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GNC TT Round 1
Wayne County Speedway
Orrville, OH
May 16, 2004
Farr out front at GNC opener
By: Sean Berkey
Photos by Julie Farr
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| Farr proved that the new Honda 450R can be great for TT as he won the opener in Orrville, OH with it. |
Last year it rained late Friday night at Wayne County Speedway, but stopped
and allowed us to get the show in for all the great spectators and fans. But
this year mother nature wasn't so helpful, as the rain hit early Friday night
and didn't stop until Saturday night. This canceling all the racing action
and left a lot of disappointed travelers wondering if they would get any seat
time at all.
Wayne County Speedway crews (Patriot Promotions) scrambled and got the track
dialed in for a long Sunday. They did a phenomenal job getting the water-logged
track ready for racing on Sunday and the entire program was able to be run.
Unfortunately, Saturday night’s advertised fan base was lost. The race
was dedicated to the late Cody Hurst. All heats and mains would need to be
fit into this one day. The had two different option or split lanes which gave
racers several different opportunities to pass.
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| Shane Hitt was there but not able to ride - as you can see. |
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| With help from Scott Carey at Krank-It Racing and Bud Fischer at Fischer Cycle, Conneaut, Ohio's David Kister came out of retirement for this race. Kister's raw talent alone allowed him to charge through the pack to a respectful fourth place overall. Kister's 450R was as close to stock as they come. |
While reigning champ Shane Hitt, watched from the spectator area with a shattered ankle, and Kawasaki's Jackie Meadows look on from behind the fence with a badly broken wrist, 24 pro riders raced raced to get into the 20-man main event. Honda's Tim Farr took charge of the show and easily won the main event, just like he did in his heat race. This was the first time that Team Honda contested a TT event on the new Honda 450R. From the time it rolled out onto the track - to the time it crossed the checkers - it dominated. Farr set the fastest Pro qualifier. Keith Little, Harold Goodman and Darin Ogden also won their heat races and directly advance to the main.
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| Farr leads the twenty rider pack in early
laps. |
LSR's Keith Little will be a major threat to win this year's championship. Little finished 2nd in the main. |
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| Thanks to Darin Ogden (left), for the first time in modern-day production based professional ATV racing, more than one Honda rider finished on the podium. |
In the main it was all Tim Farr aboard his Honda, Baldwin Motorsposts, DG,
PEP, Sparks 450R. Farr pulled the holeshot and was haunted by Lonestar Racing's
Keith Little, Brandon Watts, Darin Ogden and Chris Gary. But not for long,
Farr and Little pulled away from the majority of the field.
Meanwhile, Brandon Watts aboard a Yamaha kept them in his vision. That was
until the big battle for fifth through tenth caught up. The fast approaching
riders featured Krank-It Racing's Dave Kister, who decided to blow the dust
off his retired boots and swing a leg over a band new Honda 450R. Kister held
off Chris Gary, Gary Bailey, Jathan Seale and Zac Willett. This battle kept
going during the whole race and made for some exciting action while Farr and
Little checked out.
Darin Ogden aboard his new Honda eventually passed Watts in corner to take
over the third spot just as lap traffic began to play a factor for Farr.
Harold Goodman aboard his Curtis Sparks tuned Yamaha got tangled up and charged
hard from the rear of the field. Jathan Seale, who has been running incredibly
well at the GNCCs, looked very strong aboard his Honda as laps progressed.
Seale seemed stronger as laps came to a close and found a spot to pass Watts
at the end for the fifth spot.
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| Mike Walsh wasn't 100%, (he's nursing a dislocated elbow), but won the Pro Am class regardless. | Daryl Rath and his mighty Polaris Predator
finished 13th. |
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| Farr backed it in perfectly every time and looked hungry to win another national championship. |
As typical, Farr never made even the slightest mistake and kept a six quad length over Little all the way to the checkers. “I had a blast out here today! My Honda was incredibly fast and handled this track perfectly. This is a great start to the TT season!” said an excited Farr following the race. “I would like to dedicate this win to Cody Hurst’s family and to my friend, Shane Hitt. Once again, I cannot celebrate for long, as I have to get ready for motocross next weekend", said Farr after the race.
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| Hot off his Friday night Short Track National victory, Darin Ogden looked fast and smooth and ready for the 2004 FMF GNC TT series. |
Pro
1. Timothy Farr
2. Keith Little
3. Darin Ogden
4. Dave Kister
5. Jathan Seale
6. Brandon Watts
7. Chris Gary
8. Harold Goodman
9. Zac Willett
10. J. Drew Hillian
11. Brad Covington
12. Michael Walsh
13. Daryl Rath
14. Jason England
15. Greg Meeks
16. Joseph Underwood
17. Troy Heroth
18. Ben Bettis
19. Glenn Bailey
Pro Am
The 265 Pro Am featured another exciting battle and charge towards the front.
Harold Goodman took his new Yamaha to the front, as he pulled the holeshot
followed by Chris Gary. Gary stuck close to Goodman for most of the race,
as the battle for third through sixth progressed. Media All-Star’s Zac
Willett and Walsh Racecraft's own Mike Walsh battled for the third spot until,
North Carolina’s Gary Bailey passed them both up and moved into third.
Walsh then passed up Willett and left him for the hard charging Robert McClure
out of California aboard his Lonestar Racing Yamaha. McClure came from out
of nowhere to pass up Willett then Walsh! The battle still progress as Walsh
kept McClure in check as they rode to the checkers. "The Bee" Goodman
took the win followed by Gary, Bailey, McClure and Walsh in fifth.
1. Harold Goodman
2. Chris Gary
3. Glenn Bailey
4. Robert McClure
5. Mike Walsh
6. Zac Willet
7. Aaron Resig
8. Ben Bettis
9. Danny McGraw
Plus 25
This was one fantastic race to watch. This year's champ Kenny Marcou is out
with a broken arm and 2003 #2 rider, Seth Fligge had transmission problems
right before the main, #3 Ken DeSantis had motor problems in practice and
#4 Rick LaRock didn't show.
So it was up to 2003 #5 “Flamer” a.k.a. Brain Nagorski to make
things happen in the Plus 25 class. Nagorski would take two second place finishes
in the 250A and Plus 25 during Friday night’s short track program and
took a second in his heat behind Fligge. Flamer aboard his Autodoctor/Dick’s
Auto Parts/Curtis Sparks/Rath Racing prepped Honda would pull the holeshot,
but would unfortunately not get to lead the first lap as in the third corner
entering the infield Kristopher Bures would get by him on his Honda. Bures
would start to pull a lead has Nagorski and Bradley Case would battle for
the second spot. Case would soon get by Nagorski and head after Bures. Bures
and Case would pull away from the battle for third with Nagorski, Cory Buhrman,
and Paul Yoe.
Buhrman and Yoe would both get by Nagorski in the end. Bures would win followed
by Case, Buhrman in third, Yoe in fourth, and Nagorski hanging on for fifth.
1. Kristopher Bures
2. Bradley Case
3. Cory Buhrman
4. Paul Yoe
5. Brain Nagorski
6. Jason Kuba
