Ironman GNCC
Crawfordsville, IN
Oct. 23, 2004
Story and photos by Bonnie Hamrick
Yoshimura/Suzuki’s William Yokley won the opener, took home a victor in the middle of the series and now summed up the season with a well deserved final round victory.
Round fourteen, the last and final race for the 2004 GNCC Season; it was going to be a race to remember. In 2003, Bill Ballance broke out the 2 stroke to stay undefeated for the winter break after several races of losing while trying out the Yamaha YFZ. Chris Borich has been on top of his game since boarding the Honda 450R, so can we say a repeat in 2004? Ballance couldn’t jump on the trusty 2 stroke this year, so what was he to do? Bill Ballance was crowned 2004 GNCC Champion long before coming into this race, so a point’s battle was out. William Yokley has wrapped up runner up, and will be wearing the number two plate in 2005, so he wasn’t worried about where his Roll Suzuki needed to be, but he wanted the win, a win that has been denied to him for years passed. The race was for third back. Many overall positions would be decided here at the Klotz Ironman GNCC.
Rain fell from early morning while the Youth ATVs were racing and never gave a second chance of hope that it would stop before the checkered flag dropped of the afternoon race. Twenty-two pro riders lined up on the muddy starting line that was next to impossible when trying to move. Bill Ballance chose a harder packed section all the way to the inside and many pro’s followed lead, but some were going to chance it in the deeper mud. When Ricky Towery had the machines shut off for the last time, tension rose. Would Chris Borich make it three in a row and be undefeated on the Honda? Would Bill Ballance remain the undefeated Ironman Champion? “Ten Seconds.” Coming around turn one, mud was flying like a swarm of locust eating the once soy bean fields that was now a mud soup bowl. Bill Ballance, Chris Borich, and Greg Trew swung wide nearly side by side coming down to the second turn, but all three were headless to the man on the inside. 2004 second place finisher from the Pro Am Class moved to the Pro Class for the day’s race and was no stranger to holeshots, so why should the Pro row be any different? Chris Jenks put his Hillbilly racing Yamaha out front and stole the holeshot from Ballance.
Trying to get onto the starting line was hard enough, but Yokley was ready to face ten more miles of the slop to take an overall.
Can you tell who is out front? Not really! With mud flying Bill Ballance pulls first around the first turn.
Lap One
By mile four, Chris Jenks was ready to pass up the lead and Bill Ballance was more than willing to take over first place, but Jenks wasn’t willing to give up the race to last. After ten miles of boggy mud, Ballance rounded the pits in the lead with a freight train of William Yokley, Chris Borich, Matt Smiley, and Jenks all within seconds of one another. Nearly thirty seconds back was Greg Trew in sixth with Brandon Ballance just out of roosting distance. In eighth Rob Zimmerman and Jared Gruca were battling thirty seconds out of Brandon’s reach. The mud was deep and lap two would bring more obstacles with lapped riders throwing mud and the creeks and mud holes packed with riders and quads that couldn’t get through.
Mike Houston, number 20 for 2004 wants number 10, but competition in the back ground, Greg Trew took that chance away with his top ten overall finish at the Irionman. Houston will take eleven for 2005.
Buren Hamrick, GNCC Course marshall, loves his job, as he stops by and tells Bonnie the good news – the track is ruined!
Lap Two
On lap two, Ballance was still out front, but not by much as Yokley and Borich were only seconds behind him. A repeat race of the battling trio from Power line Park was in the repeat. The top three were gone, while over a minute back, Smiley was just thirty seconds ahead of Trew and Jenks. Jenks may be a stranger to the Pro Class, but is no stranger to speed. Back in seventh was Brandon Ballance, forty-five seconds back and battling with Gruca. Not far off the pace was Andris Lagzdins and Zimmerman. In the Pro Am Class, Dave Simmons, the 2004 Senior Class Champion jumped into the mud quad first. After taking twentieth place at Powerline Park in the Pro Am Class, you would have thought he would have given up, but not Simmons, who passed Joshua Ribley, lap one’s leader.
Jared Gruca was running his best race ever. Here he slides into his pits with Johnny Gallagher right behind him!
Who wears white in the mud? Chad Duvall, that is who. Chad likes the white plastic, but could you tell who was who off the start?
