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For Immediate Release
October 13, 2003
Contact: Jason Weigandt
Phone: 304-284-0084
Email:
info@gnccracing.com
Ballance Wants to be an Ironman for the First Time
Four-time GNCC Champion has yet to win series’ biggest race
 Crawfordsville, IN – There’s one jewel missing from Bill
Ballance’s Grand National Cross Country Series crown: the
Kentucky rider has never won the Ironman GNCC in Indiana,
which is the most popular stop in the series.
“I’ve never won that one,” says Ballance, who will go for the
2003 Ironman win this weekend. “I don’t know what the problem
is. I’m not messing around this time.”
For four years now, Ballance has had the GNCC title locked up
by the Ironman, which is the final race of the year. But he
never finds the breaks to win the race. Last year he battled
wheel-to-wheel with William Yokley right to the finish but
came up just a few feet short. Other years he has been plagued
by mechanical troubles.
Ballance doesn’t want to take any chances this year. He might
even break out his old 250R-based quad. “I never had the
chance to retire it in the right way,” said Ballance, who has
been riding a Yamaha YFZ450 lately. “I might just go to the
line with it and ask it for one more win.”
It will be tough. Competition is at an all-time high in GNCC
racing. Chris Borich has won three of the last four races, and
Yokley himself notched a win two races ago. Matt Smiley is
still fighting hard for his first win of the season, as are
Chad DuVall and Brad Page.
While Ballance has the overall and Pro Class Championship
wrapped up, DuVall (YFZ450) and Yokley (Z400) are locked in a
battle for the Pro Production Championship. This battle within
a battle will add extra intrigue to the event.
“I hope Chad slows down for me,” jokes Yokley. “I want this
one.”
The Ironman traditionally draws the largest crowd of ATV
racers and fans of any GNCC on the tour. The race is named
after former GNCC Champion Bob “Ironman” Sloan, who hailed
from Indiana.
The Ironman will pit nearly 700 ATV racers against mud, hills,
dirt and rocks. ATVs race Saturday, with novice, women and
utility classes racing at 10 a.m. and pros and intermediates
racing at 1 p.m. Both races last two hours. Spectator
admission is $10 for the weekend. For more information log on
to www.gnccracing.com.
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 later in the year.
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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