Mountaineer GNCC, Summersville, WV 2004
- Updated: September 25, 2004
The Mountaineer GNCC
Summersville, WV
September 25, 2004
By Bonnie Hamrick
After winning the Sparta II bonus race aboard his new Honda and a few local races, Chris Borich proved he’s more than ready to battle for the point’s lead in the ’05 GNCC series.
Round twelve of the GNCC Series was held at the Good Evening Ranch in Summersville, WV, which was a first time stop for the GNCC circuit. The ranch held many festivities for the family racer. The grueling eleven mile course was laid out by Jeff Russell and the Racer Production Course Marshals. At the ranch there were a host of cabins to stay in, RV hook ups, a concert on Saturday night, as well as a zoo with a zebra, lions, tigers, kangaroos, monkeys, and more! All in all, this stop on the tour is sure to become a family favorite, as those on hand will surely agree.
Twenty pros lined up on row one. After just ten races, Bill Ballance held an outstanding points lead over William Yokley. Just fourteen points behind Yokley was Team Safari’s Matt Smiley in third. In fourth place, thirty points behind, was Team Am Pro Yamaha Chad Duvall. Just one point behind Duvall was Chris Borich with East Coast ATV in fifth. Seven points behind Borich was Bryan Cook, riding the Four Stroke Tech Yamaha. In seventh overall is Pro Am Class rider, Jeremy Rice, forty-one points behind Cook. Just one point behind Rice is classmate, Chris Jenks. Ninth overall is Greg Trew also with East Coast ATV, with just fewer than one hundred points. Two points behind Trew is Brandon Ballance rounding out the tenth overall point’s spot.
Once the green flag went up, Bill Ballance knew where to put his Yamaha, and that was out front.
The Start
When the green flag went up just after one o’clock, Yamaha’s Bill Ballance jumped out front and took the holeshot with Suzuki’s William Yokley hot on his heels. Greg Trew, Chris Borich, and Matt Smiley packed in behind. The first half mile was wide open field stretches. The eleven mile course consisted of lots of field sections that quickly turned dusty after the morning race kicked down the grass, but unearthing a few rocks, a small motocross with a few jumps, whoops, and a tabletop, a few rocks were dotted along the track. Some of the rock sections reminded riders of the torturous Rausch Creek and Wisp tracks, but fortunately, not quite as brutal.
A special plate made by a sponsor, “Badger” William Yokley sports his number 3.
Lap One
Early in first lap dicing, the top six riders were wheel-to-wheel coming out onto the fast field stretches before the scoring area. Ballance held the lead, but soon after over shot a turn rounding the pro pits. This gave Smiley opportunity to take the lead over Borich. Ballance slipping into third. Seconds behind in fourth was Yokley with Trew and Duvall very close. Nearly twenty-five seconds later was Johnny Gallagher in seventh place holding off Mike Houston. Just over ten seconds back was Brandon Ballance and Andy Lagzdins rounding out the early top ten overall.
As Chris Borich approached the finish line he was all smiles. Borich’s impressive win marked the first GNCC overall for the new Honda 450R.
On lap three, Chris Borich was holding onto second place with Bill Ballance but Ballance was within close sight.
Lap Two
On lap two, just under thirty minutes later, Borich took over the lead aboard his new East Coast ATV Honda.
Smiley was still holding onto second place, with Ballance sitting in third. Racing through the pits, without making a pit stop was Ballance, giving him the lead as Borich and Smiley stopped for fuel. With the top three pulling away, forty seconds later, Yokley and Duvall were battling hard for fourth. Holding onto sixth place, about a minute back, was Houston. Taking sixth overall was first place in the Pro Am Class, Chris Jenks. Seventh in the Pro Class was Gallagher battling off Brandon Ballance, Bryan Cook, and Santo DeRisi. Second place in the Pro Am Class was Jeremy Rice, holding a top ten overall on lap two, less than a minute behind Jenks.
