For many years now, the GNCC Series has been coming to Millfield History A man named John Penton changed the way many Americans would live out the dream of off road racing forever. In 1968 a motorcycle was built and was commonly referred to as the GS. The full name was German and I will not attempt to spell that, but it came in 100cc and 125cc models. The GS would give the motorcycle racing world a new-found goldmine of superb quality and race production cycles. Then came the bike actually named after the man and his dream. The Penton. There is a lot more history to that whole story but John Penton still lives in
As we arrived on Friday many had already started grasping at the ever-valuable parking spot straws. This place can get messy quick and one wrong choice of parking those big rigs can leave you stuck for the long haul. The rain had been here and left but I had a feeling something was watching the track, almost like it was sneaking up on the whole event. All I could think was, “please not again.” Last race had damaged so much equipment and most were not ready to do a repeat! I found out the hard way that camera gear hates water - much less mud! Well the rain did come again, and left, then came back for a bit and it was evident that the race was going to be muddy at least for the evening racers. The start of the 2006 John Penton was held on the motocross track just like the Loretta Lynn race. I love these kind of starts because it kind of evens out the riders real quick. Most will hold the power on up through the first turn but by the second jump all the “wanna-be’s” will be off the gas and rolling the steep inclines and double jumps. This is what I call the separation between “preparation and desperation”. You also have to finish to place and as we will get to in a moment, a small mistake will surely narrow your chances. Morning Classes – Women and Utility
The rain has fallen during the week and even though the sun was out the track would be a mudhole before the end of the morning race. But that didn’t stop almost 300 riders from getting in position on the starting line. Off into the first corner Stephanie Parton would find her sweet spot for the Holeshot but I can tell you this, by the end of the day she had fought hard to keep it and eventually was passed by Traci Cecco and Angel Atwell. It seems the a few other ladies have figured out what it takes to get their machines up front and Angel Atwell is surely one of those women! The official times were 2:17:24 for Cecco and 2:17:47 for Atwell. That is extremely close and for Atwell to have two wins that kind of feeling never gets out of your blood. This is going to be a great battle year for the women but unlike years past there will be more than two in the mix! Stephanie Parton would hold on for a solid third with Jennifer Fulkerson and Stefanie Verkade bringing home fourth and fifth. I wonder if Stephanie Parton is experiencing the same demons that have troubled Matt Smiley this year? Even though she is still consistently on or near the podium she still seems uncomfortable on her Outlaw. I guess we will see in the near future if she can get it together and catch her long time pal Traci Cecco. The Points Chase is always in question and no one really knows how it is going to turn out during the year but set in stone are the Half way mark points for the women and they go like this: Cecco Leads with 5 wins and 136 point’s. Angel Atwell has 2 wins and 131 point’s. Stephanie Parton is back in third with 111 point’s. Stefanie Verkade is fourth with 98 point’s.
The Utility class is also full of ever-changing faces. Ken Robey takes another class win, making two for him. The last two tracks have been ideal for the Utility Quads and I was surprised that not one made it into the top ten. Marcus Gonzalez on his Kawasaki Prairie did come close as he made 11th overall his spot but that was a modified class quad. Back to the stock class we have Micheal Swift from the CAN-AM camp coming into second and Sam Williams wrapping up third. These guys are fighting hard to keep the new Can-Am team out front and have been doing a very good job at it.
I just have one question, where is Mike Penland? I spoke with Mike briefly on the subject of “What will you do when the wins quit coming?” and he had this to say. “Lord willing I will find my place with a Manufacturer and use the knowledge I have learned over the years to help them push their program to a higher level”. “I want to stay in the industry and I hope that what I have learned with the championships and Baja wins I could help someone out by showing them the mistakes before they make them”.
