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David Knight Races ATV for GNCC Finale in
Indiana
GNCC Bike Champion will
try four wheels, opens opportunity for
two-wheeled stars
David Knight raced a KTM ATV at the
Weston Beach Race last weekend, taking
4th out of 374 entries.
GNCC ATV Champion Bill Ballance welcomes
the GNCC bike Champion to his field.
Photo by Jason Hooper
Without Knight on bikes, FMF Suzuki's
Paul Whibley is the favorte to win the
Sunday's bike race at the Ironman.
Photo by David Scearce |
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. (October 20, 2008) -- The
Can-Am Grand National Cross Country community is
bracing for an unprecedented showdown when
Can-Am Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) dirt
bike Champion David Knight lines up on an ATV to
compete against the series' best four-wheeled
pilots this weekend at the Klotz Ironman GNCC
here.
“I'm really looking forward to competing in
the quad race at the final GNCC of the year,”
says Knight, a member of Team Red Bull KTM. “I'm
not expecting any great results; it's just a bit
of fun. I've only raced a quad at Weston Beach
Race, and that's a lot different than a GNCC
course. I'm just hoping to finish and have some
fun doing the race. Then, on Sunday, I'll get
some time to say goodbye to all the friends I've
made during the last two years."
At the Ironman, ATVs will race on Saturday,
October 25, and dirt bikes on Sunday, October
26.
After claiming the 2007 and 2008 GNCC
Championship on bikes, and winning 14 out of the
24 races in which he competed, next season
Knight will return home to compete in Europe's
World Enduro Championship. This weekend's race
may be the last opportunity to see the Isle of
Man native compete in the U.S.
The top ATV stars look forward to a friendly
challenge from Knight, who recently finished
fourth out of 374 entries racing in the ATV
portion of the Weston Beach Race in England.
“No matter where he finishes, I would like to
see him put his full heart into it and push hard
for the whole two hours,” says GNCC ATV Champion
Bill Ballance. “That way he'll really get the
full experience and know what we do.”
“Win or lose, it's great exposure for us,”
says veteran ATV pro Johnny Gallagher.
Barry Hawk is the king of the GNCC crossover,
having notched seven-straight GNCC ATV titles
before switching to bikes and then claiming that
championship in 2003.
“If he goes out there to have fun, it will be
good for him,” says Hawk, who rides for the
Am-Pro Yamaha bike team. “If he expects to run
in the top ten and prove a point, it will be
tough, because he doesn't have enough time on
the machine to do that. I mean, if I were to
race Indiana on an ATV, with all the experience
I have, I'm not sure I could get a top ten, just
having a few weeks to get ready.”
GNCC rules do not allow a pro bike racer to
compete in Saturday's ATV event, so Knight will
skip Sunday's bike race. That makes FMF Suzuki's
Paul Whibley the favorite after winning the
previous GNCC in Ohio while Knight competed at
Weston. Whibley has three wins this season and
sits second in the GNCC standings. His young
Australian teammate Josh Strang, however, is
hungry for his second win of the season.
“I refuse to finish off of the podium,”
says Strang. “If it comes down to it on the last
few laps, I'm going all in.”
Suzuki packs two
other contenders in Charlie Mullins and Jimmy
Jarrett, who were third and fourth,
respectively, at the previous GNCC event in
Ohio. Red Bull KTM's Nathan Kanney is still
hungry for his first win of the season, and the
orange team will also send AMA National Enduro
Champion Mike Lafferty to Indiana to replace
Knight on Sunday. Lafferty competed in the GNCC
Series full time for years and has won GNCCs
before. Hawk is a contender as well, and he will
race a YZ450F four-stroke for the first time
this season after spending years on two-stroke
equipment.
Hawk's young teammate Thad DuVall will race
XC1 for the second time in his career. After
clinching the XC2 Lites Championship for 250F
class, DuVall made his XC1 debut on a 450 at the
previous GNCC race and ran in second place
before running into clutch troubles.
In the ATV class, Ballance clinched his
record ninth-straight GNCC ATV Title at the
previous event. He'll race just for fun in
Indiana. Expect competition from FRE KTM's Adam
McGill, who sits second in points. There are
three riders fighting for third in the final
standings: Yoshimura Rockstar Suzuki's Chris
Borich, Team Excell Motorsports' Bryan Cook, and
GT Thunder Yamaha's Brandon Sommers. Also look
out for XC2 Champion Don Ockerman, who finished
second in his XC1 pro debut in Ohio.
The ATV division packs a championship
showdown in the 10 a.m. Saturday morning race as
well, with women's racers Traci Cecco and Angel
Atwell tied in points coming into the last
round.
The Ironman will host the final round of the
first-ever GNCC UTV Series as well, with Yamaha
Rhinos and Polaris RZRs competing.
The Klotz Ironman GNCC finale packs a variety
of special events, including free ATV demo rides
from Can-Am, Yamaha and KTM, and free demo rides
of KTM bikes. Yamaha plans a GNCC Championship
party for Ballance. A pair of monster trucks
will put on a demo run on the track also.
Spectator passes are $15 for the full
weekend, with pro pit access and pro autographs
included at no additional charge. On both
Saturday and Sunday, youth riders race at 8
a.m., amateur riders race at 10 a.m., and the
pro and pro am classes compete at 1 p.m. For
more information on the racing series, check out
the official series web site at
www.GNCCRacing.com.
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 more than
1,500 riders through tracks ranging from eight
to 14 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:
Saturday, October 25, 2008 - ATV Racing
Sunday, October 26, 2008 - Motorcycle Racing
Where: Tom's
Marine Polaris, Crawfordsville, Ind.
Directions:
The track is located south of Crawfordsville off
Route 47.
Tom's Marine Sales & Service
1317 W Offield Rd,
Crawfordsville, IN 47933
How Much: $15
Per Person Weekend Pass (7 years and older)
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 New Zealand's
Paul Whibley, Australia's Josh Strang, as well
as Barry Hawk, Jr., Nathan Kanney, Charles
Mullins, Jimmy Jarrett, Jason Raines and Glenn
Kearney. ATV pro riders include Bill Ballance,
Isle of Man's David Knight, Chris Borich, Adam
McGill, Bryan Cook, Brandon Sommers, Taylor
Kiser, Chris Bithell, Matt Smiley and William
Yokley.
Media Credentials:
Media members wishing to cover the event should
contact Justin Anderson at 704-589-2100.
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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