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Sits Pretty In Points Lead Going Into 10th
Round of Can-Am Grand National Cross Country
Series
Borich may topple Defending Champion Ballance's
Nine Year Win Streak
New Berlin, NY (September 8, 2009) - After a
more than two-month break, the Can-Am Grand
National Cross Country Series will return for
its final four rounds starting with this
weekend's Can-Am Unadilla GNCC. Unprecedented
changes may come to the ATV side, with Rockstar
Makita Suzuki's Chris Borich looking to take
home the championship for the first time,
marking the first time in nine years that Bill
Ballance hasn't been on top of the points at the
end of the season.
Borich has a wide points lead over the rest
of the pack, after winning the past four races
in a row. With Defending Champion's Ballance's
mixed results earlier in the season, Borich is
poised to take the title. His nearest
competition is Yamaha's Taylor Kiser. Kiser took
his first and only win at the opening round, the
River Ranch GNCC but has stayed in at least the
top 5 except for the Snowshoe GNCC, where he
finished 9th. With Borich sitting more than 40
points ahead of Kiser however, it will be hard
for any others to charge ahead of him and
instead creates a tight battle behind the
frontrunners.
McGill and Ballance, 3rd and 4th places in
the points, are only 6 points apart and Houser
Racing's Bryan Cook isn't far behind either.
Cook, the winner of the Steele Creek GNCC, has
remained relatively consistent through the
season and is himself only six points behind
Ballance and only one point ahead of Yamaha's
Brandon Sommers. Yamaha's Donnie Ockerman, Duane
Johnson, Jarrod McClure and Chris Bithell are
all just a few points apart as they head into
the final four rounds. It's a mixed bag as to
who will end up where when the dust settles.
In the XC2 class, Brian Wolf is coming off a
stellar win at the Snowshoe GNCC, where he took
the overall win and the $10,000 purse. But Wolf
is only 13 points ahead of his closest
competition, FRE KTM's Josh Kirkland, who has
stayed in second place or better place except
for his round 8 Mountain Ridge ride where he had
a 4th place finish. The two are essentially
untouched for their class championship as Eric
Hoyland is more than 70 points behind the two in
third place.
The Unadilla racing facility has been hosting
national and international-level competitions
for 40 years, and this event routinely draws the
largest crowd of the 13-race GNCC series. Over
1700 competitors and several thousand more
spectators are expected. Riders will race on a
custom-built track, which includes both
motocross and woods racing. The combination of
the two makes Unadilla a test of both survival
and speed. Racers include top international
talent, such as U.S. National Champions and
World Champions from Europe, Australia and New
Zealand.
Spectator passes run $12 for the full
weekend, with pro pit access and pro autographs
at no additional charge. On both Saturday and
Sunday, youth riders race at 8 a.m., beginner
riders race at 10 a.m., and the top amateurs and
the pros race at 1 p.m.
For more information, check out the official
series website at
www.GNCCRacing.com or call 304-284-0084.
The Unadilla Valley Sports Center is located
in New Berlin, New York, on State Highway 8,
five miles north of New Berlin, New York. From
the north take NYS Thruway (RT. #90) to exit 31
(Utica). After the tollbooth, begin following
signs for Route #8 SOUTH. Turn right after the
tollbooth and make another right at the first
light. You will go about 50 feet and exit to
your right. Continue about 1-½ miles and you
will exit again on Route #8 south. Approximately
four miles later, you will exit one more time at
"Route #8 South - New Hartford." Once you exit
here, you will stay on this road right to the
racetrack.
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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