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ATV Grand National Championship Series Round 9 and
The ATVA Short Track National Championships
Wayne County Speedway -- Orrville, Ohio - July 20-22, 2001
Course Management
By John Arens
| Photo by: Thom Veety Fast-Trak Promotion's John Pellan awards Shane "Hittman" Hitt the first place $5000 check. Hitt also won the Short Track National Championship as well as the holeshot award in both the ST and the GNC! |
In the growing world of ATV racing, Fast Trak Promotions has been on the gas for the past several years with the races they promote, and each year they try to expand and improve upon their previous event. When it came time for them to host round 9 of the ATV Grand National Series in 2001, that effort produced a record turnout of 578 racers all eager to take to the track for what was sure to be a weekend of great racing action in front of the thousands of spectators that flock to Fast-Trak events. Actually the racers and fans alike were treated to a doubleheader weekend of action with the inclusion of Friday night's ATVA Short Track National Championship event as well as Saturday and Sundays GNC TT. All this with factory backing! How's that for a change of pace? A manufacturer backing a race event! It's about time! Cannondale, who recently released the sportiest sport quad of all time in their FX 400, is now the title sponsor to one of the biggest ATV racing events in the world! A big thanks to all-American Cannondale are in order for their help with this event and for introducing modern day technology to a market that's been begging for something new for years.
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| Photo by: Julie LeMay The Hittman easily won his heat race. |
Also new for this event was an innovative track design featuring a split lane, which offered riders a choice of which part of the track to follow. Either choose the smoother but slightly longer outside option or the tighter and shorter inside line with a couple of kicker bumps and "finger jumps" thrown in. This was the first time a split lane track was to be tried for ATV TT racing, and it was a concept worth testing. According to John Pellan of Fast Trak Promo, the idea came from watching TT races and trying to get more passing back into the sport for not only the racers but the fans as well. "Over the years the ATVs themselves have become more specialized, and the racers better at dialing them in. In the past racers would slide their quads through the corners like a sprint car, and in doing so create passing opportunities. Now they've got them so dialed in and so hooked up that it's almost like an Indy car where they simply drive through the corner making the most of the traction available. I'm thrilled to have offered the first ever TT option lane in ATV Racing. I think it worked well and will have an impact on the future of TT racing". Pellan also added that there is much more to come from Fast-Trak as far as creative events and ideas in the future.
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| Photo by: Julie LeMay "Banger" interviews Shane-Dog while a local Fox cameraman rolls footage. |
The rider that made the most of this weekend was 1997 Grand National Champion, Shane Hitt. History is written by the winners, or so the quote goes, and when it comes to the annals of ATV racing, there will be a long chapter dedicated to the fluid grace and art of the TT track penned by Hitt. Like a veteran athlete in many sports, the "Hittman" as racers call him, has found his most effective skills and strengths, and has honed them to a razor edge. Although he has always been a very good motocross rider, on the TT track is where Hitt really shines, and it would be no different at Orrville for the Buchanon (pronounced Buck-hanon) West Virginia native. Throughout the practice and qualifying rounds it was clear Hitts' game was ready, and it looked to be a long night for the rest of the pros' making the main event.
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| Photo by: Julie LeMay Tim Farr was dialed in and ready for a big win, but settled for a hard earned runner-up spot. Tim did get even with Shane in the Pro-Am class however. |
As qualifying rounds and the field were whittled down for the main event, there was Shane Hitt on the front row, but not without fast company. The remainder of the field would feature 3 other Grand National champions in 3 time champ Tim Farr, 1999 champ Doug Gust, and reigning champion Travis Spader as well as current points leader Jeremiah Jones. In all the Fast-Trak promoted events in year's past, a former national champion has taken home the victory and along with it a big fat check, (Fast-Trak offers the biggest pro purses in the history of the sport!). Hitt ('98), Gust ('99) and Spader in '00 have all staked claim on their share. Only one past national champ has yet to come forward, none other than the hometown hero and 3-time pro national champ - Tim Farr (who lives in Canal Fulton, OH - only minutes from Wayne County Speedway). "I have to admit, I'm partial to one rider in particular. I'm wanting Tim to win this one", claimed Pellan about his longtime friend. "Nothing personal to the rest of the field, but how cool would it be for Tim to win in front of his hometown fans the night after he proposed to his longtime girlfriend Julie", asked Pellan to the announcer prior to the start of the main event.
