[American Motorcyclist Association] - GNCC Series Returns to Somerset, Pennsylvania's

[Ninjette Newsbot]

The following is an industry press release...

Only 19 points separate Chris Borich and Walker Fowler in XC1 Pro ATV Championship

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. (September 17, 2014) - With only three rounds remaining in the 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, a mere six hours of racing and 19 points separate two of the sport's biggest riders as they battle for the coveted 2014 ATV AMA National Championship. For points leader and XC1 Pro class veteran Chris Borich, holding onto the lead would mean a sixth consecutive GNCC title, but for current runner-up Walker Fowler, a first-ever Overall National Championship would serve as a career milestone for the 22-year-old rider.

Fowler continues to create momentum in this second half of the season. Photo: Ken Hill

This Saturday, Sept. 20, the GNCC Series makes a return to Somerset, Pennsylvania's Mountain Ridge Trail Riding Park for the first time since 2011 with the Car-Mate Mountain Ridge GNCC. While Team Maxxis' Chris Borich assumes control of the championship points, it's N-Fab AmPro Yamaha's Walker Fowler who has held most of the momentum leading up to the 11th round. Fowler has captured three wins in the last four races, where he's closed the points gap to less than 20 as the series heads into crunch time. While Fowler continues to create momentum in this second half of the season, Borich continues to search for it, having not captured a win since round six. The recent momentum swap has made this year's championship battle more exciting than ever before.


RacingPowersports.com/CST Tires/PirateMX.com's Adam McGill sits in the third place position as the only rider besides Borich and Fowler to claim an overall victory this season. Just as he was making a run for Fowler and Borich in the overall standings, McGill experienced a mechanical issue at the last round that ultimately took him out of the race at Unadilla, as well as the championship chase.


DWT Racing's Jarrod McClure has put forth an impressive string of finishes this season, where he heads into Saturday's race with three straight podium finishes behind him. McClure is well on his way to earning a career-best overall ranking, especially if he can finish atop the podium at the remaining three rounds. Precision/Maxxis Tires-backed Chris Bithell sits fifth in the championship standings as he heads into what could be considered his home race on the GNCC circuit. Less than one hour from his Irwin, Pennsylvania residence, Bithell will be looking to secure his first win of the season in front of his hometown crowd.


Dave Bayless Motorsports/Dirtworks/DC Cycles-backed Brycen Neal has moved into the seventh place position, followed by GT Thunder-backed Brian Wolf in eighth, and DeRisi Racing/Team Woodhead's Braden Henthorn rounds out the top ten overall.


N-Fab AmPro Yamaha's Cole Richardson increased his points lead in the XC2 Pro Am Championship, where he now sits 10 points ahead of SICC Racing/Maxxis-backed Marshal Goings with three rounds remaining. Richardson and Goings have gone 1-2 at almost every round thus far and have been two of the most consistent riders on the circuit this season. However, Richardson's five-race winning streak-and seven wins total-gives him a slight advantage over Goings, who has only three wins under his belt. New York's Martin Christofferson continues his stellar season, sitting in a solid third place in the championship standings.


ATV Parts Plus/Can-Am's Bryan Buckhannon continues to lead the way in the 4x4 Pro division with three victories behind him. However, Can-Am X-Team's Kevin Trantham sits only seven points back in the second place position, with three wins behind him as well. BNR Motorsports/Loctite Can-Am's Robert Smith sits in third in the championship standings with one win under his belt.

Michael Swift got his first win in Unadilla, but it's Bryan Buckhannon who holds onto the points lead heading into the Car-Mate Mountain Ridge GNCC this weekend. Photo: Ken Hill

Youth ATV racing will take place on Saturday at 8 a.m., followed by amateurs, 4x4 Pro and Women at 10 a.m., and the top amateurs and pros at 1 p.m. Micro 50cc classes will compete on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. for the sixth and final round of the Micro Championship Series.


Adult (12+) gate admission is $20 for the full weekend and $10 for kids (6-11). Kids five and under are free. Local racers are invited to compete at this event, as GNCC Racing offers classes for riders of all skill and experience levels. The amateur racer entry fee is $40 and riders can sign up at the track.


Tune into RacerTV.com on Saturday at 1 p.m. EST to catch LIVE coverage of the Pro ATV race at round 11. For more information on GNCC Live coverage, visit www.racertv.com.


Stay up-to-date with exclusive content from the AMSOIL GNCC Series by following the series Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Previous Round Results:
Can-Am Unadilla GNCC
New Berlin, New York
Round 10 of 13
Saturday, September 6

XC1 Event Results:
Walker Fowler (YAM)
Chris Borich (SUZ)
Jarrod McClure (HON)
Chris Bithell (SUZ)
Jay Shadron (YAM)
Brycen Neal (HON)
Kevin Yoho (YAM)
Braden Henthorn (HON)
Josh Merritt (YAM)
Johnny Gallagher (YAM)

*Overall National Championship Standings:
Chris Borich (237)
Walker Fowler (218)
Adam McGill (183)
Jarrod McClure (165)
Chris Bithell (139)
Cole Richardson (131)
Brycen Neal (110)
Brian Wolf (108)
Marshal Goings (100)
Braden Henthorn (97)
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2014 National Champion.

XC2 Event Results:
Cole Richardson (YAM)
Marshal Goings (HON)
Martin Christofferson (HON)
Fred Marley (HON)
Eric Wilczek (HON)
Randy Hamilton (HON)
Nathan Wallpe (HON)
Thomas Koontz Jr. (YAM)
Nick Wheeler (HON)
Blake Kramer (YAM)


XC2 Series Standings:
Cole Richardson (260)
Marshal Goings (250)
Martin Christofferson (192)
Randy Hamilton (148)
Fred Marley (143)
James Green (130)
Blake Kramer (126)
Thomas Koontz (119)
Jonathan Fugate (113)
Luke Upah (95)


About GNCC Racing
The AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country series presented by Maxxis is America's premier off-road racing series. Founded in 1975, 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 1,500 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. The series draws talent from all over the U.S., Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. GNCC Racing is televised weekly on NBC Sports and RacerTV.com. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.







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