Air, Pro Armor, Outerwears, Laeger’s, Silent
Sport and Morgantown Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and KTM.
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