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Cook Wins Elka Yadkin Valley Stomp GNCC
Casar, North Carolina's Bryan Cook
romped home the winner of the Elka
Yadkin Valley Stomp GNCC.
Eight-time GNCC Champion Bill Ballance
came from mid pack to grab second.
Jarrod McClure stepped up and jumped the
famous Stomp Creek Jump on way to his
first XC1 Pro podium finish.
Yamaha's Brandon Sommers took the ITP
Holeshot Award, but a crash knocked him
out of the top ten. |
Yadkinville, N.C. (June
21, 2008) -- The home state fans roared
when North Carolina’s own Bryan Cook grabbed the
win at the Elka Yadkin Valley Stomp GNCC. The
privateer Team Excell Motorsports Honda rider
has run strong all year, but this time he took
advantage of a good start on a dry track to
outlast Yamaha’s Bill Ballance and
ATVRiders.com’s Jarrod McClure to take the win.
“Man it feels so good,” said Cook. “I heard
the fans cheering all day, every time you came
around a corner there were people cheering. You
know, it gives you some motivation over the
winter when everyone is talking about everyone
else, and they’re not talking about you. I
wanted to get back up there and get my name back
out there. Today I had a good start, and then
Branden (Sommers), something must have happened
and his engine just quit. I got lucky and I was
able to get around. After that, I just kept my
head down. I got a little fatigued but not too
bad, and I held on.”
After grabbing the lead from Sommers at
mid-race, Cook held off a last-lap charge from
Ballance. “I knew a good start would be key
today, and my Yamaha got me off the line quick,”
said Ballance. “I pulled a little bit of a
wheelie, so I had to clutch it and everyone got
by me. I just put my head down. On the last lap
I was getting pit boards that I was closing in,
and I thought I might see Bryan up ahead. I was
giving it everything I had, and I must have just
barely clipped a tree. I went over the bars a
bit.”
Still, Ballance extends his GNCC Series
points lead over KTM’s Adam McGill, who ended up
fifth. Third went to McClure, his first-ever XC1
Pro Class podium finish.
“It’s hard racing against these guys,” said
McClure. “They have the big trucks and the
equipment, we just have our little trailer, but
we do what we can. Today I had a good start and
I just stayed up there all day, didn’t make many
big mistakes.”
Ryan Lane scored his best finish of the
season with fourth, ahead of McGill. Rockstar
Yoshimura Suzuki’s Chris Borich turned in an
amazing ride after crashing in turn one, shaking
off the pain, and making up nearly a minute of
time to fight through the pack. Next came
National Guard Honda’s William Yokley, who was
fighting a clogged filter in the dust. KTM’s
Taylor Kiser, XCBob.com’s Matt Smiley and Excell
Motorsports’ Santo DeRisi rounded out the top
ten.
Yamaha’s Brandon Sommers grabbed the ITP
Holeshot Award and led the first lap, but a
crash dropped him back to 11th.
In the XC2 Pro-Am Class, another North
Carolina rider, Jeff Maloney, grabbed his first
career win. Pennsylvania’s Tyler Lenig was a
close second, with Ohio’s XC2 points leader Don
Ockerman in third. “I don’t live too far from
here, and it was great having all of these
locals out there cheering me,” said Maloney. “It
was tough, Tyler (Lenig) was creeping up on me.
Every time I looked back, he was right there.”
Lenig pushed hard for second. “I was going
for it, I wanted that win,” said Lenig. “Jeff
ran a great race.”
Ockerman had the early lead after taking the
Rekluse Holeshot Award, but he crashed when he
hit a tree stump. “There was a big creek jump,
and we had decided early in the day we weren’t
going to jump it,” said Ockerman. “I didn’t want
to take the chance of breaking my machine and
not scoring any points. And these guys rode
awesome.”
In the ATV morning race, Tom Clark
Motorsports’ Honda’s Angel Atwell took her
fourth win of the season, out dueling series
rival Traci Cecco (factory Yamaha). Atwell’s
niece Kristin finished third overall as the
women’s class swept the podium again.
Bryan Buckhannon (Open 4x4) and Cliff Beasley
(4x4 Lites) kept their perfect seasons alive
with victories, while usual suspects Michael
Swift (4x4 Limited) and Michael Benson (U2) won
their classes. Buckhannon, Swift and Beasley
rode Can-Am Outlanders, Benson was mounted on a
Kawasaki KFX700.
Racing continues on Sunday, June 22nd with
motorcycle action. Defending GNCC Champion David
Knight will face fellow Red Bull KTM rider Kurt
Caselli, who is making a guest appearance. FMF
Suzuki’s Paul Whibley has won the last two GNCCs
and looks to continue that streak tomorrow. Pro
racing begins at 1 p.m.
Photos by Jason Hooper:
jasonh@racerxill.com
Results:
Elka Yadkin Valley Stomp GNCC
Top Ten Overall
1. Bryan Cook Casar, NC (Hon)
2. Bill Ballance Smiths Grove, KY (Yam)
3. Jarrod Mcclure Kaska, PA (Hon)
4. Ryan Lane Bicknell, IN (Hon)
5. Adam McGill West Union, WV (KTM)
6. Chris Borich Sunbury, PA (Suz)
7. William Yokley Tompkinsville, KY (Hon)
8. Taylor Kiser Alva, FL (KTM)
9. Matthew Smiley Kunkletown, PA (Hon)
10. Santo Derisi Casar, NC (Hon)
GNCC XC1 Pro Class
Standings (After 8 of 13 rounds)
1. Bill Ballance 177/3 wins
2. Adam McGill 154/3 wins
2. Bryan Cook 154/1 win
4. Brandon Sommers 134
5. Chris Borich 128/ 1 win
6. William Yokley 127
7. Taylor Kiser 118
8. Matt Smiley 105
9. Jarrod McClure 103
10. Ryan Lane 102
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:
June 21 and 22, 2008
Where:
I-77 to Exit 73A to Highway 421 South. Go 10
miles to Exit 256, Unifi Industrial Road. Turn
left, go 1.2 miles to end of road. Turn right on
old US-421. Go 2/10 mile, turn left on Myers Rd.
Go 1 mile, race track is on left.
Who:
The Can-Am GNCC Series pits the best of the best
in off-road racing against each other. More than
1,500 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.
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