McGill Looking for More History at This Weekend’s South Carolina GNCC

Union, SC (April 10, 2008) -- Adam McGill put on a clinic at the last two rounds of the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series, shocking the field with two dominant wins. The FRE KTM rider has sent the competition reeling as they head for this weekend’s Pirelli Big Buck GNCC in South Carolina. Eight-time GNCC Champion Bill Ballance has bounced back from this situation before, but he knows he must stop McGill soon.

McGill backed up his shocking six-minute win in Georgia by besting Ballance by two minutes in North Carolina -- huge margins of victory in a series that usually features battles right down to the wire. Ballance and the rest of the competition are looking for answers this weekend in South Carolina.

The championship field is deep, as just 12 points separate second from eighth in the series standings. McGill’s teammate Taylor Kiser sits second in points, joining Team Excell Motorsports Bryan Cook, GT Thunder Yamaha’s Brandon Sommers, and the National Guard’s William Yokley with podium finishes this year. Rockstar/Yoshimura Suzuki’s Chris Borich won the opener in Florida but struggled at the last two rounds, and Ballance’s two podium finishes surround a rare DNF (did not finish) at round two in Georgia.

Throw other contenders in the mix, like Safari Motorsports’ veteran Mat Smiley, Can-Am Warnert Racing’s Chris Bithell and Chris Jenks, and LTERacing.com Can-Am’s Duane Johnson and Brent Sturdivant, and the list of riders that could win this weekend’s race goes into double digits.

The 10 a.m ATV morning race will feature a battle for the overall between top contenders in the Women’s class and the best Utility and 4x4 riders. Yamaha’s Traci Cecco leads the Women’s standings over Tom Clark Motorsports’ Angel Atwell and Yamaha of Troy’s Stephanie Parton. In the 4x4 ranks, Bryan Buckhannon (4x4 Open) and Cliff Beasley (4x4 Lites) are undefeated in the first three rounds of racing. In addition, Michael Swift (4x4 Limited) and Mike Benson (Utility Unlimited) figure to be contenders for the morning race overall win.
Saturday’s action will also include the first-ever championship round of UTV Side-by-Side racing, featuring 4x4 sit down machines in their season debut.

Youth racing begins at 8 a.m., the morning race begins at 10 a.m., Pro classes race at 1 p.m., and the UTVs compete at 4:30 p.m.

Dirt bike racing will follow the ATV show on Sunday. Red Bull KTM’s David Knight looks for his second-straight win after a victory in North Carolina two weeks ago.

Fast Facts:

What: The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC), America's Largest Off Road Racing Series. 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 1,800 riders through tracks ranging from eight to 12 miles in length. With varied terrain including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed.

When: April 12 and 13, 2008

Where: The race takes place at the Big Buck Race Facility in Union, on highway 49 off of exit 44 of I-26.

Who: The Can-Am GNCC Series pits the best of the best in off-road racing against each other. More than 1,400 amateur racers are expected to compete on custom-built dirt bikes and four-wheeled ATVs. Top pro motorcycle riders include David Knight, Barry Hawk, Jr., Charles Mullins, Jimmy Jarrett and Shane Watts. ATV pro riders include Bill Ballance, Chris Borich, Chris Bithell, Matt Smiley and Adam McGill.

About GNCC Racing:
The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country series is America’s premier off-road racing series. The 13-round championship series is produced exclusively by Racer Productions and has run since 1973. 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 1,800 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 Racing will air weekly television shows on the Versus network starting August 2. GNCC featured sponsors include Can-Am, Parts Unlimited, Moose Racing, Maxxis, Pirelli, Wiseco, Acerbis, Elka, Geico, Klotz, FMF, ITP and Weekend Warrior, and riders compete for over $3 million in series prizes and contingency money. Associate sponsors include Alpinestars, Cometic, HiPer Technology, Laegers, Moose Utility Division, The National Guard, Powersport Grafx, REM, Scott, Thor, Tire Balls, Twin Air, Ogio, Rekluse, and MotoTee’s. For more information log on to www.gnccracing.com.