MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – As the 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, heads into round three this weekend, a new championship dynamic presents itself in the XC1 Pro ATV class. Adam McGill currently tops the championship standings heading into Saturday’s FMF Steele Creek GNCC and while it’s still early in the season, the pole position is something that McGill has not experienced since his rookie year in 2008.
CST/PirateMX.com/LSR/DeRisi/Tireblocks/SG-backed McGill, who has one win behind him through the first two rounds, holds a four-point advantage over N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha/Maxxis/Lonestar’s Walker Fowler in the early championship standings. Perhaps due in part to the unpredictable conditions in Georgia last round, McGill and Fowler are the only two riders in the ATV field to finish atop the podium thus far.
With a consistent string of podium finishes in 2014, McGill interjected himself into championship contention amidst an intense battle between multi-time GNCC Champion Chris Borich and Walker Fowler. However, one bad race dropped McGill just outside of reach as Borich and Fowler battled it out to the very final moments of the season.
Fowler came out swinging at the season opener, emerging victorious despite an illness throughout the days leading up to the race. Still recovering, Fowler finished third at round two to keep himself within five points of the championship lead heading into round three this Saturday.
Following a third place finish at round one, six-time GNCC National Champion Chris Borich ran into a mechanical issue at the second round where he ultimately ended his day with zero points toward the championship chase. The Factory Yamaha/SSi/Maxxis Tires-backed rider enters round three with a 34-point deficit from McGill’s lead but the champ knows that there’s plenty of racing left to go in 2015.
It’s been a solid start to the season for Maxxis/B. Neal Motorsports’ Brycen Neal, who earned a career-best second place finish at the last round. Neal has stepped up his game in 2015 and the young gun has shown great speed and consistency thus far. Bithell Racing/Maxxis/Precision-backed Chris Bithell has been consistent through the first two rounds as well, with two fifth place finishes behind him. Bithell, too, has shown great speed early on and will be another favorite for race-wins as the season continues. Coastal/Waynesburg Yamaha’s Jay Shadron just narrowly finished off the podium at the last round, which proved to be a breakthrough ride for the young Pennsylvania native. Shadron has proven that he has what it takes to mix it up with the veterans of the sport this season.
N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha/Maxxis/Lonestar’s Cole Richardson experienced some issues at the last round but the 2014 XC2 Pro Am Champion put forth an impressive come-from-behind finish to capture his second straight win of the season. Richardson currently sits seventh in the overall standings amidst a talented field of XC1 Pro competition.
Dillingers/Hygear’s Marty Christofferson sits only ten points behind Richardson in the championship standings as he holds two consistent second place finishes so far this season. Christofferson has yet to finish in the center of the podium but the New York native inches his way closer to the top with each round that passes by.
Saturday’s race schedule is as follows: Youth ATV racing begins at 8 a.m., followed by amateurs, 4×4 Pro and Women at 10 a.m., and the top amateurs and pros begin at 1 p.m. Following Saturday’s afternoon race, Micro 50cc racing will take place at 4 p.m.
Adult (12+) gate admission is $20 for the full weekend and $10 for kids (6-11). Kids five and under are free. All admission includes pro pit access. 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 pre-register online or 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. For more information on GNCC Live coverage, visit www.racertv.com.
The 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series heads to Morganton, North Carolina for the FMF Steele Creek GNCC. For more information on the series, please visit www.gnccracing.com.
Previous Round Results and Point Standings
The Maxxis General GNCC
Washington, Georgia
Round 2 of 13
Saturday, March 14
XC1 Event Results:
Adam McGill (HON)
Brycen Neal (HON)
Walker Fowler (YAM)
Jay Shadron (YAM)
Chris Bithell (SUZ)
Johnny Gallagher (YAM)
Jarrod McClure (HON)
Brian Wolf (HON)
Josh Merritt (YAM)
Kevin Yoho (YAM)
*Overall National Championship Standings:
Adam McGill (55)
Walker Fowler (51)
Brycen Neal (43)
Chris Bithell (32)
Jay Shadron (31)
Jarrod McClure (29)
Cole Richardson (27)
Johnny Gallagher (25)
Chris Borich (21)
Brian Wolf (21)
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2015 National Champion.
XC2 Event Results:
Cole Richardson (YAM)
Martin Christofferson (HON)
Randy Hamilton (HON)
Fred Marley (HON)
Cody Collier (YAM)
Steven Golden (HON)
Michael Lancaster (HON)
Jonathan Fugate (HON)
Bryson Hoppes (YAM)
Robbie Pecorari (HON)
XC2 Series Standings:
Cole Richardson (60)
Martin Christofferson (50)
Randy Hamilton (39)
Cody Collier (37)
Michael Lancaster (28)
Bryson Hoppes (27)
Jonathan Fugate (25)
Blake Tornes (25)
Steven Golden (21)
Fred Marley (19)
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 2,000 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 NBCSN and RacerTV.com. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.