Lap Three
Coming through the pits with one lap to go was Ballance out front as he typically has been this season. Right on his rear Maxxis tires was Borich, not giving much breathing room at all. Twenty five seconds back was Smiley with a rattling noise coming from his YFZ’s pipe. Yokley was holding a strong charge aboard his Suzuki. Just twenty seconds back in fourth was Duvall. Over a minute back in sixth was Houston with Jenks taking over sixth overall. Brandon Ballance moved into seventh with Jeremy Rice from the Pro Am Class poking at his every move. Gallagher was in eighth place with DeRisi and Lagzdins rounding the top ten.
This is what Chris has been aiming for all year. One overall trophy and a quad that feels just as good as his old 250R based machine.
Overall
When the checkered flag went out, Chris Borich was at the checkered flag at the right time. “Finally!” said Borich, “I did a lot of riding over the summer, and we rode some motocross a lot. Then we built a new Honda 450 and I raced it in Kentucky and really liked it. Today, Bill and I got away and on the last lap, I passed him. He went one way and I went another and I snuck past. It feels real good. Bill was riding on the top of his game there.” Borich added, “I had a lot more fun on the Honda. After getting it set up for me, the Honda is a lot easier to ride, if you ask me. I think it’s just a lot smoother. I felt good on it. I will be on the Honda for 2005 definitely. This year was just a testing period for me, so I will be happy with a top five at season’s end. Today’s finish should put me into fourth overall,” said Borich after the race.
Second overall, less than ten seconds back, but not within passing room was Bill Ballance. “That was the hardest battle I’ve had all year long,” said Ballance. “Chris snuck by me in the lappers. I may have won the title, but this digs into my guts, and I’m ready to get after it and win next week.” Ballance was able to wrap up the 2004 GNCC Overall Championship. If you’re counting that makes five titles for Ballance! “I got the holeshot and just led the first lap till I missed the turn to go around the pits. I battled my way back out front till Chris got by just into the last lap. I will fight back in Ohio without a doubt.”
Bill and Chris swap stories about the last lap fiasco of their battle.
Ballance talked briefly of his fifth national championship, “I really didn’t expect it to be this easy,” said Ballance. “Every year the competition gets tougher and tougher, and I really thought after two or three years of this I would maybe lose some motivation. But I’m lucky because I’m just as fired up now as ever. I just signed a two-year deal to race with Yamaha at a full factory level. This is what we all dreamed about, – being able to make a living racing ATVs. I can’t believe how far it has all come.”
John Ayers presents Bill Ballance with his fifth GNCC Championship! Congratulations Bill.
Taking third overall, after getting by Smiley on the last lap, was Suzuki/Yoshimura’s William Yokley. “Matt’s a good rider,” said Yokley. “We were coming down this logging road, and I got behind him and ducked in between two trees going down a hill. I got inside of him and he had no choice but to shut down, because I would have stuffed him. It was all fair game, I try to keep it clean, but sometimes you have to do it. Today I just wasn’t comfortable running the pace that Bill and Chris were.” Yokley is nestled safely into second place in the GNCC point’s battle. Smiley is holding onto third overall.
Taking fourth overall was Matt Smiley, just over a minute ahead of Chad Duvall with Am Pro Yamaha. Jeremy Rice, from the Pro Am Class, took over the class lead on the last lap, leading Chris Jenks all the way to the finish line where they finished less than thirty seconds apart for sixth and seventh overall respectively.
Bill Ballance and William Yokley joke around on the podium as well.
Taking eighth overall was Mike Houston, a privateer rider from Hickory, NC. Houston experienced quad trouble on the last lap where he lost his minute to the Pro Am riders. Thirty seconds behind Houston was Brandon Ballance for ninth overall. Ballance’s ride this year has been improving from the tenth overall he was able to capture in 2003. Rounding out the top ten overall was Rob Hertz, finishing just a minute behind classmates Rice and Jenks for third place in the class.