Lap Three
Coming from the woods nearing the end of the third lap was Borich with the lead. Borich was ready for the Overall and his Honda was running great. Ballance was right on his rear Maxxis tires, but pulled into the pits for fresh gloves and goggles where Yokley was able to make a pass for second. Two minutes later, Smiley had his hands full with young-gun Jenks twenty seconds ahead of him in fourth; Trew was right on Team Safari’s, Smiley. Jeremy Rice, the 2004 Pro Am Class Champion moved into the Pro Class for the weekend to better his Overall score as well and moved into the top ten overall on lap three, running in seventh place, nearly three minutes behind. Rice had his hands full with Santo DeRisi and Mike Houston, both North Carolina boys, looking for a better 2005. DeRisi having a better since himself since getting on his Honda and Houston, currently in top ten overall in points, and hoping to stay strong. Gruca dropped back to tenth place, not far behind Houston.
Lap Four, White flag
With one more lap to go, Yokley put his Yoshimura Roll Suzuki out front for the first time. News came across the pits that Bill Ballance was out with a blown motor, so Ballance wasn’t going out undefeated, so who was to take the Ironman thrown? Nearly a minute behind Yokley was Borich, was he out of contention for the win? Three minutes back in third overall was Jenks and loving every minute of it. Trew took over fourth place over a minute behind Jenks and Smiley was holding onto fifth after battling mud holes and creek beds. Moving up to sixth with one lap to go was DeRisi, but two minutes back from teammate Smiley. Just under a minute back was Gruca in seventh with Rice in eighth forty-five seconds behind Gruca. Chad Duvall finally moved into the top ten after having bad luck lap after lap.
These three guys were cold and muddy, but smile big as the celebrating is done!
With the mud thick and lot letting go – Can you even tell this is William Yokley taking the Overall aboard his Roll Suzuki.
OVERALL
With the crowd packed at the finish line waiting for the Overall winner to blast across the Pro Pits and cross the checkered flag, William Yokley came around the final stretch of the muddy Ironman track. With Yokley throwing his arms up in the air, he finally ended his no win streak at the Ironman. “It has been a heck of a year for me. It started off good from a winter of training and riding and I came back strong here at the Klotz Ironman GNCC. This was a rough track. My Elka Shocks and Roll suspension worked great and everything went awesome. This is a bullet proof machine. Thanks to all the fans – Hell yeah, you guys are awesome. I plan to keep testing and hope all my sponsors will keep working hard for me giving me some awesome stuff,” Yokley said on the podium with only his white teeth showing on his smiling face.
After racing the intensely muddy trail, the two Chrises – Jenks and Borich – laugh about how they got here on the podium
Second overall went to Chris Borich aboard his undefeated Honda. “This Honda is still the machine for me. My tireballs and Maxxis tires have been a great combination for the day’s track. I look forward to next year boys.” Taking over the number three overall for 2005, Borich will be on fire in the 2005 season.
Third overall went to the young face of Chris Jenks. Jenks last time on the podium was the Spartan GNCC mud fest. Jenks must have talent in the mud! “What a year for me! This year has been great. My parents and girlfriend have given me some great support. I look forward to next year already. I felt no pressure coming into today with second place already decided in the Pro Am Class. Next year – I just want to be consistent. I may be good in the mud, but let it dry out and I still want to be good.” Jenks was riding on a great year and his plans for 2005 will be just as big.
Yokley gets down to business thanking his many sponsors on the podium while Martin with Elka Suspension watches on in the crowd.
Fourth overall went to Greg Trew over a minute back. Matt Smiley managed to hold onto fifth overall after getting his Yamaha stuck in many mud holes on the track. Smiley will drop to fourth overall for the 2004 season with Borich making his way by for number 3 in 2005. Sixth overall at the Ironman race went to Santo DeRisi aboard his number eight Honda. In seventh overall was Jeremy Rice, just forty-five seconds behind DeRisi. Eighth overall went to Pro Am Class winner, Jathan Seale. Jared Gruca took ninth overall, his best finish of 2004. Rounding out tenth overall was Four Stroke A Class winner, Chris Bithell. Open A Class winner, Josh Whitehead took eleventh overall. Twelfth overall went to Dave Simmons in the Pro Am Class. Simmons, the 2004 Senior Class Champion may be looking at a new class for 2005. Thirteenth overall went to Mike Houston from the Pro Class. Third in the Pro Am Class was Brandon Sturdivant, young rider himself looking for a bigger and better 2005. Just under a minute back for second place in the 4 Stroke A Class was Rhett Butler.
