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Parts Unlimited/Moose/Maxxis/Yamaha/Wiseco/Klotz/FMF/Dunlop/ITP
Suzuki Grand National Cross Country Series
Ballance Battles Back at
the Maxxis General GNCC
Beats Borich and Jenks in a two-hour duel
 Washington, GA – Never doubt six-time Suzuki
Grand National Cross Country Champion Bill
Ballance. After struggling at the GNCC opener in
Florida, the factory Yamaha rider battled back
and beat his rivals straight up at the Maxxis
General GNCC in Georgia.
“I was really motivated to come out here and
win,” said Ballance, who took down Chris Borich
and Chris Jenks to win. “We’ve been working
really hard this winter dialing in this 2006 –
they made a lot of changes on it that really
made it better. And I felt this was the best
shape I’ve ever been in coming into the series,
so I felt it was going to come to us.”
After mechanical troubles slowed Ballance in
Florida, he stomped through the Aonia Pass
Motocross Park that hosted the General, taking
the lead from Jenks, losing it, and then getting
it back and pulling away on the last lap.
Ballance made up major time on the motocross
track.
“We’ve got a track back home, and we practice
just about every week. I didn’t really want to
give away any of the speed or how to do the
jumps, but I felt pretty good so I went ahead
and jumped them. Then I had a problem and they
got around me. I had to get back around them in
the woods. It was a lot of fun.”
Photo by Raymond Gundy |
With Ballance out front, Jenks and Borich put
on a great show battling for second. Jenks took
the $100 ITP Holeshot Award, but Borich edged
him out by just two seconds at the finish to
grab second place.
“I started working on my ‘06 and found a
crack in the case, so I had to switch back to my
’05,” said Borich. “I didn’t feel as comfortable
on it, it did some stuff that I didn’t like. But
me and Chris battled to the end, and I was just
glad to give it a good run. Bill was hitting all
of the doubles on the motocross track. I wasn’t
doing them – I don’t know why, really, I was
just playing it safe. Chris and I were just back
and forth. On the last lap I just put my head
down and tried to get away from him, but he put
his head down and tried to get away from me, so
it was a great battle.”
“I felt stronger but I’m definitely not where
I need to be,” said Jenks. “I didn’t win the
race, so I have some more work to do. We passed
each other three or four times, just kind of
laughing about it, I like racing with Chris. The
whole last lap things kept happening. I wanted
to race him clean, and he got me at the end.”
All three riders are close in the early GNCC
standings.
Fourth went to Yoshimura Suzuki’s William
Yokley, while pro rookie Chris Bithell snagged a
solid fifth.
The Maxxis General GNCC was taped for an
airing on the Outdoor Life Network in April. The
series begins airing on April 1st at 3:00 p.m.
In the ATV morning race, Yamaha’s Traci Cecco
topped an all-female podium, with Polaris rider
Stephanie Parton in second and Jennifer
Fulkerson in third.
The 2006 Suzuki GNCC Series continues in two
weeks with the Steele Creek GNCC in Morganton,
North Carolina. For more information on the
Suzuki Orange Crush GNCC, log on to
GNCCRacing.com.
The AMA-sanctioned Suzuki Grand National
Cross Country series is America’s premier
off-road racing series. The 13-round series is
produced exclusively by Racer Productions.
Cross-country racing is one of the most
physically demanding sports in the world. The
nearly three-hour long GNCC races lead as many
as 1800 riders through tracks ranging from eight
to twelve miles in length. With varied terrain
including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and
motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of
both survival and speed. GNCC featured sponsors
include Parts Unlimited, Moose, Maxxis, Pirelli,
Wiseco, Klotz, FMF, ITP and Tire Balls, and
riders compete for over $3 million in series
prizes and contingency money. Associate sponsors
include Moose Utility Division, Scott, Acerbis,
Alpinestars, Cometic, Outerwears, Twin Air,
Polisport Plastics, Thor, Motion Pro, Hyper
Wheels, Elka Suspension, MotoTee’s, Weekend
Warrior, Owens Motorsports, Tom’s Marina, EK
Chain and Laeger’s. Media Sponsors include Dirt
Rider Magazine, ATV Sport Magazine,
www.ATVRiders.com and Racer X Illustrated. For
more information log on to
www.GNCCRacing.com.
Bill Ballance Photo by Raymond Gundy. Contact
RaymondGundy@aol.com for GNCC ATV and Bike
Photos
Results:
ATV Overall Top 20 Maxxis General GNCC
Washington, GA
March 11, 2006
- Bill Ballance Oakland, KY YAM 01:53:07
- Chris Borich Sunbury, PA HON 01:53:14
- Chris Jenks Washington, WV HON 01:53:16
- William Yokley Tompkinsville, KY SUZ
01:55:26
- Chris Bithell Irwin, PA HON 01:56:02
- Duane Johnson Trenton, MO HON 01:57:22
- Rhett M Butler Oak Grove, MO HON 01:58:31
- Taylor Kiser Alva, FL YAM 01:58:47
- Andris Lagzdins Baltimore, MD ROL 01:58:48
- Johnny Gallagher Aurora, OH HON 01:58:57
- Michael S Houston Hickory, NC HON
01:59:02
- Sean Neidlinger Flagtown, NJ HON 01:59:07
- Adam Mcgill West Union, WV HON 01:59:16
- Bryan Baker Knob Noster, MO HON 01:59:20
- Ryan Morphew Cookeville, TN HON 01:59:41
- Craig Reed Crawford, TN HON 01:59:54
- Tyler Lenig Shamokin, PA HON 01:59:56
- Brent Sturdivant Montrose, WV HON
02:00:33
- Bryan Hulsey Washington, MO HON 02:01:47
- Brandon Sommers Millersburg, OH YAM
02:02:23
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