Spartan GNCC, Sparta, KY 2004
- Updated: May 1, 2004
Here’s one happy dude! Jeff Stoess was all smiles after taking the overall for the day. His crafty mud riding skills helped him weave through a lot of riders. He never got stuck once.
The Spartan GNCC
Sparta, KY
May 1, 2004
By Bonnie Hamrick
On Friday, the parking lot was littered with busy racers setting up their pits, rolling quads out of trailers for round seven of the Grand National Cross Country Series. But what for, you ask? One hell of a mud race, that’s what for.
The weather let loose on Friday night bringing inches of rain that the Spartan track did not need. On Saturday morning, the gate was backed up all the way to the highway. The motorcycle riders were being turned away completely, (their Sunday race was cancelled). If you were a quad rider you best put the truck in four-wheel drive and let her rip! Half the riders had to get towed into the parking lot. All the while rain still fell. What’s more is threats of all day rain was the talk of the pits. All in all, a great day to be a GNCC racer!
Taking third in the Pro Class and fifth overall, Santo DeRisi is getting back in the groove of top finishes.
None other than Bill Ballance takes the holeshot as they dive into the muddy abyss of Sparta, Kentucky.
At one o’clock the announcement rang out that the morning race may be over but the Racer Production track crew was still pulling in the hundreds of riders that were stuck along the track. The race was put on delay till two o’clock. The pro riders stayed in the pits and waited for the time to come. As two o’clock approached, a rain cloud slid over the track, threatening to let loose. Twenty one pro riders lined up on row one, with current points leader, Bill Ballance aboard the Yamaha looking to make today’s race six wins in a row. The ten mile course was going to provide a huge challenge for all riders today as the mud was deep, thick and heavy. And the ruts formed from the early race were now capable of swallowing a whole ATV.
Green flag, go whether you like it or not!
When the green flag went up, Ballance took the holeshot and had William Yokley and Greg Trew all over his Maxxis tires rounding turn one and two. With a three lap race predicted, the riders had to be on the throttle the whole time. Ten miles of treacherously muddy woods laid before them. Who would make it back in first?
Twenty-six minutes later, Matt Smiley came winding towards pro pits aboard the Team Safari Yamaha with a pack of riders on his tail. Seven seconds back was Ballance with Bryan Cook passing Santo DeRisi on pro row for third. DeRisi pulled into the pits for a change of gloves; he thought in advance to put rubber gloves over his riding gloves to make for a quick glove change on lap two. Moving up for fourth was Brad Page leading the crowd of pro riders just seconds apart: Trew in fifth, Chris Borich in sixth, Mike Houston in seventh, Jeff Stoess in eighth, Santo DeRisi in ninth, Yokley in tenth and Chad Duvall in eleventh. In the Pro Am Class, Jeremy Rice led over Chris Jenks by nearly twenty seconds.
We’re a rare breed, aren’t we? Bill Ballance shakes hands with Open A, Kawasaki rider, Bryan Baker. Both laugh about what they’re about to do.
Lap two, white flag
On lap two, Stoess came around in first place with Duvall, Yokley, and Todd Knippenberg separated by four seconds. How can eighth and eleventh place make their way into first and second so quick? Easy, course marshall, Buren Hamrick called in to say there were huge bottlenecks everywhere that had the hands of fate today, and Stoess never got stuck. Instead he was able to make his way past Smiley, Ballance, Cook, and the rest almost instantly. Knippenberg made the fastest second lap, working his way from sixteenth to fourth. Taking the overall lead was Rice and Jenks from the Pro Am Class as they came through the scoring tent practically on the rear tires of the front pack, holding nearly a minute lead in time for the overall spot. Stoess was then on a mission to take back the overall from the Pro Am riders.
Coming in for fifth place in the Pro Class was Smiley, twenty-five seconds back with DeRisi a few seconds back for sixth. Cook rounded the pits for seventh, but after stopping for fuel, goggles, and gloves, his quad wouldn’t’t start back up. Jerking the seat off, the pit crew was able to restart the machine with a screwdriver to the battery. His crew just hoped that his quad wouldn’t stall in the woods, or there he would be sitting. No one passed Cook while he was in the pits, but he was over a minute back from DeRisi and on the gas as the white flag was waving.
