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The Mountain Ridge GNCC UTV Race Report
Somerset, Pennsylvania, July 5, 2008
William and Mark on the starting line |
William Yokley finished 1st overall today in
Round 2 of the GNCC UTV Race. There were
42 total entries with 14 Open Modified Teams.
Team Rider Mark Notman was the mandatory
passenger in the machine today.
Summary
This year, the GNCC is running a 4 race
series to determine the National Champion with
the increasingly popular UTV machines.
This series is drawing more and more competitors
because it’s different and everyone is having a
blast. The GNCC folks make this 45 minute
race more spectator friendly by having a shorter
2 mile course where everybody can see most of
the track from one vantage point. The
machines are side by side configuration such as
Polaris RZRs, Yamaha Rhinos, and Kawasakis
Teryx. Each machine must have a driver and
a passenger, and full safety equipment.
Today, my passenger was my National Guard ATV
Teammate Mark Notman. Mark had never
ridden in a UTV before, so he had no idea what
to expect.
My machine is a Polaris RZR, which is the
most popular choice simply because it is the
fastest, lightest, best handling UTV on the
market. I run in the Open Modified Class
which basically allows almost any modifications.
We run ours basically stock, changing only
tires, wheels, shocks, exhaust system, and 5
point safety harness. We also added some
side panels to better showcase our sponsors, and
front and rear bumpers for added protection as
well as a battering ram. The motor is
showroom stock. Polaris is one of our
sponsors, and they told us not to worry, the
motor is reliable and plenty fast, and they were
right!
The UTV Race is run right after the 2 hour
ATV Pro Race, so I pounded down some Gatorade
and ate some nutritious track food. The
GNCC TV Team installed a camera on our RZR to
use the footage in future TV broadcasts, and
they had a gut feeling that I might be involved
in some excitement during the race. We got
Mark situated in the cockpit and showed him how
to work the 5 way safety harness, and headed
over to the starting area. Other than me
forgetting to sign up for the race and delaying
the start, everything was set for some fun!
As the flag dropped, our Polaris fired right
up and we were leading heading down into the
valley. We set a good pace as we learned
the lines for the first lap or so. My
cousin Jarrett Stephens and his passenger Shane
Turner were right on our tail in another
Polaris. Jarrett and Shane are lifelong
friends from my hometown of Tompkinsville, KY,
so we have been banging into each other all our
lives! Mark and I led the first 4 laps
when we came upon a lapper; I did not want to
wait to pass so I took a questionable line
through some pine trees to get around. Bad
decision. We nailed some trees that threw
us on our side. I had the RZR pinned in
forward and reverse, and we finally got back on
4 wheels and under way. I yelled at Mark
to hang on because we had to catch back up, and
I think it was then that he thought this ride
might not have been such a good idea after all.
Jarrett led for the next 3 laps, and we finally
caught them. We were able to get by and
lead the final 3 laps. It was a blast to
race these machines and the spectators loved
watching all the beating and banging.
I am leading the points with 2 races left to
run. Every time I ride that Polaris, I get
the biggest smile on my face! We are going
to get COL Turner from the KY National Guard to
ride with me in one of the last races; he’s done
everything such as jumping out of planes,
survival training, and been all over the world
keeping us safe, but riding with the Yoke will
be a new experience for him! The next UTV
Race is in St. Clairsville, OH on October 11.
See you there.
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