2002 AMA Grand National Cross Country ATV Racing Round 4 Big Buck GNCC
Cross Anchor, SC
A
fter luck left him
in 2001, William Yokley has found all he can handle in 2002.
"Last year I had some stupid things happen," said Yokley.
"It seemed like one of the best years I had as far as riding,
but it seemed like something was always smacking me in the face and
dropping me back. This year things seem to be going well."
Well indeed. The Kentucky native continued his charge through the 2002 AMA Grand National Cross Country ATV Series by taking his third win in the first four races of the season. Fourth in last year's series, the Roll/ITP/IMS/Axis/Moose/Klotz rider has even surprised himself with his fine riding in '02. "I can't believe how well everything is going for me," said Yokley. "Three wins and a second, I would never have guessed things would go this well."
Things also went well for Yokley's Thompkinsville, Kentucky, neighbor "Bad" Brad Page, who out-dueled Matt Smiley to grab a hard-earned second place, his best finish of a very tough season. "My daughter said to me 'Daddy, you need to get up on the podium,'" said the Duncan/Roll/ITP/IMS/Temecula Motorsports backed-Page. "She's only three, but she's into this!"
Smiley took third, making him a perfect four-for-four with podium finishes this year, while defending champion Bill Balance struggled again, this time riding with failed front brakes and mustering a fourth-place finish.
In the Pro Production Class, former Pro contender Chad Duvall took his first shot at the class and came away with a dominant win, riding his Four-Stroke Tech/Maxxis//MSR/Smith -backed Honda 400EX to victory. Duvall busted through several bottle-necks on the first lap that thwarted the efforts of his competition, and simply held a strong pace all day to take the win.
Pro Production points leader Bryan Baker came from deep in the pack to take a hard-earned second place. "I caught a couple of bottle necks early and fell back," said Baker. "My wrist has been bothering me, and I didn't hurt it all day until the last lap when I really started pushing it. Once I saw I was picking up on guys I started pushing hard."
When the green flag dropped, Yokley grabbed the pro holeshot on his Roll machine, with Chris Borich tucking in behind him. By the end of lap one, Ballance had maneuvered his LRD/Klotz/Maxxis/Axis/Moose ATV into second, but he immediately headed into the pits to have his front brakes worked on. His crew was mystified as to what the problems were, and they were unable to find solid braking power for the rest of the day. Amazingly though, Ballance was able to clock lap times nearly 30 seconds faster than the leaders for the next two laps, which helped him crawl back into contention.
Meanwhile, Page and Smiley caught Borich, and the trio duked it out for the runner-up spot. "We just battled and battled," said Page. "Then Borich hit a tree and I was able to get into second." Ballance's charge then paid off when he passed Borich, who was still stuck in a tree. Borich recovered for fifth.
In the Pro Production class, Duvall moved into the early lead, while Greg Trew chased him in second. Trew ended up going down and damaging his quad late in the race, which let Baker sneak in for second with his Honda of Troy/Nacs/IMS/Maxxis/Roll/Custom Color Designs ride.
The next race comes at the legendary Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Expect Ballance to be on more of a rampage than ever as he looks to fight back from his early-season points deficit. "I'm down but I'm not out," said the champ after the race. "I'm really looking forward to Loretta's."
Well indeed. The Kentucky native continued his charge through the 2002 AMA Grand National Cross Country ATV Series by taking his third win in the first four races of the season. Fourth in last year's series, the Roll/ITP/IMS/Axis/Moose/Klotz rider has even surprised himself with his fine riding in '02. "I can't believe how well everything is going for me," said Yokley. "Three wins and a second, I would never have guessed things would go this well."
|
|
Things also went well for Yokley's Thompkinsville, Kentucky, neighbor "Bad" Brad Page, who out-dueled Matt Smiley to grab a hard-earned second place, his best finish of a very tough season. "My daughter said to me 'Daddy, you need to get up on the podium,'" said the Duncan/Roll/ITP/IMS/Temecula Motorsports backed-Page. "She's only three, but she's into this!"
Smiley took third, making him a perfect four-for-four with podium finishes this year, while defending champion Bill Balance struggled again, this time riding with failed front brakes and mustering a fourth-place finish.
In the Pro Production Class, former Pro contender Chad Duvall took his first shot at the class and came away with a dominant win, riding his Four-Stroke Tech/Maxxis//MSR/Smith -backed Honda 400EX to victory. Duvall busted through several bottle-necks on the first lap that thwarted the efforts of his competition, and simply held a strong pace all day to take the win.
|
|
Pro Production points leader Bryan Baker came from deep in the pack to take a hard-earned second place. "I caught a couple of bottle necks early and fell back," said Baker. "My wrist has been bothering me, and I didn't hurt it all day until the last lap when I really started pushing it. Once I saw I was picking up on guys I started pushing hard."
When the green flag dropped, Yokley grabbed the pro holeshot on his Roll machine, with Chris Borich tucking in behind him. By the end of lap one, Ballance had maneuvered his LRD/Klotz/Maxxis/Axis/Moose ATV into second, but he immediately headed into the pits to have his front brakes worked on. His crew was mystified as to what the problems were, and they were unable to find solid braking power for the rest of the day. Amazingly though, Ballance was able to clock lap times nearly 30 seconds faster than the leaders for the next two laps, which helped him crawl back into contention.
|
|
Meanwhile, Page and Smiley caught Borich, and the trio duked it out for the runner-up spot. "We just battled and battled," said Page. "Then Borich hit a tree and I was able to get into second." Ballance's charge then paid off when he passed Borich, who was still stuck in a tree. Borich recovered for fifth.
In the Pro Production class, Duvall moved into the early lead, while Greg Trew chased him in second. Trew ended up going down and damaging his quad late in the race, which let Baker sneak in for second with his Honda of Troy/Nacs/IMS/Maxxis/Roll/Custom Color Designs ride.
The next race comes at the legendary Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Expect Ballance to be on more of a rampage than ever as he looks to fight back from his early-season points deficit. "I'm down but I'm not out," said the champ after the race. "I'm really looking forward to Loretta's."
| • Contact Information and/or Related Articles |
- Overall ATV Results Round 3
- Round 1 and 2 Feature Story
- Kirton Ranch Round #1 Overall ATV Results
- Rebel Run Round #2 Overall ATV Results
Racer
Productions
Telephone (304) 284-0084
www.gnccracing.com
 |
Off-Road.com Newsletter Join our Weekly Newsletter to get the latest off-road news, reviews, events, and alerts! |
Follow @Off-Road
Your Privacy Choices