For Immediate Release
October 21, 2003

Contact: Jason Weigandt
Phone: 304-284-0084
Email: info@gnccracing.com

Ballance is Finally the Ironman GNCC Champ
Makes a Pass in the Final Mile to Win First Ironman GNCC

Crawfordsville, IN – Late in the race, Bill Ballance’s Ironman jinx was about to strike again. The defending ATVA Grand National Cross Country Champion was running strong all day in Indiana, but when he and Chris Borich got stuck in a mudhole on the last lap, William Yokley and Chad DuVall sped past.

Once again, Ballance looked to be denied in Indiana, but this time he dug deep, found a reserve of speed, and caught the leaders. Then in the final mile, he used a new line to pass Yokley, take the lead, and charge through the finish with his first career Ironman GNCC win.

“It feels great to come out here and finally get this one,” said Ballance. “It’s so fun to go out and battle with these guys, but I really thought this one was going to get me again. But I was walking around the track Friday and saw a great line under a tree. When I got there on the last lap, I was just hoping no one had used it. And it was still there, so I jumped out of the ruts and got in there and just managed to get around William.”

Yokley, who had won the Ironman the last two years, saw defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. “It kind of bummed me out, but that’s racing,” said Yokley. “I thought I had it won. And I was in eighth at one time so I was pretty pumped. After my pit, there was gas splashing in my face, and my goggles weren’t feeling right, so I was mad and got into a whole different mind set. I just hung on.”

He moved all the way into the lead, but Ballance zapped him late in the game to take the win. Yokley did win the Pro Production class by claiming second on his Nac’s/Yoshimura/IMS/ITP/Elka Suzuki Z-400. But Yamaha/White Bros rider Chad DuVall finished third, and wrapped up the Pro Production Championship.

“I thought my race was done for the day when I got a flat,” said DuVall. “But lady luck came out on my end for once, we got down into a bottle neck, and people were scattered everywhere. I really got a break today. I was fired up. I wanted to finish behind William and wrap up that Pro Production title. Winning the championship feels great, and getting up on the podium just makes me feel even better.”

Ballance, of course, won the Pro and Overall GNCC titles this season for the fourth-straight year. To finish his season in style, he broke out his old 250R race quad and took it to one more win (Ballance had switched to a Yamaha YFZ450 for the previous two races). “This two-stroke here has been the dominant machine here for the last ten years, but now the factories are making some really nice production bikes for us,” said Ballance. “It’s time to make this two-stroke obsolete. But it’s been so good to us over the years that I wanted to retire this bike in a good way. Hopefully the factories will come out here and support us, because we have a really good series here and a lot of people are watching it.”
The 2003 Ironman was one of the greatest GNCC ATV races ever, as six riders had a great chance to win it. Chris Borich crashed off the start but worked his way all the way into the lead after three laps. “We got to a water crossing, and I hit a kicker and got stuck,” said Borich. “Everyone blew by me. Then I crashed again going wide open through a turn.”

The mud holes on the rugged, ten-mile Ironman track had broken down to the point where riders were getting stuck everywhere. Greg Trew and Santo DeRisi both held the lead briefly with a few miles left, but the track claimed them too. This put Yokley into the lead in front of DuVall, who was coming back from a flat tire.

Only Ballance’s amazing late charge prevented Yokley from his third-straight Ironman win.

The Klotz Ironman GNCC concludes the 2003 MSR/Klotz/Wiseco/Dunlop/Maxxis/ITP/FMF/Yamaha GNCC Series. Easily the biggest season in the sport’s history, the fan and rider counts for GNCC ATV racing continue to grow at a record pace.

The ATVA 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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