[American Motorcyclist Association] - Chris Borich and Walker Fowler go head-to-head

[Ninjette Newsbot]

The following is an industry press release...

Only Five Points Separate Title Contenders in Both XC1 and XC2 Classes

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. (October 1, 2014) - The highly anticipated ATV National Championship battle will continue this Saturday, Oct. 4 as the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, reaches its penultimate round in St. Clairsville, Ohio. The 2014 ATV National Championship has reached perhaps the most tightly-contested championship in GNCC ATV history, as only five points separate five-time GNCC Champion Chris Borich and his ultimate rival Walker Fowler with only two rounds remaining.

Team Maxxis' Borich maintains control of the championship points lead heading into Saturday's ITP Powerline Park GNCC but Fowler, a Buckeye State native, holds all the momentum as he's powered his N-Fab AmPro Yamaha/Lonestar/MXP/Maxxis-backed machine to four victories through the last five rounds. Borich, on the other hand, has not captured a win since the sixth round, where he previously enjoyed a four-race winning streak during the first half of the season. Fowler and Borich each sit with five total wins for the season and the 2014 National Championship is undoubtedly going to come down to which rider can seal the deal at the final two rounds.

Walker Fowler has won four of the last five rounds, and holds all the momentum heading into Powerline Park this Saturday. Watch for him and Borich to battle it out during these last two rounds. Photo: Ken Hill

The third rider to earn a victory this season is RacingPowersports.com/CST Tires/PirateMX.com's Adam McGill, who sits in third in the championship standings. McGill has been one of the most consistent riders at the front of the pack; however, the West Virginia native failed to score championship points at two rounds due to mechanical issues. Although that set him back in the standings, it's still mathematically possible for McGill to dispute the title this season.

DWT Racing's Jarrod McClure holds the fourth place position in the championship standings, followed by Precision/Maxxis Tires-backed Chris Bithell in fifth. McClure struggled at the last round, finishing eighth overall, but the Pennsylvania native previously landed a solid streak of podium finishes to prove that he's capable of running up front. Following a tough couple of rounds due to mechanical issues, Bithell heads into round 12 with a string of fourth place finishes behind him and the Pennsylvania native looks to return atop the podium once again.

Chris Borich has not won since round 6 this year, and with only a 5 point lead over Fowler he's looking to add another win to his season this weekend. Photo: Ken Hill

Dave Bayless Motorsports/Dirtworks/DC Cycles-backed Brycen Neal had a career-best performance at the last round, where he secured third overall for the day. In just his first full-season in the XC1 Pro class, Neal continues to progress through the ranks where he now sits seventh overall in the championship standings. Brian Wolf holds eighth overall, while Jay Shadron rounds out the top 10 in the championship standings.

SICC Racing/Maxxis-backed Marshal Goings closed the XC2 Pro Am championship chase to only five points behind N-Fab AmPro Yamaha/Lonestar/Maxxis/MXP's Cole Richardson with two rounds remaining. Goings secured his fourth win of the season at round 11, where he put an end to Richardson's impressive five-race winning streak up to that point. The rookie duo will battle it out at the final two rounds to determine the 2014 XC2 Pro Am Champion.

Brycen Neal had his best finish at the last round in Central City, PA. His progression throughout the season shows, as he now sits seventh overall in his first year racing XC1 full-time. Photo: Ken Hill

New York's Martin Christofferson captured yet another solid third place finish at the last round, where he maintains third place in the championship standings. Christofferson is looking to match his career-best second place finish from earlier this season or even capture his first career victory this Saturday at Powerline Park.

In the 4x4 Pro class, it's ATV Parts Plus/Can-Am's Bryan Buckhannon who extended his championship points lead with a consistent string of finishes so far this season. Can-Am X-Team's Kevin Trantham sits in the second place position, where he looks for a big victory to tighten the points race in the final rounds of the season. BNR Motorsports/Loctite Can-Am's Robert Smith earned his second victory of the season at the last round, where he sits in the third place position in the championship standings.

Side-by-Side racing returns to the GNCC lineup this Saturday at 4:30 p.m. with round five of the six-race championship. Team Can-Am/Chaney Racing leads the way in the XC1 Modified class with two consecutive victories behind them. Led by Kyle Chaney, the team looks to fend off other title contenders such as Coastal National Guard and JB Off-Road/Can-Am, who sit in second and third, respectively, in the championship standings. Team Big Country Powersports and the Polaris National Guard Team, who have each won a race this season, will look to climb through the championship ranks at the penultimate round this Saturday.

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. Side-by-Side machines will compete on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

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, and again at 4:30 p.m. for Side-by-Side coverage. 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
Car-Mate Mountain Ridge GNCC
Somerset, Pennsylvania
Round 11 of 13
Saturday, September 20

XC1 Event Results:

1. Walker Fowler (YAM)
2. Adam McGill (HON)
3. Brycen Neal (HON)
4. Chris Bithell (SUZ)
5. Chris Borich (SUZ)
6. Brian Wolf (HON)
7. Jay Shadron (YAM)
8. Jarrod McClure (HON)
9. Josh Merritt (YAM)
10. Landon Wolfe (SUZ)

*Overall National Championship Standings:

1. Chris Borich (253)
2. Walker Fowler (248)
3. Adam McGill (208)
4. Jarrod McClure (178)
5. Chris Bithell (157)
6. Cole Richardson (140)
7. Brycen Neal (131)
8. Brian Wolf (123)
9. Marshal Goings (111)
10. Jay Shadron (107)

*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2014 National Champion.

XC2 Event Results:

1. Marshal Goings (HON)
2. Cole Richardson (YAM)
3. Martin Christofferson (HON)
4. Jonathan Fugate (HON)
5. Matt Hanna (YAM)
6. Luke Upah (HON)
7. Kody McClung (HON)
8. Randy Hamilton (HON)
9. James Green (HON)
10. Luke Shepherd (HON)

XC2 Series Standings:

1. Cole Richardson (285)
2. Marshal Goings (280)
3. Martin Christofferson (213)
4. Randy Hamilton (161)
5. Fred Marley (143)
6. James Green (142)
7. Blake Kramer (134)
8. Jonathan Fugate (131)
9. Thomas Koontz (128)
10. Luke Upah (110)

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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