Cashing in
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| Photo by: Thom Veety 1-2-3 Hitt, Farr, Gust - earned the checks and chicks. |
The twenty-man field revved their engines with just a bit more determination as the starter prepared to pull the switch on the green light. Thanks to Cannondale, Wiseco, PEP and Houser Racing Products, round nine of the GNC series would throw $5000 to the winner, far more than the usual $1000 prize. The snarling pack barreled through the banked corners of turns one and two, no clear leader was yet evident. It didn't take long for that to change however, and as the pack dove into the infield, lo the grim reaper had arrived in the form of Hitt who now owned the lead. Quickly Hitt settled into a comfortable pace and put 4 lengths on the rest of the field, just far enough ahead to be safe from any of the bumping and grinding of the pack, but not out of danger where a careless mistake wouldn't haunt him.
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| Photo by: Julie LeMay Tim Farr rolls the throttle on over a tricky finger jump in early heat race action. |
Just behind Hitt were Farr, Gust and Jones, and although the challengers all had Hitt in sight they now found themselves brawling with each other for position more than trying to catch the leader. Lap after lap, Farr showed Hitt a wheel or two but could not make a pass stick on the crafty TT legend. With half the laps now in the record books, Jones managed to work to striking distance of Gust who threatened for Farr's spot on numerous occasions. In the infield section Hitt was clearly not as quick as the riders behind, and whether the problem was from quad setup or from his tires slowly fading away, it was enough to pose a serious problem in caching in on the main event first place money.
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| Photo by: Thom Veety Dana Creech won the Divisionfour.com Freestyle Showdown and entertained the crowd in extreme style. |
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| Photo by: Thom Veety A few other riders practiced for the Div 4 Freestyle Showdown, but opted to let Dana take home the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize money from Div4, Moto Tees and Maxxis Tires. |
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| Photo by: Thom Veety Shane cashed in on just about everything at the Cannondale ATV Nationals |
On every lap as the field wound their way through the switchbacks of the infield the challengers would pull within a length of the leader, only to have him escape to the main straight and pull away from them. Farr tried one of Pellan's crafty option lanes on a few laps to pull along side of Hitt but couldn't manage to make a clean pass. On any one of the action packed laps "Digger" Doug Gust could have easily passed both Hitt and Farr in one swoop. Gust was taking the opposite lane just about every lap. Often times he would pull along side of Farr and show a wheel or two to Farr to let him know how bad he wanted his spot. As far as adrenalin packed excitement goes - It was one of the best TT races ever raced!
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| Photo by: Thom Veety Champaign wars '01 |
Despite numerous desperate attempts to slide by the leader, the frustrating bumping and position swapping exhibition between Farr, Gust and the fast approaching Jones helped Hitt just enough that he was able to claim another trophy for his already overcrowded mantle. It's little wonder that half the pack left the course sporting the "dead man walking" look after the weekend flogging Hitt had just handed them. In 2 days of pro class action between the Short Track National Championship and the GNC TT, Hitt won every holeshot award for both his qualifiers and main events, grabbed the fast qualifier positions, and won both pro main events! Not a bad weekend! The "Hittman" seems to be a nicknamed he has earned!
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| Shane Hitt wasn't the only rider to come away from Orrville with a hard earned win however, and from the other end of the country came Kory Ellis out of Longview Washington to throw his hat into the ring of the 4 stroke Pro-Am class. Ellis has always been known as a great motocross rider, but while his size and strength have been a valuable asset on the motocross track, being a big guy on a TT course undoubtedly robs a rider of valuable power, especially out of the corners. In the case of Ellis, his solution was to transplant the motor from a YZF 400 motocross bike into an aftermarket ATV Chassis, and it was "game on" as far as he was concerned. When the dust of the main event settled, Ellis and his hybrid had parted a veritable sea of Honda 400EX's with the win in the 4 stroke Pro-Am class just ahead of Kris Gary, Jason Luburgh, and Dave Diver, who had also turned the YZF motor trick. ATV racers have always been a little creative! |
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Cannondale Short Track National Championship Complete Race
Results Pro-Am Open |
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Cannondale ATV Nationals -- GNC Round 9 (TT) |