Less than a minute back in eighth was our current champion, Bill Ballance, with a flat tire. A last minute decision before the race had Ballance changing tire sizes, leaving him with no choice of putting in tire balls. The rocky creek took a toll on Ballance’s tires, leaving him with a front flat. Working up to ninth place was Johnny Gallagher with Andy Lagzdins in tenth.
Jeff Stoess and Chad Duvall talk about the miserable track conditions.
A new overall champion!
Taking the checkered flag first at round seven of the GNCC series in his hometown state of Kentucky, Jeff Stoess pumped his fist in the air. Mounting the podium aboard his ATK machine, (formerly Cannondale to those not in the know), Stoess was all smiles. Stoess’ riding conditions were his most desirable, – he loves the mud. In second overall, only forty seconds back was Chris Jenks, a Pro Am rider, making his first podium debut as well. Jenks was taken by surprise with the news of his runner-up achievement, as were his entire pit crew. Third overall was Chad Duvall on the Am Pro Yamaha.
“I am here to celebrate this win with my wife and daughter, my dad and all my friends. I had a hunger for this overall, and now that I have that first win out of the way, I am looking for more,” Stoess said on the podium. Stoess was able to take the overall with sponsors like ATK, Kenda tires, Elka, Moose, ExRiders.com, Tireballs, HMF, Spider Grips, and the Quadshop.
Course Marshall, Buren Hamrick, was a savoir to many riders as they sat stranded in the woods. Hamrick said that many riders were winched out of a hole then three four-wheelers hooked together to pull it up the hills. It was a long two days of hard work to make the Sparta quad race official.
Jenks was shocked at his performance, but hard work this year had paid off as he celebrated on the podium. “Thanks to Maxxis, Pro Armor, Elka, Outerwears, and Moose I made it up here! I just tried to get through all those bottlenecks out there, and here I am”, said Jenks of Hillbilly Racing from Washington, WV.
Duvall in third overall is no stranger to podium celebrations, but was glad to share this experience with two great riders. “This track was terrible. It was thick mud and slick hills. I am glad it is over and to be up here for my sponsors, family, and fans. I thank Am Pro Yamaha, Elka, Badger, ITP, IMS, Roll, MSR, tireballs, and Wiseco.”
Taking fourth overall was Jeremy Rice, with second in the Pro Am Class. “Jenks and I were back and forth all day. On the last lap, half way around, I got stuck and watched Jenks go by. I was on the gas all the way to the end but never caught him back. I like mud after today, but that is just on a race to race scenario.” Rice finished less than a minute behind Jenks. Taking fifth overall was Santo DeRisi as he got back in the groove with his Team Safari Yamaha. “Rausch Creek was my first podium finish last year and I hope I can get it there again. I am starting to feel more comfortable with the Yamaha.
Here Bill Ballance gets towed to the main road. He was a little disappointed in his finish but thrilled to not get stuck in the woods and to just make it back to the truck!
Anyone can see the look in Chris Jenks’ eye as he talks about how he rode to a second overall finish. There is a look of promise for more podium finishes in the future.
In sixth overall, less than thirty seconds back from DeRisi was Bryan Cook, a neighbor to DeRisi in Casar, NC. Cook’s quad stalled at the finish line and wouldn’t fire back up. Spectators gave him a screwdriver once again to hit to the battery wires and his quad started up. “I am just glad I didn’t stall it on the last lap. I stayed on the gas and rode hard to finish where I did.” Six seconds back in seventh overall was Bill Ballance, who was not happy with his finish, but glad to just make it back to the truck. Eighth overall was William Yokley, forty seconds back. Jathan Seale took ninth overall, third in the Pro Am Class. In tenth overall was Greg Trew.
Here’s a before and after for you. This is Chad Duvall’s Am Pro Yamaha before and after three laps of Sparta, KY torture.
The race wasn’t over after the checkered flag went out. More than half the riders in the fields were in line to get towed out of the slick mud so they could get home. Meanwhile many of the pro riders waited turns as the tractors hooked up their haulers and pulled them to the main road. After a third of the riders had made it out of the parking lot, a huge down pour came and added to the troubles of leaving. Track official, Buren Hamrick said Racer Production’s staff wasn’t done pulling trucks and trailers out till three o’clock on Sunday afternoon! With that said, this year’s round seven in Sparta, Kentucky, will definitely be a race to remember!