The once top rider in this class who was always found in the top three has seemingly faded. Mike did place a respectable 4th and is consistent in that place but I wonder if he has finally met his inevitable match within his own team? Mike Penland sits back in fourth place in the points with 102, which is 12 out of the spot he wants to be. Persistence is his strength and I hope to see Mike back in the winner’s circle again soon. What ever happens I did not fail to notice Can-Am’s presence with three out of the top four quads in this class. This could be a direct reflection of the wisdom Mike has given to them. Moving on…. The Ute Modified class has been upset by a returning threat. Marcus Gonzalez has been a friend with Scott Kilby and Brock Parker for as long as I can remember. This guy has bounced from class to class and finally found his way to victory once again in the Utility Modified class. Even though Marcus isn’t currently in the point’s race he still has the desire to be up front with his friends. So where are the point’s for the Utility modified guys right now? Well, Scott Kilby still has the reins on this horse with 1 win and 133 points. Then there is Scott’s teammate Clifton Beasley who is running in a strong second with 112 point’s. Chad Busha and Brock Parker wrap up three and four with 106 and 92 hard earned points. It would seem that Scott has really became comfortable on his Outlander and is on his way to another class Championship. Only time will tell if any of these riders can catch Scott and his Outlander. Afternoon Racing - Pros
The sun has disappeared for a bit and there seems to be a little rain moving in. The track would be muddier for the evening racers but there again I didn’t see anyone packing it up and going home because of a little mud! I did however notice that again something was out of place here in Millfield. The number five racer Matt Smiley hadn’t made the event! Did anyone call him and let him know that we were racing this weekend? Just kidding, It seems that it is public knowledge now that Matt and Polaris have parted ways and he will be trying to regroup and figure out what exactly he will be riding for the remaining races. I really didn’t know what to think when I had heard the news because I really like Matt and I knew he had been suffering with Mechanical woe’s for quite sometime now. I hope what ever he gets onto that he can regain the ground that the time spent there has cost him. The split was mutual and no hard feelings I don’t think. We will try to dig deeper in coming reports to get the whole story for you.
So the ten seconds call went out loud and clear and when the thunder reached the first turn I was glad to see Chris Borich getting the extra dough from ITP. The holeshot award has been giving racers in the pro class something to feed themselves with all season. Now if they could just get the rest of the field a dinner coupon. I never understood why only the Pros get the good stuff. Why not start the “Pros” back on the rear row and let them fight it out from there. They are Pros, right? They shouldn’t have a problem with that. Anyway.. Moving forward…
This is where things got a little ugly. There seemed to be some confusion as to which side of Adam McGill’s quad was supposed to be on the dirt. Turns out they tried several different positions and just kept breaking pieces off as it rolled. Adam was ok but obviously shaken for a minute or two. There were several other quads involved but I still believe that Adam got the worst of it. In the end Chris Borich ended up with a broken tie rod and bruised ego but managed to get a top ten overall. I can say this about Chris Borich he has what it takes to be on top and more! So do all these guys. And from here we waited as the rest of our sports racers took their turns off the gate to see how well they would do in two hours of racing. The mud and rain began to cover up all the riders and before long everyone looked the same again, covered in mud. Make no mistake though when the Pros rolled in I definitely had no problem noticing them. Its always full throttle wide-open corner-burning racing at its best.
Chris Jenks was our eventual winner again this week. Bill Ballance was right there with him to take over second and the new kid on the block Duane Johnson would make it three for the afternoon. Duane was visibly excited as he made his way up onto the podium. It has to be a good day to stand next to the best of the best and know that you are right there in the category with them. I wish him the best for the rest of the season because we all know that anything can happen and just when you think it wont it does. Two more races until the summer break and its kinda like getting out of school. Excitement is all around and even though most are ready for the break, riders like Jenks, Ballance, Borich and Johnson are more excited than ever to just keep the tide rolling in the direction it is going. A stall at this point could make riders loose focus. I can tell when I walk by Chris Jenks that something is changing within him. Seems like maybe a sigh of relief. Chris, you will make it, my friend and Off-Road.com will be there to write about it, so keep those eyes sharply focused and stay true to who you are.
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