Travis Pastrana's Red Bull/Cernic's/Team 199/Suzuki RM250 is ready to go for this Tuesday's Suzuki Orange Crush GNCC in De Leon Springs, Florida

De Leon Springs, FL – The clash is on again between the world’s best off-road racers. This Tuesday, the 2006 Suzuki Grand National Cross Country Series kicks off with the Suzuki Orange Crush GNCC, just 20 minutes from Daytona Beach and Bike Week. With Travis Pastrana lining up against the GNCC elite of defending Champion Juha Salminen, and former GNCC Champions Rodney Smith, Barry Hawk and Fred Andrews, as well as AMA National Enduro Champion Mike Lafferty, World Enduro Champion Paul Edmondson and WORCS Champion Nathan Woods, anything can happen over the high-speed sand whoops of Florida.

            “This year will be tough,” says Salminen, the defending champion. “Now the manhunt is on. I know everyone will be gunning for me.”

            Indeed, the field will not be caught off guard by Salminen’s early-race speed like they were last year. Expect everyone to be on their game earlier this year.

            The pro bike racers are just part of a jam-packed four days of GNCC action, with over 1300 riders expected to race. The weekend includes ATV practice on Saturday, March 4^th, ATV racing on Sunday, March 5^th, Bike practice on Monday, March 6^th, and bike racing Tuesday, March 7^th. 

            The track is a rugged collection of Florida sand whoops, and it will test the toughest riders. The legendary Daytona Beach Bike Week lies just 20 minutes away, as well, so make a week out of the trip and see everything Florida has to offer.

            Admission is $12 for Sat-Sun and $12 for Mon-Tue. Take I-95 to State Road 40 West. Go 14 1/2 miles to Lake Winnona Road on left, and the track is two miles down the road on the left.

For more information on the Suzuki Orange Crush GNCC, log on to GNCCRacing.com.

The AMA-sanctioned Suzuki Grand National Cross Country series is America’s premier off-road racing series. The 13-round series is produced exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross-country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The nearly three-hour long GNCC races lead as many as 1800 riders through tracks ranging from eight to twelve miles in length. With varied terrain including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed. GNCC featured sponsors include Parts Unlimited, Moose, Maxxis, Pirelli, Wiseco, Klotz, FMF, ITP and Tire Balls, and riders compete for over $3 million in series prizes and contingency money. Associate sponsors include Moose Utility Division, Scott, Acerbis, Alpinestars, Cometic, Outerwears, Twin Air, Polisport Plastics, Thor, Motion Pro, Hyper Wheels, Elka Suspension, MotoTee’s, Weekend Warrior, Owens Motorsports, Tom’s Marina Polaris, EK Chain and Laeger’s. Media Sponsors include Dirt Rider Magazine, ATV Sport Magazine, www.ATVRiders.com and Racer X Illustrated. For more information log on to www.GNCCRacing.com.