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GNCC Riders
Anticipating $50,000 Snowshoe Purse
Morgantown, W.Va. (June 22, 2009) - With the
promise of an extra $10,000 for an overall
victory in the air, more than a few racers are
anticipating this weekend's MotorcycleUSA.com
Snowshoe GNCC, round nine of the Can-Am Grand
National Cross Country Series at the scenic
Snowshoe resort in West Virginia. The event will
pay a bonus of $10,000 to the overall winner of
the bike and ATV races, a bonus of $5000 for
second overall finshers, and $3000 for third
place. ATVs race at West Virginia's largest ski
resort on Saurday, June 27th, and bikes race
Sunday, June 28th.
"I feel really excited about it. I hope I take
it home," said Am-Pro FMF Yamaha's Barry Hawk,
an eight-time GNCC Champion who will compete for
the bike purse. "I think it's been a long time
coming. It's great for MotorcycleUSA.com to step
up and do it. Hopefully it will bring in more
money for the future for the sport and for the
riders. Everyone in general benefits from it."
The Snowshoe GNCC is the roughest race of the
13-stop series. GNCC officials have created a
brand-new 20-mile course, featuring deep mud
bogs, massive bolders and near-vertical hill
climbs. In fact, a special 1000-foot climb on a
powerline road seperates the riders from their
pit areas on each lap. The race is the ultimate
test for a cross-country racer and by the end of
the race, whoever does win, deserves the $10,000
prize waiting for them. Besides that, racers
view the largest purse in the 30-year history of
the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series
as a sign that the sport is growing and that
hefty purses like this will be seen more often.
"It's exciting," said Houser Racing's Bryan
Cook, who took the ATV victory at Steele Creek
earlier in the year. "The sport keeps growing
and it's a thing of the future maybe. I'm
excited about it myself. It would be really nice
to win it, you know being a privateer. It would
pay a lot of expenses for me."
And while some want a chance at the payout,
others are just concentrating on a win to build
points for the championship. The bike battle is
perhaps the closest in the history of the tour,
as just a handful of points separates FMF Makita
Suzuki's Josh Strang and GEICO/JG Racing Monster
Energy Kawasaki's Paul Whibley, with Charlie
Mullins and Jimmy Jarrett, their respective
teammates, right behind the.
"I'm not too interested in the money," says
Strang , who has held the points lead on two
different occasions this year . "It's a bonus if
I win it. The big picture is the GNCC
Championship."
For ATVs, Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Chris Borich
is leading the march, winning the last three
rounds in a row, and five for the season. Borich
holds a 23-point lead over Yamaha's Taylor Kiser
and 11 more on KTM Adam McGill. A bad run on the
rough Snowshoe course could ruin Borich's
championship run.
"I'm just trying to stay clear of all the
mayhem," says Kiser, second in the ATV points
and the winner of the season-opener in Florida.
"That' s my goal. I'm not too worried about it.
I'm taking it as another race. I'm going to try
to put the $10,000 out of mind. It would be
nice, but it's better if I try not to think
about it too much."
"I think it's pretty cool they're going to give
out so much," said Mullins, third in bike points and also a race winner this year. "I
think it will make everyone step up and put the
pace faster. I'm just going out and stick to
what I have been doing. I'm more concerned with
the championship than the purse."
With the championship still up for grabs, and a
rough track on the horizon, riders will have to
be careful with their strategy.
For added drama, with all the money on the line,
one never knows who might show up to race.
There's even a rumor that 2007 and 2008 GNCC
Champion David Knight might make a return
appearance. Knight is undefeated at Snowshoe.
Last year, he battled Yamaha's Thad Duvall, and
Thad, despite riding a 250F in the XC2 class,
almost beat him outright for the overall.
"I kind of hope he does show up," says DuVall,
who now competes on a 450 in the XC1 class. "I
didn't get to beat him last year so now's my
chance! This is definitely one to win. It's in
my home state of West Virginia and I have a lot
of friends and family coming out and I feel
pretty comfortable. Hopefully I'll be able to
put on a good show."
Ticket prices for the event are just $15 for the
full race weekend, including ATV racing all day
on Saturday and bike racing on Sunday. In all,
up to 1500 riders are expected to compete.
Children five and under are free, as is full
access to the pro pits and pro rider autographs.
Also, Snowshoe will keep its ski lift chairs operating all weekend to shuttle fans down to
the more spectacular parts of the course.
Snowshoe Resort is West Virginia's largest ski
resort, and also offers mountain biking and golf
in the summer months. The event offers riders a
once-a-year opportunity to race around a resort,
with hotels and restaurants all within site of
the track. The event will even start right in
the middle of the ski village. For more
information on Snowshoe, visit
www.snowshoemtn.com
For more information on the Can-Am Grand
National Cross Country Series, visit
www.gnccracing.com.
Overall Finish Bonus for Bike and ATV
1st-$10,000
2nd- $5,000
3rd- $3,000
XC1 Bike and ATV Payout
1st- $1000
2nd- $900
3rd- $750
4th- $600
5th- $500
6th- $450
7th-$400
8th- $350
9th-$300
10th- $250
XC2 Bike and ATV Payout
1st-$500
2nd- $400
3rd- $300
4th- $200
5th-$100
Specialty Awards for Bike and ATV
Bike:
XC1 MotorcycleUSA.com Holeshot Award- $250
XC2 Cometic Holeshot Award- $100
AM Race Coppersmith Holeshot Award- $100
ATV:
XC1 MotorcycleUSA.com Holeshot Award- $250
XC2 Rekluse Holeshot Award- $100
GT Thunder Morning Race Overall- $100
About GNCC Racing
The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country series
is America's premier off-road racing series.
Founded in 1973, the 13-round championship is
produced exclusively by Racer Productions.
Cross-country racing is one of the most
physically demanding sports in the world. The
grueling three-hour GNCC races lead as many as
1,800 riders through tracks ranging in length
from eight to 12 miles. With varied terrain,
including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and
motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of
both survival and speed. Riders compete for more
than $3 million in prize money, which draws
talent from all over the U.S., Europe, Australia
and New Zealand. GNCC Racing is televised and
airs every Saturday and Thursday on the Versus
Network. For more information, please visit
www.gnccracing.com.
About Racer Productions
A West Virginia-based motorcycle and ATV event
production company, Racer Productions has been a
leader in the off-road racing industry for more
than 30 years. It's repertoire of events
includes the 13-round Can-Am Grand National
Cross Country Series, held since 1973; The
Kawasaki/Monster Energy High Point National in
Mount Morris, Pa., held since 1977; The ATV Dirt
Days at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Mills,
Tenn., held since 1985; The U.S. World Motocross
Gran Prix at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Pa.
in 1987; The Monster Energy/Kawasaki Steel City
National, held since 1988; The ATV Stampede
National Motocross at High Point Raceway, held
since 1994; The AMA Pro ATV Open at Steel City
in 2007; as well as numerous other amateur
motocross events. In addition, Racer Productions
staffs the prestigious Air Nautiques/AMA
Amateur National Motocross Championship at
Loretta Lynn's Ranch, held since 1982. For more
information, please visit
www.racerproductions.com.
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